What Would Jesus Do?

John 15:4 Dwell in Me, and I will dwell in you. [Live in Me, and I will live in you.] Just as no branch can bear fruit of itself without abiding in (being vitally united to) the vine, neither can you bear fruit unless you abide in Me.

In 1896, Pastor John Sheldon, delivered a series of sermons to his church in Topeka, Kansas. From these messages the book, “In His Steps: What Would Jesus Do?” was published, which created the resurgence of the phrase in the 1990’s, “What Would Jesus Do?” or “WWJD?” What’s not known about this popular Christian movement is that the book which created the WWJD? movement of the 1990’s was based in Christian Socialism, and the heretical Social Gospel formed in the early 1900’s. Should we abandon this statement simply because of it’s association with heresy? Absolutely not. What the question  belies is that it doesn’t go deep enough.

Jonathan Welton in his book, “Normal Christianity:” Jesus and the Book of Acts are the standard of Normal Christianity. Remember the fad a few years ago when people wore bracelets reminding them, What Would Jesus Do? Christians state that Jesus is the example of how to live, yet this has been limited in many cases to how we view our moral character. When Christians tell me that they want to live like Jesus, I like to ask if they have multiplied food, healed the sick, walked on water, raised the dead, paid their taxes with fish money, calmed storms, and so forth. I typically receive bewildered looks, but that is what it is like to live like Jesus! 

There you have it. To live like Jesus, or do what Jesus would do, was not and should never be limited to us being good, moral people. That is to reduce Jesus, to a good, moral, teacher, and the Gospel, to another nauseating version of humanism, or relativism. And that’s precisely what is wrong with popular, cultural Christianity. You cannot do what Jesus did apart from being born-again of the Spirit. But you can be a good person. You can be a good person and remain a buddhist, or satanist. Being good doesn’t require being born-again, but doing what Jesus does….does. If we dwell in Jesus, we are extensions of Him. As extensions of Jesus or “branches” connected to the Vine you will hear what the Father is doing. Why? Presently, we could make the argument that Jesus is located at the right Hand of the Father. Because of that placement and positioning, those who are truly born-again of the Spirit, are connected to what Jesus is receiving from the Father. In other words, what He hears we hear, because of our connection to Jesus. That is, if we are abiding in Jesus. With that realization comes the responsibility on our part to remain connected. If we are not making the connection then we are simply wearing “WWJD?” bracelets, and we are only doing what we can do. And what we can do is quite simply humanism, and relativism. Which by the way, the Bible says is hatred towards God: Romans 8:7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. The word “enmity” is defined as “hatred, and being hostile, desiring ill will against another.” The question that’s begging to be asked? Do you want to wear a bracelet, or do you want to be connected to the True Vine?