5 Ways To Ruin Your Christian Testimony

Christians aren’t perfect. Full stop. Repeat that yourself as often as you need. Too many of us have been fooled into thinking that, in order to be a “good” Christian, we must be perfect representations of what it is to follow to Christ. Although we are imperfect, I do believe there is a great deal of merit in striving to be more like Christ and aiming to represent Him well. We will naturally seek to do these things if we truly love the Lord, but this sanctification process can undoubtedly feel slow going at times. We don’t give up, though, and we continue to remember that our words and deeds can ruin our Christian testimony.

So, You Ruined Your Christian Testimony…

Have you ever thought about why your testimony matters? First, let’s get on the same page. One’s testimony can mean a lot of things. All believers have a testimony of salvation, and we should be able to give a testimony of ways God has worked in our lives. For our current discussion, I’m not referring to either of those kinds of testimonies.

Today, I’m talking about our walking testimony. In other words, what we say about God and salvation through our lives. Whether or not you’ve thought about it, you have definitely assessed someone’s walking testimony and made judgments based on what you observed.

The sweet elderly woman who prays for everyone, sends cards, and encourages moms who are covered in mystery body fluids and haven’t showered in four days? She displays spiritual maturity, patience, and love. We see a woman with a deep spiritual life, and unsaved people are likely to see a God who cares and transforms because of her day-to-day life.

The woman who disregards her husband, complains as frequently as she breathes, won’t commit to her church body, and displays no interest in spiritual things outside of ninety minutes on two to three Sundays a month? She comes across as someone who isn’t interested in growing in her faith or knowing Jesus better. Her attitude is reminiscent of the female toxicity we see among many women these days. An unsaved person would almost certainly view this woman as a walking billboard for why Jesus doesn’t make people different because she’s advertising a dead god with a Christian walk that is, at best, on life support.

So What?

Before Christ returned to the Father, He gave us the Great Commission.

“‘Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’”

Matthew 28:19-20 (ESV)

We have a responsibility to share the gospel and make disciples. Mature believers should actively be teaching other Christians about the Lord, helping them understand the Bible, encouraging them to spend time with other believers, and demonstrating faithful living. We can’t do any of that if our testimony is ruined.

For starters, few people will even take your gospel witness seriously if they don’t see you as any different than everyone else. They think “If God doesn’t change us through salvation, then what’s the point?” Honestly, that’s a good question.

Second, what can you teach them when your life doesn’t reflect your salvation? We aren’t qualified to teach something we can’t do, and most people wouldn’t see you as a good teacher, anyway. I wouldn’t turn to a backbiting gossip for discipleship, especially if the topic at hand was taming the tongue or unity in the Church.

We show people that Jesus Christ changes us and gives us new passions, motivations, and purpose by the way we live. Our walking Christian testimony is an essential component to being a gospel witness. Our daily walk helps us better model to others how Christians ought to behave and speak.

But we’re not perfect! I said that already, but we should remind ourselves again. No one can rightfully expect perfection from anyone, but we may need someone to lovingly come alongside us and encourage us to improve in some areas. We all need to improve.

I could have made a list of one hundred things that can ruin our Christian testimony, but I chose these five because they seem fairly common, and they are things we can potentially correct quickly (in the grand scheme of things).

How To Ruin Your Christian Testimony

1. Put Yourself First

One of my children embodies the “me first mentality.” (I’ll refer to this child as “they” to maintain anonymity.) They need to get all the food they want on their plate for dinner before anyone else has come to the table. They insist on taking a shower before anyone else, even when someone is filthy or has somewhere to go soon. This child has even shoved others out of the way to get into our hot minivan first. They have shown growth in this area, but we still have to address this issue on occasion. Can you imagine adults being this selfish? I can.

What does the habit of putting oneself first say to others? We’re telling people that we are the most important person in the room. Our needs and wants come before anyone else’s. That is not a reflection of our Savior, nor is it representative of what God’s Word says.

“Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.”

Philippians 2:3-4 (ESV)

Be humble. Be so humble, in fact, that you hold others in higher esteem than you do yourself. Or as I like to say, the world doesn’t revolve around you, Captain You Planet.

