3.5 types of Christians

I really don't like those "there are two types of people" or "three types of Christians" approaches. They oversimplify things. Just as soon as we have life packaged, sealed, and labelled in tidy little boxes, some new situation bursts the boxes and merrily destroys our carefully-thought-out organization. That being said, I'm going to oversimplify and say that there are 3.5 types of Christians. (Then I'm going to stay well back to avoid flying bits of boxes.)

The first type is the one who claims the title of "Christian" but has no spiritual life of his own. Instead, he has accepted a lifestyle and lives his outward life according to human rules and expectations. Since he lives by fitting in with his surrounding church culture, he can be very hard to recognize. Many people associate this person with extreme conservatism, but the fact is that this approach can be found in any church setting, ranging from extremely conservative to very liberal. The key is that the lifestyle takes the place of a genuine relationship with Christ. This is the ".5" of the 3.5 types of Christians, since this person is not a genuine Christian at all.

The second type of Christian is the one who is saved, and so does have genuine spiritual life. This one, though, simply follows man-made rules without questioning them, so the outward life is strictly contained by these rules. Questioning these rules is often seen as rebellion. This is superior to the first type since there is real spiritual life, and it is possible to develop a strong Christian life with this approach. Often, however, this person will remain weak in personal faith and be unable to give solid scriptural reasons for his beliefs or lifestyle. If and when he begins to question any of these man-made rules, he may go so far as to assume that there is no reality to the Christian life at all.

On the opposite end of the spectrum is the Christian who believes that there should be no specific rules in the Christian life. Everything is reduced to "principle" with no specific applications, and suggesting that the Bible teaches specific requirements for life is seen as legalism. This person's spiritual life may be erratic, lacks direction and focus, and is often based on his emotional state at the moment.

The final type of Christian is the one who bounds and directs his spiritual life by Scripture. He studys the Bible for himself and seeks out others who are able to teach him. He intentionally challenges himself with the demands of Scripture and consistently strives to live up to both biblical principles and commands. His outward life is directed and focused on living out Scripture.

Now, which type are you?