Legacy Church Blog

Are Lukewarm Christians Really Christians?

There’s a real problem in the South: people assume they’re Christians just because they checked a box, walked an aisle, or prayed a prayer at some point in their life, even if that prayer was deeply passionate. Jesus speaks strongly about a faith that produces no changed life in Revelation 3:15-16:

"I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth."

That’s not weak faith. That’s dead faith. And it should stop us in our tracks. A lukewarm Christian has just enough religion and knowledge to feel safe, but not enough transformation to actually be rescued. They might say they trust Jesus but don’t actually follow Him, fit in with church culture but look indistinguishable from the world, prioritize comfort over obedience, and even know the right words but have no deep love for Jesus. 

James also calls this out saying, “Faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” Translation: If your faith isn’t moving around you, it never really moved in you.

The Difference Between Struggling & Lukewarm

Let’s be real—every Christian struggles. Spiritual growth isn’t always fast and it’s definitely not linear. Above all, it’s not always obvious. But there’s a difference between slow growth and no growth:

• A struggling Christian loves Jesus, repents when convicted, and sees transformation over time.
• A lukewarm Christian feels nothing, does nothing, and assumes they’re fine.

One is alive but growing slowly. The other is a corpse wearing a Christian name tag. And Jesus says He will spit them out. That’s terrifying. I’m sobered by the many who are lukewarm, mostly because they cannot see it. 

So What Now?

We don’t get to assume we’re good just because we “know” about Jesus. James is waving a flag here, saying: "Hey, your life might not show the symptoms of a gospel-infected heart."  Jesus calls lukewarm people to repent, and actually follow Him.

• If that’s you—if you’re realizing that maybe you’ve worn the Christian costume but never actually surrendered to Jesus, then hear Joshua clearly when he says, “Choose this day whom you will serve.” (Joshua 24:15). Not out of fear, but because Jesus is better than anything in this world. 
• If that’s your friend - Be prayerful and kind, but be clear about what you see in their life, submitting to them that they question their own faith. You cannot really know what is happening under the surface, again, growth can be slow, but you can see if they are walking with a “trajectory of transformation.” Evangelizing the “churched” can feel awkward, but this is what being a missionary to the South means for us.

The Gospel, Mercy, & The Church That Deflates Itself

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James 2.8-13: If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it. For he who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty. For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

The gospel calls the church to a radical way of life—one where it deflates itself to lift up the disenfranchised. In a world that thrives on ranking people by appearance, wealth, and influence, the church is meant to be different. It’s not just another player in society’s back-and-forth debates on power and privilege. It eliminates the entire discussion by embodying something countercultural: mercy over judgment.

Mercy Over Judgment

When society prioritizes judgment based on appearances, it breeds resentment and division. Reverse favoritism emerges as an attempt to correct past injustices, yet it only reinforces the same flawed system in a different direction. The gospel presents a better way.

Gospel mercy triumphs over judgment. Not because mercy is a better or more Godlike trait than judgment, but because, in Christ, judgment found its true end. Jesus bore the full weight of divine judgment on our behalf and in doing so, He freely dispensed mercy to all without distinction.

This is why favoritism in the church is so tragic. If Christ’s death was for all—if He was judged in our place—then how can we, the church, continue to categorize people based on our own flawed standards? If the gospel is the great equalizer, the church as the bride of Christ must be the vehicle through which this truth is lived out.

The Royal Law: A New Way to Love

James calls believers to live by the royal law—“Love your neighbor as yourself.” This isn’t just a slogan or a theoretical principle; it’s a command that radically reorients how we interact with others. It reshapes our communities.

We must welcome the outsider, the one who doesn’t seem to “fit in.” That’s the heart of gospel hospitality. If you’ve ever hesitated to invite someone into your faith community because you’re unsure if they’ll “fit,” remember: none of us do. And yet, because of Christ, we all belong.

Favoritism—whether social, economic, or generational—excludes people from experiencing the fullness of Christ’s love. It sends the wrong message: that the church operates by the same metrics as the world. But in reality, the church is meant to be a place where all backgrounds, struggles, and stories are met with the same gospel mercy that saved us.

Sacrificial Love: The True Test of Faith

James reminds us that faith without works is dead. One of the clearest ways we demonstrate living faith is through sacrificial love.

We naturally exert ourselves most for those who are like us and those we like the most. Jesus calls us beyond that. The royal law requires that we decrease so that others may increase. That’s sacrificial. That’s costly. But it’s also gospel-shaped.

We often grumble about how our taxes are used to support the disenfranchised, yet we fail to personally invest in lifting up those in need. That’s hypocrisy. Everything we have—our time, our money, our resources—is given to us by God for the sake of stewardship. If we’re unwilling to use what we have to serve those who can’t repay us, we haven’t grasped the mercy we’ve received.

When the Church Lives Differently

When the city sees us playing church—focused on appearances, influence, and comfort—it sees hypocrisy. But when it sees us extending mercy, showing hospitality, and lifting up the vulnerable, it sees the glory of God.

What does a step forward look like for the unborn, the cold, the addicted, the refugee? These aren’t political questions—they’re gospel questions. The church, empowered by the mercy of Christ, is called to be an answer.

We live in a world where favoritism is the norm. But the church is called to be a community where mercy triumphs over judgment. Let’s live out the royal law with open hands and hearts, deflating ourselves so that others may rise. Not for our glory, but so that in our humility, the world might see the true King—the One who lowered Himself to lift us all.