By Jonathan L. Shirk - Posted at Gentle Reformation:
Published December 15, 2025
Pharoah sounded like many people at Christian conferences who walk down an aisle and repeat the sinner's prayer after the speaker. But as is the case with many so-called converts, something was missing in Pharaoh's heart. True repentance.Years ago, when I was working for Cintas Corporation in the Pittsburgh area, I had an interesting conversation with a coworker. We talked about spiritual things, and if my memory serves me right, he confessed to being a Christian. What was odd, and what made me question his confession, was that he was living with his girlfriend, and at least from outward appearances, didn't seem to be too concerned.
Saying you're a Christian is an easy thing. It is, however, a different thing, a much harder thing, to show that you belong to Christ by true repentance from sin to God. If one confesses, “I love Jesus” but follows it with unconcerned persistence in sinful patterns, their confession seems cheap and hypocritical. A true Christian is not one who perfectly avoids sin but does hate sin, and by the Spirit, strives to put it to death.
A true Christian is one who loves holiness and pursues it by faith and union with Christ, albeit imperfectly. To comfortably settle into a sinful routine without any interest in overcoming sins, including sexual immorality, sensuality, and the like, is a most dangerous place to be. Pharaoh is an interesting case study.