Verses 5-11 in the same chapter of Philippians explain that Jesus is our ultimate example of humility. Rather than coming to Earth and looking for us to serve Him, He lowered Himself to be a servant to us. His humility took Him all the way to the cross to undeservedly bear the punishment for our sins. And here we are, exalting ourselves every day to better serve our selfish desires!

For good measure, allow me to share a couple more verses on this subject.

“Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.”

Romans 12:10 (ESV)

This isn’t a call to the bare minimum, Friend. Go big!

“And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.”

Luke 6:31 (ESV)

Keep in mind that this verse is in the context of loving our enemies. Our humility and love toward others should even extend to those who may not respond in kind.

2. Use Your Liberty To Serve Flesh

Using our Christian liberty relates closely to putting ourselves first if we use our liberty poorly, but we do have liberty. We have been given freedom in our salvation through Jesus Christ. As born-again Christians, we aren’t slaves to sin or under the Law. Amen! But does that mean we can or should do anything we want to do?

“‘All things are lawful,’ but not all things are helpful. ‘All things are lawful,’ but not all things build up. Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor.”

1 Corinthians 10:23-24 (ESV)

Just because we can doesn’t mean we should, and who are we serving by pursuing this hypothetical action? Ourselves?

The rest of 1 Corinthians 10 finishes with more thoughts on the idea that whatever we do, we should do it for God’s glory. If we honestly live that way, there is no way our liberty in Christ will serve our flesh.

“So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

1 Corinthians 10:31 (ESV)

More Scripture To Help Us Use Our Liberty Well

“For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.”

Galatians 5:1 (ESV)

“For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’”

Galatians 5:13-14 (ESV)

“‘All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. ‘All things are lawful for me,’ but I will not be dominated by anything.”

1 Corinthians 6:12 (ESV)

3. Turn To The World For Wisdom Instead Of The Bible

Recently, Zachary Levi, the voice for Flynn Ryder in Tangled, was on Allie Beth Stuckey’s podcast, Relatable. He’s a professing Christian who I would argue doesn’t sound like he likes Christians very much or understands the Bible well. He’s what I would call sincere but confused.

One of the biggest red flags in a podcast filled with them was his source of wisdom and insight into Christianity. Not the Bible. He turned to the world’s spiritual leaders and catchphrases. Below are two such examples.

“Preach the gospel at all times, and if necessary, use words.”

Source unknown

Levi uses this quote to build his understanding of sharing the gospel. He explains to Stuckey how judgmental Christians sound and pushes the idea that they shouldn’t speak about God more than needed. He didn’t say the words, but it sounded a lot like friendship evangelism. I guess Romans 10:17 doesn’t mean much to him.

“So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.”

Romans 10:17 (ESV)

If Levi turned to God’s Word rather than catchy sayings people like to repeat to sound deep, he’d likely have realized how essential speaking the gospel truly is.

“I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.”

Mahatma Gandhi

I like this quote, and I think Levi was not wrong to bring it up. Christians don’t always have a great reputation. They can lack forgiveness, omit grace from their interactions, and be enormous hypocrites. Let’s take legitimate criticism when it comes our way, but we shouldn’t allow the world to define how we live out our faith.

Yes, Levi has had some negative experiences in churches, but the response to that was to turn away from God’s wisdom and look for validation in other sources. In this case, he sought out a popular Hindu figure for guidance as a Christian. The result is a man who looks down his nose at most traditional or conservative Christians and doctrine.

When a professing Christian turns to “wisdom” that contradicts the Bible or has been born out of Eastern religion, he is telling everyone around Him that God’s Word is not sufficient. In Zachary Levi’s case, he’s a well-known celebrity who is telling the whole world that Christians need to preach the gospel less and turn to other sources for guidance in their walk with the Lord. Sadly, his platform may ruin more than just his own Christian testimony.

4. Neglect Praising God

I was a new Christian and had just come out to my family about it. I forget what my grandma and I were saying, but there was good news. Naïve Julie instantly called out, “Praise the Lord!” My grandma, who loves me dearly, looked at me like I had grown a second head. With disdain and shock in her voice, she slowly repeated, “Praise…the…Lord?”

Giving God our praise should be second nature, but it only takes one snarky response to make us hesitant. I was certainly slow to ever say that again in front of that side of the family in the future. But I eventually got over that fear. Praise the Lord! See what I did there?

