"Christians Falsely So Called"

There is an old adage in Christianity which proposes that "either Jesus is Lord of all or He is not Lord at all." If this statement is true, then it provides us with an understanding of what the spiritual work of a Christian is to be: he is to strive to submit all areas of his life to the expectations of the Gospel of Christ, to ensure that his faith in Christianity influences and directs all aspects of His life.

The words of the Lord Jesus address all areas of our lives be they religion, politics, finances, business, marriage, education, morals, values, etc., and one who calls himself  "Christian" claims to be a follower of the teachings of Christ. The adage above is intended to remind us of that fact. However, we sinners like to practice something which I call "compartmentalized spirituality," which happens to be the antithesis of the above mentioned adage.

In compartmentalized spirituality, we attempt to keep each aspect of our lives separate from the other: our religion has little or no impact on our politics, our values, our finances, etc. In fact, each "compartment" of our lives has its own function and values and these are usually based upon self-determined [and self-serving] rules. How we operate in one area is viewed as having little or no relevance to what we do in another, and if different "compartments" conflict, it is not comprehended as inconsistency.

For example, compartmentalized spirituality instructs us that our religion has nothing to do with our politics. In taking this position, we are thus apt to favor political candidates without any consideration for whether their positions conflict with our moral or religious values. Yet by giving our approval to candidates whose stated values conflict with our Christian principles, we essentially aver that our political positions and moral values are unrelated. Our faith in Jesus is allowed to play no part in our political decisions, and this is compartmentalized spirituality.

Another example is that of our finances. Compartmentalized spirituality tells us that what we do with our money has no relevance to our religion; if we give to our church or to a charity it is because we are feeling generous, and if we don't, that withholding has no effect on our spiritual development. Yet this position reflects ignorance or rejection of the demands of the Faith; when the Lord Jesus spoke of almsgiving, He said "when" not "if" [Mt. 6:2]. To claim that Jesus is lord of our lives, while simultaneously failing to obey His admonitions to almsgiving is to compartmentalize and separate our giving from our faith. In this instance, Jesus' words are allowed to have little or no bearing on our understanding of how we should tend to our money, and that is compartmentalizing. .

I have given only two examples, but, as I mentioned above, the issue of compartmentalizing extends to virtually every area of our lives. It is a goal of Christian discipleship to invite and allow Jesus to be Lord of our lives and this means that He is to be master of everything we do, that all our actions and decisions will be based upon and influenced by His dictates.

Compartmentalized spirituality conflicts with this goal, and, because we are each guilty of some compartmentalizing, our aim in the Christian life will be to end all such deviations. We want our relationship with God Incarnate to affect every aspect of our lives; anything less is not Christian at all. Remember the adage; "either He is Lord of all or He is not Lord at all." It identifies our failures, but it also gives us a game plan and goal for how our lives must be; subject in every area to the words of our Lord Jesus.