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The Single Hardest Question You’ll Ever Ask As A Christian

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The Single Hardest Question You’ll Ever Ask As A Christian

What is the single hardest question you’ll ever ask as a Christian? [Tweet this]

I believe it’s a question posed through a new study by the Barna Group in conjunction with John Burke, author of Mud and the Masterpiece. Through a series of pointed questions, they examine how well Christians seem to emulate the attitudes and actions of Jesus. Their study boils down to one tough question:

Are you more like Jesus or more like the Pharisees? [Tweet this]

Most of us wants to throw up our hand, “I’m more like Jesus!”

But David Kinnaman  and the team behind Barna’s study found that more often than not, our responses resemble those of the ancient religious zealots rather than Christ.

In their study, the Barna team developed 10 statements that represented the attitudes and actions of Christ such as:

-I see God-given value in every person, regardless of their past or present condition.

-I see God working in people’s lives, even when they are not following him.

-I am personally spending time with non-believers to help them follow Jesus.

-I regularly choose to have meals with people with very different faith or morals from me.

Then the team developed 10 statements that represented attitudes and actions of the self-righteous or Pharisees such as:

-It’s not my responsibility to help people who won’t help themselves.

-I believe we should stand against those who are opposed to Christian values.

-I try to avoid spending time with people who are openly gay or lesbian.

-I like to point out those people who do not have the right theology or doctrine.

The finding revealed 51 percent self-identified Christians in the U.S. are characterized by having the actions and attitudes of those identified as the Pharisees.

The study is well worth reading. Click here for the full report.

But the study pierced my own heart, forcing me to ask one of the toughest questions we ever have to ask ourselves, In what areas of my life am I more like the Pharisees than Jesus? [Tweet this]

The Single Hardest Question You’ll Ever Ask As A Christian

I thought of people I’d withdrawn from, refused to get involved, refused to help. I thought of attitudes of arrogance, pride, being judgmental, and hypocrisy that so easily slip in. I realized that once again I needed to ask for forgiveness and a change of heart.

My prayer is so simple: Help expose those areas of self-righteousness. Jesus, make me more like you.

Will you join me in asking God a tough question today:

Where have you allowed yourself to become more like the Pharisees than Jesus?

76 Comments

  1. ro elliott
    ro elliott on May 2, 2013 at 6:23 am

    The older I get…the more I see I am in need a continual need of a pharisectomy…needing the Holy Spirit to come and search me…to expose the thinking that places me above another…even in the most subtle ways.

  2. Philip Shimer
    Philip Shimer on May 2, 2013 at 6:28 am

    Really appreciated this one Margaret. The ways I fall into Pharisee-ianity are many.

    The most recent was yesterday, my wife came to me (8 weeks after having our 3rd child) and told me that she is seriously considering the idea of becoming a surrogate mother. I was kind of shocked and immediately went into self preservation mode and only thinking about myself and how that would effect me and how that would make me appear to others. I spit out 50 reasons why not or “things to think about”, masked in “I’m asking you all of this to help you think about this” rhetoric, but deeply it was self serving.

    I finally crumbled. Why?
    Because she is more like Jesus and lives that way.
    She laboriously drains her spare time working for a pro-life organization that serves our city by providing clothes, diapers, and a hundred other items and resources for women in poverty.
    She was adopted as an infant into and understands the value of being given life way more than I could ever appreciate.
    Her parents adopted her because they could not have children and she has countless friends with the same situation.
    What finally broke me was at the end of the conversation I was just “this is going to be sooo hard, do you realize how emotionally difficult this will be?”

    She simply said, “Do you know how hard it is for people that can’t have kids? That’s difficult. Do you know how awesome it would be to help somebody achieve that?”

    ….my heart broke. I was struck with wonder by a heart of Gold. She was being Jesus in that moment to my heart and I was melted. Pharisee-ianity says “What can I do (or not do) to make me look better” but the heart of Jesus says “What can I do to make this world better.” and that is exactly what God was telling me in that moment.

    Sorry for the book. This one just really resonated today. Thank you!

  3. Faith Bogdan
    Faith Bogdan on May 2, 2013 at 7:37 am

    Love this, Margaret. We speak the same language.

  5. Mary
    Mary on May 2, 2013 at 8:10 am

    “Pharisectomy” is officially my new favorite word!!

  7. Christy Campbell
    Christy Campbell on May 2, 2013 at 8:49 am

    You put into words the thoughts I have been trying to formulate the past few days…there has been a verse on my mind and I can not find it at this moment but loosely paraphrased…let your actions be in such a way that even your enemy sees God. I hate when I act like a Pharisee, hated it even more when I’m called on it! I hate when I don’t allow Jesus to shine through because I’ve put His light under a bushel or in a box out of fear of the unknown and uncertainty. Thank you for allowing the Lord to shine through you and encouraging others to be honest, humble, yet courageous to grow more like Jesus!

  8. Margaret Feinberg
    Margaret Feinberg on May 2, 2013 at 8:54 am

    Philip, this is beautiful! Thank you for your raw vulnerability in sharing this. Praying for you, your wife, and your family as you make this decision.

  9. Margaret Feinberg
    Margaret Feinberg on May 2, 2013 at 8:55 am

    Christy, amen! So glad this resonated with you!

  10. Monica H
    Monica H on May 2, 2013 at 9:15 am

    This is a great post, Margaret. I hadn’t heard of this study but my husband and I have had talks about this over the past couple of years. . .I know God has used some of the hardships in my life to better see the needs of the hurting. . I often think of Jesus standing there with the adulterous woman and those with stones. . .I have sinned too in my life so who am I to throw stones? And I know what it is to be “judged” by gossip and those who don’t know my whole story and it is painful. I don’t want to do that to others. . .I want to be more like Jesus. I’m learning every day and I try to remain teachable.

  11. Margaret
    Margaret on May 2, 2013 at 9:59 am

    Monica, so glad it challenged you!

  12. Rick D. Padgett
    Rick D. Padgett on May 2, 2013 at 9:30 pm

    “More like Jesus!” It’s possible, but only if we allow the Lord to disciple us into deeper obedience to the First Commandment (“Love the Lord your God with all…”), thereby discipling us into deeper obedience to the Second Commandment (“Love your neighbor…”). This 2-part mandate has a 2-part source. The first is knowing God’s Word, which American evangelicalism has emphasized so stronger over the past two generations. The second is knowing God’s heart, which makes many American evangelicals nervous. Why? Perhaps because God has to take the initiative…

  13. Margaret
    Margaret on May 3, 2013 at 8:20 am

    Amen, Rick!

  14. Alex McLean
    Alex McLean on May 3, 2013 at 8:32 am

    What a great reminder & challenge. Thank you!

  15. Margaret Polino Nicholas
    Margaret Polino Nicholas on May 5, 2013 at 5:25 am

    I probably acted like a Pharisee years past. Now I am saved, it does appear that the palace ordered it.

  16. Lesley
    Lesley on May 5, 2013 at 2:55 pm

    This is one of your best posts, Margaret. Thank you for both encouraging me and convicting me. I’ve come back to this several times over the week.

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