There is nothing good in my life that I created. I have no ownership over the blessings I have received. Even when I work hard at something and find success, it has only been possible because of God. Who am I to try and steal glory that only belongs to Him? And what am I saying to others when I do so? My message is, “I can have what I want all on my own. I’m in control.” That’s not a Christian testimony. It’s a Me testimony.

“My mouth is filled with your praise, and with your glory all the day.”

Psalm 71:8 (ESV)

“Let everything that has breath praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!”

Psalm 150:6 (ESV)

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”

Colossians 3:16 (ESV)

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”

1 Peter 2:9 (ESV)

5. Be Out Of Church

“I don’t need to go to church.” “I don’t do organized religion.” “There isn’t anything for me at church.” The simple truth is that some folks just don’t want to go to church. The thing is, though, that being a lone wolf Christian isn’t a very good Christian testimony because the Bible tells us to assemble.

Those who stay away from churches often point back to Acts as their reason. The early church didn’t look like churches today, so they don’t believe they need to be a part of one. Being organized to best serve our modern communities, however, isn’t a rejection of the Acts model of worship and fellowship. Rather, it’s a natural growth from Acts into what we see today in order to function best today. Note: We also see a whole bunch of churches that are getting it wrong, too. We should all be willing to acknowledge that. So, choose your church wisely.

Go To Church

I admit there is no verse saying, “Be a member of a church.” However, there are clear indications that being a part of a body of believers is an important aspect of the Christian walk.

“Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.”

Acts 20:28 (ESV)

This verse indicates a particular fellowship of believers who meet together with certain individuals overseeing them. Sounds like a church.

“‘If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.’”

Matthew 18:15-17 (ESV)

These are instructions on how to handle conflict between two believers. Does this sound like a scenario that would come up between two people who hang out at the city gate or within a church body? Church body, Friend.

“For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them:” 

Romans 12:4-6a (ESV)

Along the same lines as Romans 12:4-6 is 1 Corinthians 12:12-27. This well-known passage compares the Body of Christ to a human body. Just as a body has parts with specific roles and purposes, the members of the Body of Christ also work together, each with his or her own gifts and abilities.

“But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.”

1 Corinthians 12:24b-26 (ESV)

Are you rejoicing with those who rejoice across the world? You might be, but who do we know well enough to suffer and rejoice with? Our local congregation. Who are we consistently sharing our spiritual gifts with? Our local congregation.

“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”

Hebrews 10:24-25 (ESV)

You may know this verse as saying “not forsaking the assembly of ourselves together” in the KJV. No matter the translation, these verses aren’t meant to hammer you over the head about church attendance. But they are an encouragement to assemble with believers. Why? We meet to encourage one another to love and do good works. We also meet to encourage one another in the dark times in which we live. And do we ever!

Julie’s Unsolicited Opinion

Church membership displays a commitment to accountability and to hold others accountable. It’s a promise to raise your children surrounded by like-minded families. Joining a church signifies a desire to serve others. Telling someone, “I belong to ‘Fill In The Blank Church,’” is publicly identifying as a Christian and gives a starting point for an organic conversation about Jesus. Church membership is joining a family. Is it always easy? No. But it’s always worth it.

Of course, there’s our question for today’s conversation. How does not attending church ruin our testimony? The message, intended or not, is that there is no need to gather, Christians aren’t people someone should want to spend time with, or people can and should teach themselves about God with no discipleship or mentorship. Y’all, none of these things is a net positive for the Kingdom of God.

Final Thought

For a third time, Christians aren’t perfect. Accept it and don’t feel ashamed. Just don’t accept it and make it your identity. We may be imperfect, but we have a perfect Savior who we want to be like. There’s a long way to go for all of us, but we can make small changes and pay attention to how we present ourselves (and Jesus) to the world around us. Are you your own biggest concern, selfishly serving your flesh under the guise of liberty, seeking the world’s wisdom, neglecting to praise God, and avoiding church attendance? If you can say “yes” to any of this, then consider what messages you’re sending to those around you. Do you have the Christian testimony you want?

How else can someone ruin their Christian testimony?

Image courtesy of Jametlene Reskp via Unsplash.