The Dangers of Bootstrap Christianity

I recently wrote an article titled “Bootstrap Christianity: Denying the Power of the Gospel.” What is Bootstrap Christianity? It can be summed up with clichés such as: “God helps those who help themselves,” “If you’re not living it, you never really believed it,” and “You must make Jesus Lord of your life in order to be saved.” These ideas might sound spiritual, but they gut the gospel of its power and replace grace with self-effort—pulling yourself up by your bootstraps.

Bootstrap Christianity reminds me of an old joke. Ole had just purchased a brand-new chainsaw that was advertised to cut two cords of wood per day. A few days later, frustrated, he returned to the hardware store. “This saw is defective,” he complained. “I worked as hard as I could, but I could only cut one cord in a day!”

The salesman, puzzled, took the chainsaw, pulled the cord, and the engine roared to life. Startled, Ole jumped back and exclaimed, “What’s that noise?!”

The punchline is simple, but the point is profound: Ole had been trying to do all the work on his own, never realizing that the saw had a power source that would make the work not only possible but effective.

In the same way, when people deny or neglect the power of the gospel—the finished work of Jesus Christ and the enabling of the Holy Spirit—they are left to rely solely on their own efforts. They may labor hard, sincerely, and even with great determination, but it will never produce what only God’s power can accomplish. As Paul wrote in Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.” The gospel doesn’t assist us in saving ourselves—it saves.

Trying to live the Christian life apart from that power is like trying to cut wood with a chainsaw that is not running. It may be sincere effort—but it’s the wrong method. We’re called not to perform but to believe, not to strive but to trust in the One who has already done the work.

The only cure for Bootstrap Christianity is to return to the clarity and simplicity of the gospel Paul preached: salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. The gospel is not a call to self-improvement—it is a declaration of what Christ has accomplished. Any message that shifts the focus from Christ’s finished work to the believer’s ongoing effort robs the gospel of its power and leaves people either unsaved or unempowered. It is the gospel itself that is “the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.” We must never be ashamed of its simplicity—or its sufficiency.

Blessings,

Bob

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Christian Growth

One of the great secrets of growth is looking upon the Lord Jesus as gracious. How strengthening it is, to know that He is at this moment feeling and exercising the same love and grace towards me as when He died upon the Cross for me. —John Nelson Darby