While contemporary evangelicals may not always agree on everything, one thing they seem to agree on is that Christlikeness is the primary goal of sanctification. In fact, according to Barna Research, 89% of church leaders said that the goal of discipleship is “being transformed to become more like Jesus.”
Not surprisingly, if you ask Christians what it means to be like Jesus, more often than not you will get a fairly substantial list of character traits: humble, loving, gentle, truthful, compassionate. By extension, that seems to be what many Christians believe sanctification is all about—growing in those attributes are the trademarks of Christian maturity.
But what about growing in another characteristic of Jesus—His relentless concern for people who were far from God?
It was Jesus Himself who said, “The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10). He also described Himself as the shepherd who would leave the ninety-nine to go after the one sheep that was lost. There are many more examples that indicate that Jesus was absolutely preoccupied with reaching the lost.
And that begs the question: If Barna Research and Lifeway studies show an overwhelming consensus that Christlikeness is the goal of the Christian life, why do those same kinds of studies also reveal statistics like these?
- 62% of self-identified Christians had NOT shared with a non-Christian loved one how to become a Christian during the previous six months. Only 38% had done so at least once.
- 70% had NOT shared the Gospel with a stranger during the previous six months; only 30% had.
- 57% had NOT invited a non-Christian friend or family member to church during the previous six months.
Is There Such a Thing as “Crossless Christlikeness”?
Are these statistics revealing a potential false moral equivalency in the modern church? One in which we convince ourselves that as long as we are growing in our Christian tendencies—religious participation, proper moral behavior, sacrificial service, and giving to Christian causes—we can avoid confronting an uncomfortable reality: one of Jesus’ highest priorities—the salvation of the lost—has fallen far down our list of sanctification priorities, or for some, is not showing up on the list at all.
Could that assumption actually allow our apathy and unwillingness to be faithful witnesses to go largely unexamined? Perhaps these things are indicators that our commitment to authentic Christlikeness isn’t quite what we thought it was.
Jesus drew a direct connection between sanctification and sharing His mission and priorities in John 17:14–19. In the middle of His prayer for His disciples, He said:
“Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.”
— John 17:17–18
Don’t miss the connection. Jesus prays for their sanctification and then immediately speaks of their mission.
The people being made more like Jesus are also the people being sent like Jesus.
We Need to Reexamine What It Means to Be Christlike
Maybe the problem isn’t that Christians don’t want to become like Jesus. Maybe part of the problem is that we’ve allowed ourselves to adopt an incomplete picture of what becoming like Jesus actually means.
Christlikeness certainly means greater holiness.
It means greater love.
It means greater patience.
It means greater kindness, generosity, humility, mercy, and compassion.
But it must also mean an increasing concern for lost people.
The question “Am I becoming more like Jesus?” has to be accompanied by another question:
“Is my evangelistic concern growing to the point of action?”
Identifying The Spiritual Disconnect
The same Spirit who enables us to grow in the fruit of the Spirit—the fruit Jesus said in John 15 we would bear as we abide in Him and He in us—is Jesus’ Spirit. And that Spirit increasingly transfers to us both Jesus’ passion for holiness and His passion for the lost.
Holiness and evangelism are kindred sisters because both are ultimately centered around worship. In sanctification, we present our bodies as a “living sacrifice,” which Paul calls our reasonable service of worship (Romans 12:1). In evangelism, we become God’s missionaries, seeking to create worship where worship does not yet exist—calling people to become the worshipers the Father seeks, those who will worship Him “in spirit and truth” (John 4:23).
Jesus offered His body as the ultimate sacrifice so that He could save those who would worship the Father in spirit and truth forever and ever. There are loads of definitions of what sanctification means, but the one I like best may be the simplest:
“Let Jesus Be Jesus.”
“But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me. And you also will bear witness.”
— John 15:26–27
If we are truly abiding in Christ and He in us, then the two branches of holiness and our concern for the lost should be growing simultaneously. We should not expect one to flourish while the other remains bare.