In a popular video, Jayson Crawford explains how reading the Bible helped him discern between true and false Christians.
After reading about Peter denying Jesus in Matthew 26:69-74, he explains,
It amazes me how in the midst of Peter denying even Jesus, he can’t help but sound like somebody else… he had to sound more like them to disassociate himself from Him. And if our mission is really to connect people with Jesus, we have to ask ourselves the question: who do we sound like? Him? Or them?
It’s a great point, all explained in less than 90 seconds! As we mature in Christ, the Holy Spirit reshapes not only what we say but also how, when, and even if we speak.
Increasingly, as we grow in our faith, we should gain the courage to use our speech to demonstrate steadfast loyalty to Christ.
So, with appreciation for what Jayson has shared, I want to add a footnote to this brief video.
It’s a simple point but can protect us from tremendous harm. Here it is:
Con men intentionally learn how to talk like mature Christians so they can take advantage of us.
I learned this the hard way from Ravi Zacharias. I wept at his funeral, only to feel deeply betrayed months later when his abuse of women came to light.
Dr. Diane Langberg is the most insightful author I’ve found on this subject. In Redeeming Power she writes:
Spiritual power is yet another kind of power that can be dangerous unless it is exercised in obedience to God. This form of power is used to control, manipulate, or intimidate others to meet one’s own needs or the needs of a particular organization, often by using words cloaked in nice-sounding spiritual language and concepts (Redeeming Power, 9)
People use words to construct promised realities that attach to longings such as freedom, order, protection, work, or love. No abuser says, “Come with me so I can rape you.” No one says, “Marry me so I can batter you.” No one says, “Elect me so I can defraud you.” No pastor or counselor says, “Let me counsel you so I can have sex with you.” Instead, we say, “I love you.” “I will protect you.” “I will help you.” “I will bring dignity to you.” In Christendom, we can use spiritual language to cloak selfish ambition, hide abuses of many kinds, and do incalculable damage in the name of God (Redeeming Power, 53).
Why does this persist?
For all of us, isn’t it much easier to sound like a Christian than to live as a faithful disciple of Jesus?
For con men, they see an unsuspecting audience that will believe whatever they say as long as they invoke the authority of God and the Bible.
To protect ourselves from wolves in shepherd’s clothing, as Dr. Karen Swallow Prior has called it, we need to remain discerning.
No matter how godly someone sounds, the real test is how they live.
For instance, do you see them treating people with love, growing in the fruit of the Spirit, and living as humble servants?
In good faith, take Jayson’s point to heart, and allow God to change how you speak, so you sound like Jesus.
At the same time, be careful, and don’t assume that just because someone talks like a godly Christian, that they are one.
How do we figure this out? It’s challenging; unfortunately, we’re inevitably vulnerable to manipulation. I wish there was a foolproof solution, but there isn’t.
With that in mind, here are some principles to keep in mind:
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Trusting people is good. An unhealthy suspicion of anyone and everyone will damage our relationships and inner being.
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Words alone are not enough to discern someone’s faithfulness to God. A deeper trust is only possible when we can observe how they live.
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Growing in our faith includes the intentional development of wisdom and discernment. Study how con men operate in churches and ministries so you can identify red flags.
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Ask yourself, ‘Why are they saying this?’ If it helps you thrive as a follower of Jesus, it’s a good sign. However, if spiritual language is being used to control, mislead, or abuse someone, we need to pay attention.
To sum it up, I agree that growing in Jesus includes changing how we speak.
But ultimately, that’s because God is changing our hearts—and everything about us: our motives, attitudes, decisions, habits, and speech.
So we need to do two things at the same time:
First, we intentionally grow in our faith.
Second, because our faith is becoming increasingly important to us, we need to deepen our discernment about how someone might leverage our faith for their own selfish purposes.
With God’s help, may we learn to speak like Jesus and live as faithful disciples.
And as we increasingly depend on God, may he protect us from harm, guide us in discernment, and bless us with trustworthy friends.