Cultural Christianity- Pray You Are Genuine in Your Faith

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Cultural Christianity- Pray You Are Genuine in Your Faith (Matthew 7:21-23)

Prepared and preached by Pastor Steve Rhodes for and at Bethel; Sunday, September 28, 2025

In 1990, Garth Brooks released a song, which goes like this:

… Just the other night, at a hometown football game
My wife and I, ran into my old high school flame
And as I introduced them, the past came back to me
And I couldn’t help but think, of the way things used to be

… She was the one, that I’d wanted for all times
Each night I’d spend prayin’, that God would make her mine
And if he’d only grant me this wish, I wished back then
I’d never ask for anything, again

… Sometimes, I thank God, for unanswered prayers
Remember, when you’re talkin’ to the man upstairs
And just because, he doesn’t answer, doesn’t mean he don’t care
Some of God’s greatest gifts, are unanswered prayers

… She wasn’t quite the angel, that I remembered in my dreams
And I could tell, that time had changed me
In her eyes too, it seemed
We tried to talk about the old days
There wasn’t much, we could recall
I guess the Lord knows what he’s doin’, after all

… And as she walked away, and I looked at my wife
And then and there, I thanked the good Lord
For the gifts, in my life

… Sometimes, I thank God, for unanswered prayers
Remember, when you’re talkin’ to the man upstairs
That just because he may not answer, doesn’t mean he don’t care
Some of God’s greatest gifts, are unanswered

… Some of God’s greatest gifts, are all too often unanswered
Some of God’s greatest gifts, are unanswered prayers

Does that song mean that Garth Brooks is a Christian? Only God knows.

When I was in high school, I began to deepen my faith. At that time, I listened to country music, as well as other genres. I really liked “LeAnn Rimes.” I remember talking with a co-worker, and I said, LeAnn Rimes is a Christian. She responded, “Everybody is a Christian, Steve.”  During that time, many singers, especially country singers, talked about God and their faith. Garth Brooks would talk about God,[1] but the next moment, sing a song about a teenager having an affair with an older woman.[2] Alan Jackson is still known for singing songs about God.  In 2000, he released a song called “Where I Come From.” Some key words in that song are: “Workin’ hard to get to heaven…” Is that Christian theology? Do we earn our way to heaven?

Furthermore, athletes, politicians, and actors often discuss their faith. It is common for politicians to talk about their faith. We all know that. Of course, many of them will say whatever people want to hear. For years, athletes have pointed to heaven after scoring a touchdown. Remember the movie, “Angels in the Outfield”?

I do not think any of the things that I mentioned mean they are Christians. Only God knows one’s heart. I am sure some are genuine. But these are signs of the remnants of “cultural Christianity.” Some would say “cultural Christianity” is dead, but I think it remains in parts of our world.

My theme today is- pray that you are a genuine believer in Jesus.

