In this post I’d like to discuss what Tim Keller has termed a “functional savior,” a term you may not be familiar with. Essentially, a functional savior is any person, relationship, thing, aspiration, goal, etc. that a person believes (self consciously or not) will bring them the joy, peace, contentment, and fulfillment that can only be found in the one and only true Savior, Jesus Christ. Really, it’s a creative and pretty accurate way to describe the sin of idolatry.
As sinners, we naturally and instinctively set up functional saviors in each of our lives. Even a committed Christian – when he/she is not pursuing God – will manufacture functional saviors. But why would someone who knows that joy is only found in Christ do such a thing? The answer to this question is, on one level, quite complex. We each have a particular upbringing, a collection of past experiences that has shaped who we are today, a unique bent toward particular sins, different interests, etc. But what we have in common is far more significant than our differences. Specifically, we all have a deep and relentless need to be satisfied, to be fulfilled, content, and happy; a hunger that is only satisfied in Christ.
So when we fail to pursue God, it is not as if we are spiritually inert. The fact is that we are always pursuing something or someone in order to fill this void in our hearts. And thus, we create functional saviors (which are nothing more than idols) to be the answer to our problems, and consequently the object of our worship. Throughout the Old Testament and in even in the New Testament (Acts 17), people instinctively worshipped the creation in place of the Creator. Sensing their deep need for fulfillment, they set their affection and adoration upon something other than God. And when we neglect God – though our idols may be more subtle – we do the same thing.
I have at least two functional saviors that I have turned to repeatedly throughout my life. One is food. Often when I am unhappy, I will turn to the momentary satisfaction that eating brings, whether I am hungry or not. Only later do I feel miserable (emotionally and literally) and remember that food is primarily for survival, not happiness.
Another functional savior of mine is being liked. Unlike overeating, this one is an ongoing and constant functional savior. I want to please others…which can be a good thing. But I have continually struggled with believing the lie that if someone doesn’t like or approve of me, then I cannot be happy. This has even led me to disobey God on a number of occasions. Because I want to please others, I will let something go unchecked that needs to be confronted; or avoid a conversation that needs to happen. But like all functional saviors, the real tragedy is that we become self-deceived, and believe that something other than God can make us happy; with the end result being that our time, energy, and resources are spent on something other than God…the only One who actually deserves it.
Below, Pastor Mark Driscoll talks a more about functional saviors. As you watch, think about your own functional saviors. What are you putting ahead of God in your life? And what action do you need to take to exercise repentance?
