Why the Churches Today Are So Filled with Evil People
Why are Christian churches today so lukewarm? What does it actually mean to be a lukewarm Christian? If we compare today’s churches with the time of the Reformation, or the era of the Waldenses, we see that we are living in spiritually weak times. What is going on?
Why do Christians today have so little power and so little knowledge of the Bible? Why are many churches filled with legalists and unloving people? What is a lukewarm Christian? Let us find out the five reasons why churches today are filled with evil and lukewarm people.
1. The Lukewarm Christian Looks Like the World
Many Christians look like the world. I am not only talking about how they dress, but about how most Christians behave today — and it does not reflect Jesus at all. Many Christians today resemble Satan more than they resemble Christ. Why? Many claim to be strong and bold, but deep down, they are weak and deeply afraid of being rejected and forsaken by the world.
What is a lukewarm Christian? It is someone who does not maintain a daily relationship with God and who does not take time to share that relationship with others through evangelism. The world might see such people as strong, because they speak in aggressive, selfish, and proud ways. Yet God sees them as among the weakest of human beings — claiming to belong to Jesus when, in fact, they belong to Satan.
Matthew 7:16–20 — You shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree brings forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree brings forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that brings not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits you shall know them.
2. The Lukewarm Christian Sounds Like the World
Many Christians today sound like the world. This is closely related to looking like the world, since character and personality form a whole. Ask a worldly person what “having character” means, and they will often say it means being aggressive and unyielding. But true character resembles either Jesus or Satan — there is no third option. Every person on earth carries one kind of character or the other. We are either like God, or like Satan.
Matthew 7:21 — Not every one that says unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that does the will of My Father which is in heaven.
Yet most people today believe the complete opposite of what Jesus actually said. It is striking how, as time goes on, people seem to forget more and more of Jesus’ actual teachings.
The lukewarm Christian believes that simply carrying the name “Christian” is enough — the same way many assume that putting on a police uniform makes someone a police officer, or putting on a firefighter’s uniform makes someone a firefighter, or putting on a doctor’s coat makes someone a doctor.
Nothing could be more different than Satan and Jesus. Satan rebelled against God; Satan is defined by selfishness, pride, hatred, lies, theft, apathy, and cruelty. God is defined by humility, love, kindness, honesty, sincerity, and generosity. They are total opposites. So when someone says, “I am a Christian,” while displaying pride and selfishness, it creates deep confusion in the minds of those watching. What is a lukewarm Christian? It is someone who claims to stand with Jesus, while their personality reveals they actually belong to Satan.
1 Corinthians 14:33 — For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.
2 Thessalonians 2:7–12 — For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of His mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming: even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: that they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
3. The Lukewarm Christian Has No Love for Others
The Christian world today often shows little love for others. Many are proud and selfish, believing themselves good when, in truth, they are far from it — much like the Pharisees. The Pharisees believed they were good people; in fact, they were so deceived that they believed they could even teach Jesus, who is God Himself. Can you imagine such deception? When a person believes they can instruct God, it reveals just how deeply their mind has been deceived by Satan. There are still, however, many Christians who carry the true righteousness of Jesus.
But lukewarm Christianity is everywhere, and we are witnessing a great decline in true spirituality. What is a lukewarm Christian? It is someone who claims to belong to God while actually belonging to Satan. It is someone who tries to follow the rules and believes this makes them a good person, without realizing that all human beings are corrupt, and that hope is found only when Jesus extends to them His robe of righteousness.
1 John 2:15 — Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
Does this mean we should hate everything humans create? No — it means we need discernment, and discernment is exactly what is missing in people today. Most people have corrupted judgment; most do not know right from wrong; most call good evil, and evil good.
Isaiah 5:20 — Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!
4. The Lukewarm Christian Has No Real Knowledge of the Bible
In some places, Christians know their Bibles — but what does that truly mean? The Bible is the very reason we are Christians; without it, we would have no way of distinguishing right from wrong.
Unless we truly know the Bible, we remain only nominal believers, and we risk becoming deceivers ourselves. We end up simply following what other people say, which is a dangerous place to be, since human opinion can be swayed easily in any direction — but truth never changes.
2 Peter 1:20–21 — Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
Even a knowledge of the Bible alone can leave someone a lukewarm Christian. When the five foolish virgins were asked for oil, it shows they had knowledge of the Bible — they had “oil” in that sense — but they lacked a personal, daily experience with God. Because of this, they were left without oil and without power. What is a lukewarm Christian? It is someone who does not continually seek God for light and blessing through prayer, Bible study, and evangelism.
These three — prayer, Bible study, and evangelism — are the pillars of a daily connection with Jesus. Because Jesus is so kind, loving, and merciful, you come to love Him and want to spend time with Him. It becomes a natural connection, the kind you have with your best friend — your Creator, Jesus Christ.
1 John 3:10–12 — In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother. For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother’s righteous.
5. The Lukewarm Christian Falls Into Legalism
Many churches today are filled with legalists. They believe they are good and that, through their own efforts, they can save themselves and earn heaven. They think they can impress God through strenuous labor and good deeds, without understanding three basic truths:
- There is nothing inherently good in humans.
- All our works, apart from God, are tainted.
- Only God has the solution — the righteousness of Jesus.
Legalism appears everywhere — in atheism, in Muslim circles, in Christian circles. Everywhere, people believe they are good and have earned heaven through their own performance. The saddest thing is when Christians who claim to believe the Bible fall into this same trap. If humanity were truly good on its own, why would Jesus have needed to die on the cross? There would have been no reason for His death if humanity were already good.
What is a lukewarm Christian? It is someone who never receives the power of God, because they believe they already possess goodness — which is itself a deception.
2 Timothy 4:1–2 — Now the Spirit speaks expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron.
Legalists cannot access the power of God, because they believe they are already good. Paul says:
Romans 7:18 — For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) dwells no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.
The lukewarm Christian makes God out to be a liar — believing they do not truly need Him, and that the death of Jesus was somehow unnecessary, even while talking all day about Jesus dying on the cross for their sins. They remain blind to their own condition, just as Revelation 3 describes: blind, naked, wretched, miserable, and blind. Blind people do not see their own filth. The same condition applies to legalistic Christians — they do not realize they are spiritually unclean, even while declaring all day, “I am good,” when in truth they are far from it.
What a sad condition it is to belong to Satan while claiming to belong to God. This is exactly what the Pharisees said and were — and we see this same condition everywhere today.
Repeat after me: Father God, help me to see my true condition and recognize my sins. Help me to realize there is nothing good in me on my own. Give me Your righteousness by faith, daily. Provide for all my needs, and give me the desires of my heart, in the name of Jesus, amen.