  1. What is a cultural Christian?
    1. Cultural Christianity is more about the social aspects of the Christian faith than the genuine life of commitment to Jesus.
    2. Many will identify as Christian because of family history, or even the values they like.
    3. In April 2024, Richard Dawkins identified as a cultural Christian. He said he liked Christmas Carols and old churches. He was one of the most militant atheists.[3]
    4. One source writes, Cultural Christianity is religion that superficially identifies itself as “Christianity” but does not truly adhere to the faith. A “cultural Christian” is a nominal believer—he wears the label “Christian,” but the label has more to do with his family background and upbringing than any personal conviction that Jesus is Lord.[4]
    5. In American history, we clearly had a culture with Christian values. Therefore, it isn’t easy to parse through the writings of Washington, or Lincoln, or Jefferson, or Adams, or Eisenhower, or Roosevelt, or Nixon, or anyone else to know the genuineness of their faith.
    6. We can discuss the founding fathers further later.
    7. Most people in eighteenth-century America held a commitment to the Scriptures. However, many of our founders were impacted by rationalism. But if we read quotes from them, we think they are committed Christians. However, it was common to say the things they said.
  2. How does Jesus address this (Matthew 7:21-23)?
    1. Matthew 7:21–23 (ESV)
    2. 21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’
    3. First, we see that doctrine alone does not save us.
    4. Now, where are we in the Bible? This is a section at the end of the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus has been talking about knowing false teachers. In the previous verse, Jesus says that we will know them [false teachers] by their fruits.
    5. We see in that passage that they had the right doctrine. Jesus says they come to Him with “Lord,” “Lord,” implying they see Him as Lord.
    6. There are many people who may have correct doctrine but do not know Jesus.
    7. Don’t get me wrong, doctrine is very important. Sometimes, wrong doctrine shows that one is NOT saved, but that is another sermon. Let’s get back to the text. If you keep reading, they do not submit to Him as Lord. They do not do His Father’s will.
    8. Emotions do not save us.
    9. In the passage, the people who approach Jesus are quite serious. They seem very emotional. They seem very persistent. They seem like they really care. They are saying, “Lord,” twice.
    10. Still, that does not save them.
    11. We can have the correct doctrine and be passionate about it, yet not be saved.
    12. At the end of verse 21, Jesus says the one is saved who does the will of His Father. We will come back to that.
    13. Then we see that actions do not save us, but right actions are important.
    14. They say to Jesus, “Did we not prophesy in Your Name?” Stop right there. We could easily think, “They did a miracle, they prophesied.” But even the demons can do counterfeit miracles. We see this in Rev. 13:13-14, which is a key passage about this. Prophesy could mean preaching the Word, or it could mean rebuking sin, or it could mean calling out the future. These false believers could do that naturally without God, or they could do it by demonic forces. Jesus says they are not saved.
    15. They say to Jesus, “Did we not cast out demons in Your name?” Again, they are not saved. In Acts 19:13-16, we see false teachers, non-Christians, trying to cast out demons. They may cast out demons, but maybe the demons do not stay out. Of course, they could be lying; maybe they never did any of these things.
    16. Lastly, we see that miracles do not save us. These people claim that they performed miracles in Jesus’ name. They could be lying, or perhaps they performed the miracles through demonic power. Again, I refer you to Rev. 13:13-14.
    17. So, how do you know if you are saved?
    18. We will come back to that in a minute, but firstly, right here, Jesus says, “Do the will of His Father.” This would be following His Word.
    19. John 15:14–15 (ESV)
    20. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15 No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.
    21. James 2:18–20 (ESV)
    22. 18 But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. 19 You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder! 20 Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless?
    23. We interpret Scripture with Scripture; this means that, based on Ephesians 2:8-9, we know we are saved by grace. We know based on the theology of salvation that we cannot earn our way to God. But our works validate our faith.
  3. Apply this to your spiritual life:
    1. In 2 Corinthians 13:5, Paul writes that we should examine ourselves. How can we examine ourselves?
    2. Are we repentant of sin?
    3. Does sin in our life grieve us (Acts 2:38; Romans 7- Paul did not like the sin in his life)?
    4. Do certain sins grieve us, and others do not?
    5. Does sin grieve us because it grieves God or because of selfish reasons?
    6. Do we desire to glorify God (1 Cor. 10:31)?
    7. Is Jesus our Lord? Do we follow Him (Luke 9:23)?
    8. Here is a breakdown of 5 things to look for:
    9. Penitence towards sin (Psalm 32; 51).
    10. Pursue righteousness (1 Tim. 6:11).
    11. Willing and joyful submission to Christ (James 4:7; Eph. 5:21) and others.
    12. Longing to obey the Word (2 Tim. 3:16-17; Psalm 119:9-11).
    13. Love for God and others (Matthew 22:37-39).

I have shared this before, but it is so good that it merits sharing again.

I read about an atheist who had the correct doctrine. Listen to this debate between an atheist and a liberal, supposed Christian:

Marilyn Sewell

Unitarian Universalist  Minister and Christopher Hitchens Author, God is NOT Good: How Religion Poisons Everything

Sewell: The religion you cite in your book is generally the fundamentalist faith of various kinds. I’m a liberal Christian, and I don’t take the stories from the scripture literally. I don’t believe in the doctrine of the atonement (that Jesus died for our sins, for example). Do you make any distinction between fundamentalist faith and liberal religion?

Hitchens:

Only in this respect: I would say that if you don’t believe that Jesus of Nazareth was the Christ, in other words, the Messiah, and that he rose again from the dead and by his sacrifice our sins are forgiven, you’re really not in any meaningful sense a Christian.

Sewell:

I disagree with that. I consider myself a Christian. I believe in the Jesus story as story, as narrative, and Jesus as a person whose life is exemplary that I want to follow. But I do not believe in all that stuff that I just outlined.
Hitchens:

I simply have to tell you that every major Christian, including theologians, has said that without the resurrection and without the forgiveness of sins, what I call the vicarious redemption, it’s meaningless. In fact, without that, it isn’t even a nice story – even if it’s true . . .

Sewell:

It doesn’t really matter to me if it’s true literally. It matters to me whether the story has efficacy for my life.

Hitchens:

Well, that’s what I meant to say. When C.S. Lewis, for example, says, . .  ‘if this man was not the son of God, then his teachings were evil’ because if you don’t believe that the kingdom of heaven is at hand and you can get to it by the way, the truth, and the life, offered by the gospel, then there’s no excuse for telling people to take no thought for the morrow, for example, as he did. . . It would be an evil nonsense.

Pray You Are Genuine in Your Faith (Matthew 7:21-23)

Believe, confess, trust, commit to Him: Firmly make the decision to be with Him in order to become like Him and to learn and do all that He says and then arrange your affairs around Him.

[1] Song, “Unanswered prayer.”

[2] That Summer

[3] Breakpoint; Richard Dawkins, a “Cultural Christian”

You can’t have Christianity’s fruit without its root. April, 09, 2024; accessed on 08.24.2025.

https://www.breakpoint.org/richard-dawkins-a-cultural-christian/

[4] Got Questions Ministries, Got Questions? Bible Questions Answered, vol. 2 (Bellingham, WA: Faithlife, 2014–2021).

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