Pseudo vs. Real Transformation

The Life You’ve Always Wanted by John Ortberg
(My Thoughts)

Chapter 2

Pages 30-34 – “…if we are not marked by greater and greater amounts of love and joy, we will inevitably look for substitute ways of distinguishing ourselves from those who are not Christians.” This is called “pseudo transformation” – fake transformation that focuses on outside appearances rather than interior change.

This is why:

• Jesus focused on the heart – the center of mankind. The greatest commands were to Love God and Love People.
• Paul said that if we can do great and miraculous deeds but don’t have love we are nothing (1 Cor. 13).
• John said that “Everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love.” (1 John 4:7-8)
  

If we focus only on exterior deeds to determine spirituality, we will harm ourselves by buying into pseudo-transformation rather than what Jesus wanted – real transformation of the heart (loving God and loving people) which expresses itself by doing good deeds towards others and avoiding doing things that will harm others.

Pseudo transformation leads people to become proud and judgmental. They get a feeling of superiority because they are “doing spiritual acts” that others are not or they are avoiding the “sinful acts” that others are engaged in. It is superficial, only concerned with behaviors.

As John Ortberg wrote in page 34 - “This was the great irony of his [Jesus’] day: The ‘righteous’ were more damaged by their righteousness than the sinners were by their sin.”

25 "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26 Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.
27 "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bones and everything unclean. 28 In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.
Matt 23:25-28