Chameleon Christians!

(Be sure to LISTEN to the Audio, as you READ the text below.)

There is a kind of Christianity which flourishes on Sunday, but mysteriously disappears when Monday morning dawns. It is a religion that knows how to behave in the sanctuary, how to bow its head in prayer, how to sing the hymns, and how to speak the language of Canaan.

Yet, when the doors of the church are closed, another person emerges. The holy garments are laid aside, the Christian vocabulary is forgotten, and the world discovers a man who bears little resemblance to the worshiper who sat in the pew only hours before. Their religion is a sort of play-acting, a kind of masquerade.

Such people are Chameleon Christians! They change their colors to suit their surroundings. In the company of the godly, they appear godly. In the company of the worldly, they are thoroughly worldly. Their speech, conduct, convictions, and affections are governed not by the unchanging Word of God, but by the people whom they wish to please, and the circumstances in which they find themselves.

Their Christianity is not the governing principle of their lives; it is merely the costume they wear when the occasion demands it.

But what a fearful thing it is to mistake the garments of religion, for the life of grace! A man may assume the appearance of a Christian, without possessing the heart of a Christian. He may learn the language of Zion, without ever having been made a citizen of Heaven. He may sit beneath the preaching of the gospel, admire the truth, defend sound doctrine, and even speak eloquently of the Savior--while his heart remains secretly wedded to the world.

It is possible to have a Christian profession, without a Christian disposition; a Christian vocabulary, without Christian affections; and a Christian appearance, without a Christian life.

Judas walked with Jesus, heard His teaching, witnessed His miracles, and was numbered among His disciples. Yet, beneath the outward appearance, lay a heart that had never been surrendered to his Lord. The other disciples did not readily discern his hypocrisy. But the Lord knew him perfectly. Man may be deceived by appearances, but Jesus never is.

The great question is not what we appear to be before men, but what we are before God.

Consider the person who is careful about his conduct on Sunday, yet careless about his conduct throughout the week. He would be ashamed to use certain language in the presence of his pastor, but has no shame in using it among his worldly companions. He can sing, "Take my life and let it be, consecrated Lord, to Thee," while reserving whole areas of his life from the Lordship of Jesus.

We must say, with all solemnity, that a religion which leaves a man comfortable in his sin, is a religion that he ought to fear.

We are not saved by the perfection of our obedience. We are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. The weakest believer may stumble; the most sincere Christian may fall grievously. But there is a vast difference between a sheep that falls into the mud, and a swine that loves to wallow in it. The child of God may be overtaken by sin, but he cannot make peace with sin, as the settled delight and master of his life. The grace that pardons him, also transforms him.

The question, therefore, is not whether you have ever fallen into sin, but whether you are content to remain in the filth of sin. The question is not whether you have weaknesses, but whether you cherish secret sins, and defend them against the searching light of God's Word.

Do not mistake the struggle against sin, for hypocrisy. The very grief you feel over your sins may be evidence that the Spirit of God is at work within you. But neither should you mistake the absence of visible scandal, for genuine holiness. A man may be outwardly respectable, while inwardly cherishing worldliness, pride, lust, covetousness, or self-righteousness. A religious man may be further from God in his respectable pride, as the openly immoral man is in his shameful indulgence.

God searches deeper than outward behavior. He searches the heart.

And what of the changing colors of the chameleon? How many professing Christians are governed by the light in which they stand! Among believers, they appear devout; but not among unbelievers. When Christianity is applauded, they are bold in their profession; but when it brings reproach, they grow silent. They will follow Christ so long as following Him costs them little, but when obedience to Jesus threatens their reputation, friendships, pleasures, or ambitions, then their devotion disappears.

Yet our Lord Jesus Christ never called us to a convenient Christianity. He called us to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him.

The true Christian does not belong to Jesus on Sunday, and to himself on Monday. He is the Lord's, at home and at work; in public and in private; in prosperity and in adversity; when surrounded by the godly, and when standing among those who despise the gospel.

He may not always live as he ought, but he knows to whom he belongs. His deepest desire is not merely to be thought a Christian, but to be conformed to Jesus. He wants his private life to agree with his public profession. He wants his words, thoughts, affections, and actions--to be brought increasingly under the gracious rule of his Redeemer.

This is the work of sanctifying grace. It is not the perfection of the believer, but the gradual transformation of the believer. It is not a flawless walk, but a walk which is marked by repentance, faith, and a growing desire for holiness.

Dear reader, let us bring this matter home to our own hearts:

What are you when no Christian is watching?

What occupies your thoughts, when you are alone?

What do you permit yourself to view, read, say, and enjoy--when there is no fear of being discovered?

Does your Christianity govern your private life, or does it merely decorate your public one?

Do you love the holiness you profess, or do you merely love the reputation that comes with professing it?

Would you still follow Jesus, if obedience cost you your popularity?

Would you still stand for gospel truth, if every friend around you stood against it?

Are you willing to be thought peculiar, narrow, or foolish--rather than displease the Savior?

These are searching questions, and we must not answer them hastily. Neither should we answer them despairingly, as though our hope rested upon our ability to discover perfection within ourselves. Our hope is Jesus. Run to Him with your hypocrisy, your inconsistency, your coldness, and your sin. Confess what is sinful. Forsake what is cherished. Seek the cleansing of His sin-atoning blood, and the renewing power of His Spirit. The gospel does not invite hypocrites to polish their masks; it calls the worst of sinners, to come into the light and find mercy in the Savior.

Remember, too, that the same grace which welcomes the guilty, does not leave them as it found them. Jesus does not merely forgive the sinner's past; He claims the sinner's present and directs the sinner's future. The Savior who justifies the ungodly, also teaches His people to deny ungodliness and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives.

Let us, then, beware of a religion that can be put on and taken off like a garment. Let us beware of a profession that depends upon our company, our convenience, or our circumstances. Let us beware of being satisfied with the appearance of godliness, while resisting its transforming power.

The world does not need more chameleons in the church--people who wear Christianity as a Sunday morning garment, and discard it when its demands become inconvenient. It needs to see men and women whose lives, though imperfect, bear the unmistakable marks of belonging to Jesus.

Be a Christian in the sanctuary, but also in the secret place.

Be a Christian on Sunday, but also on Monday.

Be a Christian when praised, but also when persecuted.

Be a Christian when surrounded by believers, but also when among the wicked.

The eye of God never closes, when the church service ends. His Word does not cease to govern us, when we leave the sanctuary. And Jesus who died to redeem us, did not purchase us for a few hours of religious observance, but for Himself.

Let us never be content merely to look like Christians.

Let us plead with God to make us true Christians--men and women . . .

whose hearts have been renewed by grace,

whose sins are increasingly hated,

whose Savior is increasingly loved,

and whose lives increasingly adorn the gospel they profess.

And when the final day comes, may we be found clothed in the righteousness of Christ, bearing the fruit of His grace, and rejoicing that we belong to Him forever.

(The above was AI generated.)