Are You a New Creation or Christian Sleepwalker?

If you’re reading this, you probably think you’re a pretty good person, you love God, believe in Jesus, and consider yourself a Christian. You (usually) live by the Golden Rule of “treat others as you’d like to be treated.”

You’re also probably reasonably certain of your eternal salvation in God’s heavenly paradise.

But, you may be a Christian sleepwalker, so let’s talk!

As Christians, our beliefs need to be biblically based. So let’s use a couple of biblical examples to demonstrate the concept of Christian sleepwalking.

We’ll start with the Parable of the Ten Bridesmaids.

Matthew 25:1-13 WEB:  “Then the Kingdom of Heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. Those who were foolish, when they took their lamps, took no oil with them, but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. Now while the bridegroom delayed, they all slumbered and slept. But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Behold! The bridegroom is coming! Come out to meet him!’ Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. The foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise answered, saying, ‘What if there isn’t enough for us and you? You go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’  While they went away to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast, and the door was shut.  Afterward the other virgins also came, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us.’  But he answered, ‘Most certainly I tell you, I don’t know you.’  Watch therefore, for you don’t know the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.

This post may contain affiliate links. This is my full disclosure.

You can learn more life lessons from this parable in my book Divine Wisdom – Life Lessons from the Parables of Jesus, but for our purpose now, Jesus is the groom the bridesmaids were waiting for, like we’re waiting for Jesus’ return. When the ladies who had been unprepared returned with more oil, they were refused entry to the banquet (Heaven).

So, what does this have to do with sleepwalking?

Sincere Christians are like the wise ladies in the parable, and sleepwalkers are like the foolish ones. Sleepwalkers profess their love of God and show outward signs of being faithful to Christ, but it’s superficial at best.

The ladies knocked on the door, saying “Lord, Lord, open to us”. They verbally acknowledged their reverence and respect for him. But the groom said, “I don’t know you.” If the ladies did respect and revere the groom (Jesus), they still didn’t know him. They may have thought they did, which is a key element of “actual” sleepwalking. You’re walking, talking, and maybe even doing the dishes or the laundry. But you’re actually sleeping! There’s no thought or intention behind any of your actions.

People might try to fool themselves or one another into thinking they’re living for Christ, but God is never fooled. He sees if we have a hollow heart. He knows if our words and actions are empty and only for show.

Now, let’s jump to another example of Christian sleepwalking. These are Jesus’ words directly, not spoken in a parable.

Matthew 7:21-23

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.  Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’  Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

These are probably some of the scariest verses in the Bible. Jesus is straight up saying that there will be people who think they’re “good” with him who are in for a terrifying reality check at the end of their lives. These are people who’ve been prophesying in His name, driving out demons and performing miracles – and Jesus will send them away saying He never knew them!

Let’s put this in everyday terms. Sleepwalkers think they’re good with Jesus. They go to church, do good acts, and are kind to others. But they don’t have a relationship with Him.  They think the things they do while sleepwalking are enough, but those things have no feeling, intention, or heart behind them. They’re missing the relationship. Their actions are superficial, but the sleepwalker doesn’t realize it.

Sleepwalkers are lukewarm Christians. They proclaim to follow Christ, but their actions don’t follow the empty words.

And if you’re starting to feel your defenses bubbling to the surface, please understand that I know what I’m talking about – because I was a sleepwalker for many years without realizing it!

It’s more than being kind

One common thing that sleepwalkers do is equate being Christian with being kind. But being Christian isn’t about being ‘kind’. That’s a lie sleepwalkers tell themselves.

When asked what the most important commandment is, Jesus answered:

‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these. Mark 12:30-31

We tend to ignore that Jesus said the most important commandment is to love God with every ounce of our being and, instead, we stand proudly on our kindness to others to show we love our neighbors.

While being kind is always a good thing, if we’re missing the main thing – loving God with our whole being – then we’re falling short.

Perhaps people miss the point because they think if they love God, they’re all set. Or maybe they don’t understand what loving God with your whole being fully means.

Let’s consider a human example. What does it look like when you love a person with your whole being? You want to spend time with them, you want to make them happy, you freely communicate by talking and listening, you share your hopes and dreams, and you turn to them in good times and bad. You feel you can’t live without them.

