Whole Hearted Devotion

I think it can generally be agreed upon that when Jesus was teaching and preaching that He was clear to the people He spoke to that He demanded and expected whole hearted devotion to Himself or, the listeners should not believe in Him or follow Him in the first place.

Is passionate whole hearted devotion to Jesus from the moment one believes something we as a church should expect to see in new believers ? What if we don't see that?

I'm not speaking of sanctification in holiness or perfection in obedience. But rather, a whole hearted 100% devotional committment of the heart in love to Him as Savior and Lord.

As I read the Gospels, it seems clear that Jesus did expect and even require this.

Is "devotion" something different apart from sanctification which is a process. Devotion being more akin to jumping off a cliff rather than sanctification which is more progressive like climbing a ladder?

Does the church expect less from would be followers of Jesus than Jesus did?

Is "devotion" something different apart from sanctification which is a process. Devotion being more akin to jumping off a cliff rather than sanctification which is more progressive like climbing a ladder?

I think essentially, I’d agree, though I’d explain it differently. I’ve always thought of sanctification as both a one-time event at conversion and a process throughout our walk with Christ. From what I understand, the Hebrew and Greek words used for sanctification in Scripture convey the idea of being set apart for or consecrated to God and being holy to the Lord. So from what I understand, we are set apart for/consecrated to God and made holy to the Lord when we are born again, and we are also continually set apart for God’s use and made holy throughout our Christian walk.

Does the church expect less from would be followers of Jesus than Jesus did?

Sadly, I think many do. Easy-believism, cheap grace, hyper grace, antinomianism, sloppy agape, or whatever other term we may want to use, has infiltrated many churches among Evangelicalism. Throughout the centuries this type of "antinomian” teaching has reared its ugly head and taken on different forms.

Hi Robert and Oracio:

I don't look at devotion like I do sanctification.

Someone devoted to Jesus Christ has a heart of love for Jesus Christ.

When I am devoted I enjoy reading the word of God because it excites my soul to hear the voice of God to me within the sacred text.
When I am obedient to Jesus Christ it is by reason of my love for him, I want to obey, I want to serve, I want to humble myself because in doing so I am pleasing to God, I am delighted in by God.
When I worship I express to God my love and my heart's desire, I have acceptance and access to God by Jesus Christ so I come as a worshipping son.
When I pray I receive of my Father what I have asked, when I pray, I am seeking for his will to be done in my life and in the lives of others.
True devotion is reciprocated with God's divine presence in my life. There is a sense of God around me and in what I am saying and doing. Jesus promised in Jn 14 that He and his Father would abide in me as I live in hearty obedience toward him.

I believe true devotion is the foundation of sanctification.
God gives us a heart of devotion toward him, and because of that, I am being sanctified, I am being transformed, I am being conformed to the image of Christ, I am experiencing the life of the Spirit.
When I am living devoted...it can be said I am sanctified. When I am expressing devotion in prayer or worship, it can be said I am being purified and transformed.

The invisible motivation, the inspiration behind our acts of faith and love display Christian sanctification.

Positional sanctification is a theological term, but it doesn't capture the emotion and 'connectivity' we have with Jesus Christ, therefore I prefer devotion whereby some essence of love toward God is captured in a God-ward act. Positional sanctification is a clock spring, but as the description is dry and life-lacking so too the theological term. A heart-felt devotion to God is ever present because the Spirit of God dwelling in us quickens us to love God and desire him in ways we never imagined.

The Church should expect this kind of devotion from it's new converts, but what it cannot do is attempt to regulate or expect cookie-cutter emotional responses. Devotion in one man is laughter and free exercise of personality in service. Another are tears and contrition, a sense of restraint upon the flesh that always ignored proper decorum and sought narcissistic enjoyments.
Both of these polar opposite responses to Jesus Christ is the presence of devotion with a heart toward God. Which one do we factor out? Which one do we require?
I say, the Church as a living body of people should get to know their new converts, get an understanding of who they are and how they think and live, then one can prayerfully determine if such a person is 'faking it'.