Can You Have Too Much Christianity?

Have you ever heard of the 1985 Venture Chemical accident? To heat paraffin wax, engineers designed an outer jacket working with an inner jacket to heat the material. There was a specific purpose to the design, as it was imperative that the pressure remained at 33.75 psi. That is an important number, not over, not under, but operating capacity. When the accident occurred, the estimated pressure was at 135 psi, causing a rupture, releasing the molten paraffin wax, leading to damage and workers being severely burned.

Let’s look at something even more recent, which is the OceanGate Titan. This submersible vessel needed to maintain a specific pressure to keep the occupants inside safe and to keep the vessel balanced and intact. For this type of vessel, too little or too much pressure causes catastrophic damage, but the right amount produces strength. Sadly, in less than a blink of an eye, everyone onboard the Titan perished because the carbon fiber pressure vessel failed in its structural integrity; in other words, it could not handle the pressure, and everyone died.

Pressure is interesting and can be applied to Christianity in some ways. Believers need to be under pressure. Understanding the moral law of God, their duties under that law, their relationship with Jesus, and maturity could be called pressure points. At the same time, there is grace and freedom in Jesus. Christians are justified believers, and this means all their sin, past, present, and future, has already been dealt with through the atoning work of Jesus. Also, pressure points as to far, lead to sinful swimming in the pit of carnality. The problem we face as believers is the balance between legalism and antinomianism. Legalism is an excessive adherence to the details of the law, while antinomianism is an extreme view that Christians are released by grace from the obligation to observe the moral law (the 10 Commandments).[1]

We see this in Christianity. We have some who walk with so many rules and traditions, though they claim freedom in Christ and joy in their salvation, who come across as trapped, stiff, and joyless. On the other hand, there are those who profess Christ, yet live and enjoy the very things Christ died for and seem to have no issue living a carnal life. This is why we, as believers, need to remember that too much or too little pressure can be disastrous. We want to walk in ways (and treat others in those ways) that honor Christ, honor the Word of God, demonstrate sanctification, and stand in contrast to worldly living. While at the same time walking in the freedoms we now have as Christians, knowing there is grace upon grace.

Now, here is the thing: are you a Christian who lives under a lot of pressure? You hold to more traditions, restrictions, and translations than perhaps others do in hopes this would cause Jesus to love you more? Are you stricter about your dress code, or maybe about what you consume, than others?  If this is you, it may surprise you that not every Christian has to be like you. They may not hold to the same secondary or tertiary convictions you do. Would it surprise you that not all Christians are part of or influenced by the temperance movement? Some Presbyterians, Reformed Baptists, and non-denominational Christians do not have restrictions on alcoholic beverages. Some believers smoke cigars on occasion, attend sporting events, or even enjoy listening to secular music. Now there is room for discussion in all of this, and even historically looking at Martin Luther or C.H Spurgeon and how they viewed such things, but just because it may not be right or proper, it doesn’t necessarily make it a sin. The same goes with clothing style. You may not agree, and yes, it may be very unwise, but it may not actually be a sin. The matter comes down to how much pressure you put on yourself or another believer for your preferences and traditions; really, it is up to the Holy Spirit to convict all His people anyhow. Unless there is prayer and brokenness, there really is no need to speak up.

Same with the other side. Would it surprise you that some believers abstain from alcohol to honor Christ? To fast and pray to keep disciplined? Does it shock you that modesty is important? That some prefer to wear suits, dresses, and be active in church, not just on Sunday? Those who look at believers who aim to please the Lord in their disciplines and other strong Christian convictions do not make them legalistic, dry, or lacking the Holy Spirit. Again, for those who believe that less pressure on the Christian life is best, this, too, can have catastrophic consequences. But just because a person walks in extreme freedom does not mean God loves more.

Remember, no Christian can cause the Father to love them more or less. Jesus did not come down and endure the cross so that the Father could love them; Jesus came and endured the cross because the Father loves us.

In this is love, not that we loved God, but He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins! For God so loved the world, He gave us His only Son; whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life (1 John 4:10, John 3:16).

The Christian walk is one of balance. That balance is letting the word of God and the Spirit of God put pressure on you to conform and mature, while at the same time finding the freedom in the finished work of Jesus and feeling the great burden lifted. There really are only two simple, applicable conclusions. We need to stop placing pressure on ourselves, and the second is the pressure to demand that believers be carbon copies of us and hold to every conviction under the sun, and to have too much Christianity by tradition, as opposed to the overabundance of Christianity found only in walking by the Spirit. Take time to read a few important verses, Matthew 7:1-15 and James 4:11-12, to gain a deeper understanding of what we are to do as believers. This post is not saying to ignore sin, accountability, or blatant disregard for the integrity and ethics of biblical living. What it is saying, maybe we can lighten up on others and repair the reputation that Christians are notorious for “shooting their own,” and often in the back.

  The pressure we want to walk in is Holiness. The pressure we should put on others should be minimal, but we should push towards holiness, as holiness is not a crushing weight at all; it is balance. So, ask yourself. “Where is the pressure in my Christian life that is out of balance?” “Am I placing a burden on myself or others that the Lord has not commanded?” Or “Have I used grace as an excuse to avoid the obedience Jesus has commanded?” We are not called to manufacture holiness through rules, nor abandon holiness because of grace. Let Christ be Lord, let Scripture set the boundaries, and let grace give you freedom within them; may we all love unconditionally, always with a broken, humble spirit.

In His Merciful Grip,

Pastor Steve

[1]. Note: I am not arguing that a believer could walk in antinomianism any more than in legalism. The balance is how to rightly balance what is required and enjoyed for the believer. Legalism is as dangerous as antinomianism when it comes to the heart. The actual balance is walking in a manner worthy of our calling (Eph 4:1).