When you truly love someone, your lives naturally become intertwined. It’s not forced. It’s not done out of obligation or requirement. It’s all stems from the heart.

It’s the same with God. When He’s your first priority you want to please Him. You want to become a better person because of Him.

The visible result that other people see is a ‘kind’ person. But the truly invaluable aspect of the relationship is what’s happening in the heart.

Without this heart action, the icing on the cake which we’ll call kindness, is just a pretty skim layer that covers up an empty shell.

It’s more than being good

Christianity also isn’t about being ‘good’ even though that’s what many Sleepwalkers believe.

I love the street preacher Ray Comfort of Living Waters. He does an amazing job of engaging everyday people in conversation about whether they think they’re going to heaven. Most say they think they are because they’re pretty good people. Mr. Comfort skillfully leads them to the truth that none of us are good enough to earn eternal life, based on our sins, so we’re all in need of a Savior. Otherwise, we’d be sent (justly) to hell for our sins.

For people who think they’re going to heaven just because they want to or expect to, Mr. Comfort invokes the ‘healthy fear’ of God to try to wake them up.

The fact is we’re all sinners. And if God is a fair judge, which He is, we must receive our earned punishment, just as we would in a court of law. Just because we’re sorry we were caught speeding, doesn’t mean we don’t have to pay the fine for the ticket.

We’ve all messed up at one point or another. Those sins of our past happened and the penalties are due in the same way you have to pay the speeding ticket even if you put it off for 5 years. The fine doesn’t go away.

The point is that ‘being good’ isn’t attainable because we’re human and fall short of God’s Ten Commandments. Also, the idea of ‘being good’ is a relative term. We compare ourselves to other people and the bad things they’ve done. In this light, we think we look good!

But God doesn’t say we’ve done well because we did better than some others, He judges us against His moral code – the Commandments.

Sleepwalkers who are counting on salvation because ‘they’re good people’ need to wake up to the reality of God’s Word – that salvation is a gift from God due to our faith, not by any works (acts) we do.

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, that no one would boast.  Ephesians 2:8-9

We must become a new creation

We can awake to the fullness of Christianity when we realize we need a Savior to become new creations. You see, when we follow Christ, Jesus said we must become changed.

Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new.   2 Corinthians 5:17 

We cannot know and love Jesus and remain the same as we always were before turning to Him. Truly knowing Jesus changes us – or we don’t truly know Him. This is where some Christians are getting it wrong.

Another preacher I love is Pastor Philip Anthony Mitchell of 2819 Church. He’s fearless and serious about bringing people to Christ. With that, he’s concerned about people thinking they’re fine with God just because they go to church.

One hard truth he uses is, that just as sitting in a garage doesn’t make you a car, sitting in church doesn’t make you Christian.

That statement certainly stings if you’re a sleepwalker who’s sitting in the church! But it’s that slap in the face that has the potential to awaken us to the fullness of life in Christ.

When we truly know and love Christ, we don’t want to be the same person we always were! When we love Christ, we can see how our thoughts, words, and actions hurt Him when they don’t align with God’s commandments. We don’t want to do things that hurt others, because we love Christ and He told us to love one another and that when we hurt others, we’re hurting Him.

When we live fully for Christ, we don’t try to justify our sins and failings. Instead, we take a serious look in the mirror, see our faults, and vow to change. When we live fully for Christ, we want to become a new creation. Our eyes are opened to the dirtiness of our old ways. We see how the ways of the world deceived us and led us astray. We don’t want to be that person anymore. We aren’t that person anymore!

Does living fully for Christ make us perfect? Of course not. We’re human. But keep trying to do better each day. Keep recognizing your un-Christ-like thoughts, words, and actions. Repent and ask God to empty you of yourself and fill you with the Spirit instead. Ask Him to make you a new creation.

The Bible says if you’re in Christ, you’re a new creation. If you’re a new creation, enjoy the beauty of a life lived alongside Christ. If you’re the same as you always were, you’re not there yet. And that’s okay. Keep seeking and He will meet you there.

Perhaps you’ll find these other resources helpful in your journey to open your eyes, awaken your spirit, and deepen your relationship with Christ.

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