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Beware of imitations

a sign saying genuine fake watches
Posted January 28, 2015

Here’s a question for you: what is it that makes a Salvationist a Salvationist?

I think there would be general agreement that a case could be made to support the idea that not everyone who simply wears an Army uniform is a ‘blood-and-fire’ Salvationist. It’s a complete reversal of Shakespeare’s old axiom that ‘clothes make the man’ (or woman, as the case may be). Now, of course, an equal case could be made for the flipside: not everyone who doesn’t wear a uniform—or attend a corps, or in some other way align themselves with the Army in a denominational sense—isn’t a Salvationist at heart.

So, if all that’s true, let’s come back to the question: what is the ‘it’ that brands or identifies someone as a Salvationist? What sets the genuine article apart from the wannabes and posers? Working from the assumption that we can readily recognise one when we see one, what would cause any one of us to sit up and say, ‘Now, there’s a true Salvationist’?

It’s a bit like telling the difference between an authentic high-quality watch—built with all the materials and exacting Swiss craftsmanship that allows it keep precise time—and the cheap lookalike, knock-offs sold on the streets of some large metropolitan cities and tourist spots. Put the two side by side and they look almost identical at first glance. But the pretender just can’t stand up to a closer examination. There are shortcomings and inconsistencies in the fake that just aren’t there in the authentic Swiss watch.

Further, the performance difference between the two will only become more and more evident over time (no pun intended). The fact is real quality isn’t cheap. It comes at a cost—and you know it when you see it.

The same is true when it comes to the quality of the genuine Salvationist spirit. It can be cheaply imitated, but it can never be truly duplicated by artificial means. Let’s be clear: the pretend version can be made to look similar to the real thing, but it is just not the same. And like that fake watch, the difference only becomes more obvious over time. You see, the real spirit can only come from the real Spirit. And while the Holy Spirit is available to everyone, only those willing to pay the price of complete self-surrender actually receive him. And again, like the real Swiss watch, you know ‘it’ when you see it.

In addition to the crucial presence of the Holy Spirit, let’s consider some other ‘it’ factors that set the true Salvationist apart from the pretend version. These have to do with certain attitudes of the heart, such as a burning inner zeal, a compelling holy determination, and a complete abandonment of self to the extent that whatever breaks the heart of Jesus also breaks the heart of the Salvationist—to the point that they have to do something about it.

This quote from Salvation Army founder William Booth relates to the heart of the matter:

If you are a Salvationist, your lips will say so; your clothes will say so; your holy life will say so; your prayers and tears and songs will say so; your standing up for God in the face of a perverse and rebellious generation will say so; your efforts to save people from sin, and devils, and Hell will say so. The word of the Lord will be as fire in your bones, it will compel you to speak—that is confess your Lord.  While there cannot be the possession of salvation without the profession, there can be the profession without the possession. You can have the form of a thing without the spirit which the form represents.

That guy sure had a clear way of putting things, wouldn’t you say? So, let’s use Booth’s description as the basis for a little exercise in self-examination.

If someone were to follow you or me around every minute of every day for, say, a solid month—listening in on all of our conversations, observing our lifestyle and attitudes, taking note of everything we wore and what it communicated about our values, documenting the TV shows and movies we watch, the books and articles we read, the music that entertains us, hearing our prayers, keeping a record of the passions that stir us—what would they conclude at the end of that month? Salvationist, or something less?

Remember Booth’s words: ‘While there cannot be the possession of Salvation without the profession, there can be the profession without the possession. You can have the form of a thing without the spirit which the form represents.’

So, what about you? Real or imitation? Are you a genuine Salvationist, or do you just look like one?

Here’s a thought: why not ask God to give you the answer, since he is the one who does in fact take note of all you do and why you do it? And you’ll never need to pretend with him.


by Colonel Willis Howell (c) 'War Cry' magazine, 24 January 2015, pp19.
You can read 'War Cry' at your nearest Salvation Army church or centre, or subscribe through Salvationist Resources.