Faith & Culture | By Ellis Ward
CENTER, Texas — In church circles across America, the idea of “separating from sin” has long been a mark of devotion. From pulpits to pews, the message is repeated: holiness comes through distance from wrongdoing. But in the quiet East Texas town of Center, Jerry Lewis is asking whether that message has missed the point.
“Religion has told us for years that separating yourself from sin makes you more like Jesus,” Lewis says. “But I’ve got an oak tree in my backyard that’s never sinned once, and it’s no closer to Christ than anyone else. Separation from sin by itself doesn’t save. Separation unto Christ does.”
Lewis grounds his argument in Romans 1:1, where the Apostle Paul describes himself as “separated unto the gospel of God.” The difference between “from” and “unto” may seem small, but Lewis believes it carries enormous weight. “‘Unto’ means to enter into. Paul wasn’t just avoiding sin; he was stepping into Christ. That’s where transformation begins,” he explains.
His perspective is part of a growing pushback against legalism—a movement within some churches that emphasizes rules and behavior more than relationship. To Lewis, focusing only on what believers avoid risks producing pride or despair, while focusing on who they follow produces grace and growth.
“Repentance literally means to turn,” he says. “If you turn from sin toward nothing but good deeds, you’ve gained nothing. If you turn from sin just to be a better man, you’re still lost. But if you turn toward Jesus, you enter into His promise by faith. That’s when your life truly changes.”
The story of Peter, the disciple who once denied Christ with cursing before later preaching the sermon that brought 3,000 souls to faith, is central to Lewis’s conviction. “God doesn’t call perfect people,” he reflects. “He calls people who won’t quit.”
In communities like Center Texas, where faith and tradition often run deep, voices like Lewis’s point toward a shift—away from checklist religion and toward what he calls “relationship faith.” It’s not about being defined by what you avoid, he insists, but by whom you pursue.
And for Lewis, that leaves believers with a question bigger than theology: What will you do today for the cause of Christ and the work of His Kingdom?
For Jerry Lewis of Center, Texas, that’s not just a question. It’s a call.
— Ellis Ward