This is an analogy that I have used before in multiple circumstances. A version of it can be found in my book. This is a comparison of what real Christians look like vs impostors. People who fail to become a true Christina ultimately fall into one of two groups. There are those living in legalism and those living in license to sin. This analogy looks at the characteristics of those in these three groups.
Let’s say that you and some friends are looking to bake some chocolate chip cookies. You check the recipe carefully. You measure out all of the ingredients precisely. Then you mix them all together, make it into balls, place them on a cookie sheet, and put them in the oven. After being in the oven at the correct temperature, and time period, you take them out. Upon inspection, they indeed look like chocolate chip cookies. They smell like chocolate chip cookies. When you take a bite, they indeed taste like a chocolate chip cookie.
Now friend A decides to make chocolate chip cookies as well. This friend thinks it is rather simple to make chocolate chip cookies. Friend A gathers up the ingredients and mixes them all together. He/she then makes them into balls, places them on the cookie sheet, and puts them in the oven. You notice that friend A really rushes through the whole process. After the cookies come out, you notice that they look like blueberry muffins. They smell like blueberry muffins. You comment to Friend A treat it appears they have accidentally made blueberry muffins instead. Friend A says that you shouldn’t judge him/her. They say that their chocolate chip cookies are just uglier than yours. This friend insists that they are indeed chocolate chip cookies because they know that they followed the chocolate chip cookies recipe.
Friend B decides to make chocolate chip cookies as well. Friend B seems to be laboring over the whole process. They are certainly taking more time than friend A. Friend B seems to realize that something doesn’t seem quite right. This friend knows that one of the most important aspects of chocolate chip cookies are the chocolate chips. So, they are sure to put in extra chocolate chips. When the cookies of friend B come out of the oven they look like chocolate chip cookies at first. Upon closer inspection you notice the color is a bit off. They also smell. The closer you get, the stronger the odor. Nobody would want to eat those. You kindly try to point this out. Friend B accuses you of being nit-picks. Your comment makes friend B angry. They claim that it looks like they have more chocolate chips in their cookies than you.
Friend A is able to see that the cookies of friend B smell foul and knows that nobody wants to eat them. They can see that something must clearly be wrong on the inside of these cookies. Friend B can see the friend A ended up with blueberry muffins. While blueberry muffins may taste good (and even preferred for some); they simply aren’t chocolate chip cookies. Both friends can see the problem with the others “cookie”, yet holds to thinking that theirs is fine. They see your cookie as being fine until you tell them that you don’t think they made real chocolate chip cookies. Now they begin to look upon you and your cookies with contempt.
Should friend A smash down the blueberry muffins into the shape of cookies and use a marker to color the blueberries black? Would this make them chocolate chip cookies? Should friend B surround the cookies with odor eaters and place more chocolate chips on top? Would this make them edible? The answer to all of those is a comical no. The problems are inward. No amount of outward manipulation will solve the problems. They need to go back and try again. If they get the recipe correct. The oven will naturally produce real chocolate chip cookies.
The real chocolate chip cookies are real Christians. These are people who experience inside-out change. They repented and believed into Jesus Christ. They Holy Spirit is making them both more loving and righteous. It leads to better submission and obedience to God. All of this comes about naturally from knowing Jesus in a real and inward way.
Friend A represents are first group of impostors. These are the people who merely give intellectual ascent to facts about Jesus and the Bible. They are too concerned with being obedient to God. They simply “made a decision” for Jesus. These people never came to repentance. They have a faith that is merely a mental expertise. Their faith isn’t the kind that COMES from hearing and experiencing the Living Word of God. This is the license to sin group. They aren’t very interested in reading the Bible or other Christian literature. They aren’t very interested in being submissive to God. They desire to live however they please and make their own calls about what is “good”. They are interested in loving others. The problem is that their idea of love is wrong. They will leave God out of their good works. They often just show others approval and confirmation in whatever they want to hear. They will flatter rather than do hard work of looking out for what is people’s best interest. I was in this group before I became a Christian.
Friend B is the group with dead religion. They are self-righteous. Let’s be clear about this often misunderstood fact. Self-righteousness isn’t necessarily going around thinking that your righteous acts are going to save you. (there are still some who do) Self-righteousness is simply trying to muster up righteousness from your self. It isn’t happening naturally from out of union with the Holy Spirit. These people are interested in reading the Bible and other Christian literature. The scan the Bible for laws, rules, and philosophical principles to strive to live by. They may try to be loving, but their main focus is righteousness. Ultimately their love stinks. They feel superior and look down on others not meeting the standard of things that they choose to focus on. These people can bee very head strong. They feel that they have fought to live up to God’s standard and some other people just aren’t as willing to fight as they do. The reality is that their “Christian living” is all self effort and outside-in change. None of it is coming from out of the Spirit of Jesus. Their idea of bringing people to Jesus is to give people: laws, rules, and philosophical principles to strive for.
Group A people can see the errors of those in group B. Yet they are blind to their own shortcomings. These people are fine with true Christians as long as they do not disturb them. Once confronted and having their errors pointed out, they may seek harder after Jesus. Most often they will grow harder in their stances and resent the Christian who disturbed their delusion.
Group B people can see the errors of those in group A. Yet they are blind to their own shortcomings. They are fine with the real Christians until they disturb and convict them. Once confronted, they may seek harder after Jesus. Most often they will grow harder in their stances and resent the Christian who disturbed their delusion. If the impostors of group A or B feel some conviction, they may try to fix themselves up a bit. Often they go about it all backwards
. Group A people will probably just try to be more loving. Their love is usually just tolerance and a showing of approval to all sorts of sins. (painting the blueberries black) They might try and “clean up their act” some. They might read the Bible a little more. (this is smashing the blueberries down into the shape of cookies). Usually they will just read into the Bible what they want to hear.
Group B people with usually try to immerse themselves in more church activity. They might try to do things in a little more loving way. They may simply proclaim to do things out of love. Simply proclaiming this they think makes it so. (surrounding the cookies with odor eaters) Most likely they will just strive for more “Christian works” and activity. (This is the adding on of more chocolate chips.
What is the real solution? The solution is really the same for them all. A person needs to go back and get the recipe just right. If they put the correct thing in the oven, chocolate chip cookies will naturally be what comes out of the oven. You can trust the oven to do it’s job. Just fix what you actually put into the oven! Here are ingredients: desire to know God, gratitude, desire for love, desire for righteousness, desire to be one of God’s people, trusting in what the Bible says, and trusting God. Mixing up the ingredients is like coming to repentance. Repentance is turning from doing life your own way and submitting to God. Repentance is not merely turning from blatantly doing obvious sins. Making the mixture into balls, placing them on the cookie sheet, and putting it in the oven is: Trusting what the Bible says, trusting God desires you as His, and trusting the way that Jesus made for redemption.
This analogy also works for Christian living after conversion. If you find yourself only having a few chocolate chips. Implement the above practices to get back on track.
Be honest in your self evaluation. If you are a real Christian, fantastic! How many chocolate chips do you have? If you aren’t seeing as many as you use to, get back on track. If you are like those in groups A or B, don’t fight it. Go back and try again. Get the recipe for salvation correct. If you do, God will transform you into a Christian. Pray to God and ask Him to help you. IF you are serious, He will do so. God casts out nobody who truly looks to come to Him. The Holy Spirit within is what will make the true Christian cookie.