Beyond Being with Jesus

John Mark Comer's book, Practicing the Way, is getting a lot of attention right now, and I appreciate much of the discussion around it. I agree with a friend that merging insights from the spiritual formation movement (like those of John Mark Comer and Dallas Willard) with Reformed principles could be highly beneficial.

While I appreciate a lot of what Comer writes, I'm cautious about his premise: “Be with Jesus. Become like him. Do as he did.” This sounds sacrilegious, but I believe that being with Jesus isn't enough to change us.

Who could argue with the importance of being with Jesus? And yet, as a recipe for godliness, it falls short. By itself, it doesn’t deliver the transformation we need. If we are going to become like Jesus, we do need to be with him, but it's not enough to change us. Just look at those who were with Jesus and didn't change.

Exhibit A is Judas Iscariot. He spent three years as one of Jesus' disciples, witnessed his miracles and teachings firsthand, and yet ultimately betrayed him. Judas never underwent a genuine transformation of the heart.

Exhibit B is Jesus' family and friends from Nazareth. They spent a lot of time with him and witnessed his teaching and ministry, yet rejected him due to familiarity. Someone even tried to throw him off a cliff (Luke 4:16-30). His family thought he was crazy (Mark 3:20-21). Many of Jesus' followers initially loved him but turned back when they heard his challenging teachings (John 6:66). They found his teachings too difficult to accept.

Exhibit C, and the most convincing example to me, is Jesus' disciples. They fled when he was arrested and crucified (Mark 14:50). They became courageous and were recognized for their association with Jesus (Acts 4:13), but this transformation only occurred after they received the Holy Spirit following Jesus' resurrection (John 20:22; Acts 2).

Yes, we need to be with Jesus and abide in him, but being with Jesus isn't what causes us to become like him. We need more. We need the Holy Spirit in our lives. Proximity to Jesus doesn't guarantee transformation.

Comer seems to imply that Jesus is a good example, and spending time with him will influence our behavior. The problem: we need more than a good influence!

Sometimes I worry that our approaches to spiritual formation rely too much on our own efforts. When it comes to sanctification, our efforts are important, but they are insufficient. Our work without God’s work is not enough (Philippians 2:12-13).

The message of the Gospels isn't that more time with Jesus will turn us into who we should be. The message is that even those who spend the most time with Jesus need a transformation beyond themselves. They need to be transformed by the Holy Spirit; only then will they live like the one they know so well.

Being with Jesus isn't enough. We need more. We need the gospel. Never assume that simply being with Jesus will transform you into his likeness; even those who were nearest to him required something more—something that is readily available to each of us if we seek it.