Transactional Christianity
“Serving God doesn’t work.”
That’s what the people in Malachi’s day believed. In Malachi 3:14, they complained, “It is vain to serve God. What is the profit of our keeping His charge?” They had reduced their faith to a transaction: obedience in, blessings out. When life didn’t go as planned, they concluded that following God was pointless.
This pragmatic mindset is rampant today. Pragmatic Christianity views faith not as communion with God but as a means to an end. Worship becomes entertainment designed to attract crowds. Prayer becomes a tool to get what we want. Obedience becomes a way to manipulate God into blessing us. This is not biblical Christianity. It’s idolatry.
God is not a genie in a bottle. He is the Creator of the universe, worthy of worship simply because of who He is. When we approach Him with a transactional mindset, we dishonor His name and set ourselves up for disappointment. Pragmatism reduces fellowship with God to a performance, robbing us of the joy that comes from true worship and trust.
The danger of pragmatism is that it works—at least in the short term. Churches that prioritize entertainment and market demands often grow rapidly. Individuals who treat God like a vending machine may get what they want for a time. But this approach ultimately fails because it’s rooted in selfishness, not surrender.
True faith trusts God even when life doesn’t make sense. It worships Him for His glory, not for what He can give. It prays to align with His will, not to bend Him to ours. This kind of faith isn’t easy, but it’s the only faith that lasts.
James 4:3 warns, “You ask and do not receive because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.” If your prayers seem unanswered, it’s worth examining your motives. Are you seeking God’s glory or your own gain? Are you worshiping out of love for Him or to get something in return?
The antidote to pragmatism is a God-centered approach to faith. Worship him for who He is alone. Let your prayers be times of fellowship with the Lord. Let your obedience come from a desire to please the Lord. True faith doesn’t measure success by outcomes but by faithfulness.
In a world obsessed with results, don’t treat God like a divine Santa Claus who gives us gifts for being good little boys and girls. Know Him, love Him, and obey Him simply for who He is, because he is worthy of utter surrender and devotion.
Great truth in this post! We are a very 'transactional' society. What supports this attitude is loss of fear of the Lord. The God of the universe IS to be held in awe. His thoughts are not ours, and His ways are far above our ways.
Thank you for this reminder 🙏
Very well said. Most modern day Christians do treat God as their personal genie or their pal. They try to make God their servant and bring Him down to their level instead of treating Him like the omnipotent, holy, creator God that He is. We don't have nearly a high enough view of our awesome God.
I actually think discounting the importance of the Old Testament, and especially Genesis, is part of the problem. If people have an accurate view of Genesis, they are much more likely to have an appropriately high view of God. Of course, as His creation, we will never fully comprehend the awesomeness of our Creator God.