There is a fatal error at the root of much that passes for “discipleship” today: it is Christless. The Christian life is not a call to imitate a distant historical figure, nor is it a program of self-improvement or moral striving. The apostles never preached, “Try harder to be like Jesus so you’ll go to heaven when you die.” Their message was this: God gives you the Holy Spirit now. The very presence of Christ is the gift and the reality of salvation (Acts 2:38; Galatians 3:13-14).
The Promise of the Spirit: Christ Manifested Now
The promise of the Spirit is not a future hope but a present possession. God, in Christ, desires to reveal Himself to you—personally, experientially, and now. Jesus declared, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him” (John 14:23). This is not mere poetry or metaphor. It is the foundation of authentic discipleship: the indwelling Christ, manifesting Himself in your life by the Spirit.
Without this manifestation, there is no discipleship, no sanctification, no spiritual reality—only empty religion. The Christian who does not know Christ’s presence is left with a Christless Christianity. This is not a question of salvation status, but of missing the very goal of salvation: to partake of Christ, to know Him in the power of His resurrection, and to be conformed to His death (Philippians 3:8-11).
The Tragedy of Christless Discipleship
Most have settled for a discipleship that is nothing more than a list of rules, a program of external obedience, or a set of spiritual disciplines. This is reading the Bible “according to the letter,” which Paul warns only produces a veil over the heart (2 Corinthians 3:14-16). Such a veil blinds you to the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. The result? A powerless, Christless endeavor rooted in self-effort and legalism.
If you are not interacting with the living Christ, it is not because He is absent, but because of unbelief (Hebrews 3:12-13). The enemy’s strategy is to blind minds and veil hearts to the reality of “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27). The only remedy is to turn your heart to the Lord Himself. When you do, the veil is removed, and you see the glory of God in Christ.
The Finished Work and the New Covenant Reality
Discipleship is not about following the earthly Jesus as if He never went to the cross. The synoptic Gospels record Jesus’ call to “take up your cross and follow Me,” but He also said, “Where I am going, you cannot follow now” (John 13:36). He was going to death and resurrection—a work you cannot imitate or contribute to. He accomplished it alone, so that He could return as the Spirit and join Himself to you.
At regeneration, Christ sent His Spirit into your heart, joining your spirit to His. You became one spirit with the Lord (1 Corinthians 6:17). Now, the Christian life is not imitation but participation. Christ is the source of your life. Without the supply of the Spirit, there is no Christian life at all (Romans 8:10).
What Is Lost If You Accept Christless Discipleship?
If you accept a discipleship that is Christless—rooted in external works, law, or self-effort—you lose everything that matters. You forfeit the reality of your union with Christ, the experience of sanctification, and the manifestation of the hope of glory. You are left with a powerless religion that cannot sanctify, cannot transform, and cannot satisfy. Worse, you undermine the very foundation of justification and sonship, reducing the finished work of Christ to a mere example rather than your inheritance.
This is not a secondary issue. To settle for Christless discipleship is to reject the new covenant promise and to live as if Christ’s work is unfinished and His Spirit unnecessary. It is to trade your inheritance for a program of dead works.
The Only Way: Christ in You
True discipleship is not a set of duties or a ladder of spiritual achievement. It is a person—Christ Himself—living in you by the Spirit. The gospel is not just for your initial regeneration; it is the power of God for your entire Christian life. God’s purpose is not to improve your flesh, but to manifest His Son in you and through you.
Turn your heart to the Lord. Treasure His word—not as a list of demands, but as the living testimony of Christ’s finished work and indwelling presence. Rest in what He has accomplished. Trust the supply of the Spirit. This is the only path to sanctification, growth, and genuine spiritual reality.
Anything less is not discipleship at all. It is Christ or nothing. The Christian life is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Let no one rob you of this reality by offering you a Christless substitute.
