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I was listening to a teaching last week and came across this quote from Mahatma Gandhi: “I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.” Now I normally don't really care too much about Gandhi's opinions, but in this case I'm afraid many people today would agree with him. What was it about Christ that seems to draw people to Him? Even those who, like Gandhi, don't believe in Him as a Savior still seem drawn to Him and His teachings. What are we as Christians missing? What does it mean to be a 'true' Christian?As I was doing some reading on this subject, I ran across a blog that discussed the subject "What is a true Christian?". The author said it a lot better than I could.
What, then, are the Scriptural indicators that a genuine work of grace has taken place in the heart of a sinner?
One of them is a principled pursuit of godliness with an increasing attainment in holiness (1Jn 2.3-8, 15-16, 19, 29; 3.3, 6, 10, 24; 4.13; 5.2-5, 21). The hypocrite likes the reputation of holiness, but the true child of God is satisfied only with the substance. He considers his ways, and turns his feet back to God’s testimonies (Ps 119.59). The world no longer sparkles as it did – or, at least, his attraction to it and affection for it have been fundamentally altered – and now he lives for God, called to be holy as God himself is holy (1Pt 1.16). The bonds to sin have been broken, and the persistent habit of unmortified sinning has been shattered because of his union with Christ. The new root brings forth new fruit (Mt 7.20; 12.33-35). His obedience – though not yet perfect – is universal (throughout the whole man), habitual, voluntary and persevering. He has taken up his cross, and continues to do so daily, as a disciple of a crucified Christ (Mt 16.24-25). He pursues Christlikeness – it is the burden of his private and public prayers. He increasingly manifests the fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5.22-23); he has no love for the world (Jas 4.4); the previous pattern of conformity to, company with and compromise for the sake of the world is over (2Tim 3.4; 1Cor 16.33). This is not sinless perfection, but laborious progress. It does not mean that a Christian faces no battles but rather than he fights great battles, opposed as he now is to a raging and committed enemy of malice and power (Rom 7.13-25). Sometimes he wanders; sometimes he is on the back foot; sometimes, grievously, he backslides. However, the tone and tenor of his life is one of advance. The trajectory of his life over time is upward. The points plotted on his spiritual graph are not a seamless upward curve, and there are painful plateaus, but the line of best fit indicates persevering progress over time as sin dies and godliness is cultivated.
http://eardstapa.wordpress.com/2009/04/23/what-is-a-true-christian/
How many 'true' Christians do you know? How many people do you know that not only profess a faith in Jesus Christ but are actively and sincerely seeking to emulate Christ in every area of their life? I want you to think hard about this and make yourself a list.
Then ask yourself one more question - am I on someone else's list?
I have been thinking about this one a lot. Also, I didn't want to be the first one posting. From the quote you have which says..."having a principled pursuit of holiness, being concerned with the substance of holiness, turning our feet to God's testimonies, having a new root with new fruit....sometimes he wanders, sometimes he backslides, but the tone and tenor of his life is one of advance, may have painful plateaus, but there is perservering progress." This describes many people I am blessed to know.
ReplyDeleteI am thankful it is not about sinful perfection but a desire to follow on to know our God.
If there really was a list......I would imagine that I will be shocked to find that there will be those on the list who aren't who they say they are. There will be folks I don't have on the list who should have been on the list.
I am thankful that it isn't about sinless perfection, but about allowing Him to work in me in those areas in which I need much work, much heart work.
Aren't we thankful God keeps the Book of Life. I want to make sure my name is not blotted out.
This blog sure made me stop and think and examine myself. I am not satisfied with what I wrote, how I said it, but I did want to respond.
I didn't correct something before posting! In the second paragraph, I meant to say "I am thankful it is not about sinless perfection" not "sinful perfection."
ReplyDeleteObviously, I need help from friends, family and most of all God!
When I read your quote of Gandhi's, I immediately thought more along the lines of the social gospel; ie...helping the poor, the sick, the hungry, etc. I know very little about him other than these were passions of his. American Christians, while having and supporting wonderful humanitarian aid and missionary activity around the world has been thwarted by our government and some anti-Christian elements in our society. A local example is an outcry from a few who objected to recipients of food & shelter also being asked to hear the Gospel/Bible Study.
ReplyDeleteAlso the corruption within the Christian church has hurt it's reputation and caused "God's holy name to be profaned among the nations". But also there are those who want to create Christ and God in their own image and despise those who teach the Christ of the Scriptures...and not their version of Him. They want the Christ Who healed the sick and fed the hungry...not the One who died for their sins since they aren't sinners and don't need a Redeemer.
Regarding a "true Christian", the quote from the blog was pretty accurate in my opinion. If I had to make a list there would be a couple of names on it.
I have been thinking about this a lot. And it has made me uncomfortable. I don't think I can make such a list with any certainty. I don't think I even want to attempt it, because it makes me feel as if I'm standing in quicksand. I also think some of the folks that "look" the best, might not actually be on this list at all, and some of the ones that I wouldn’t think to list, just might be at the top of it.
ReplyDeleteAs to what we as Christians are missing that makes it so difficult to distinguish us sometimes, I think has to do with the subject of your last post. A life of integrity and consistency in what and in whom we believe. People are watching us and making assumptions of who we are as individuals and as Christians, based on what we say and what we do and sometimes we just do things that are at complete odds with what we say, and then sometimes our actions can be misunderstood because our motives aren't necessarily visible. I hope my name would be on someone else's "list", but I also know that some days, my actions and attitude might cause someone who doesn't know me very well to wonder, and on other days it might even cause those who do know me well to wonder just who and what I am.
In reading of the early Christians, the things they faced for their testimony of Christ, in reading of Christians even today in other parts of the world where Christianity is not accepted and they are faced with persecution, yet still they stand in faith…I wonder if the majority of us who call ourselves by that name in this country would stand when it began to cost us something more than showing up at church once or twice a week and trying to love the folks sitting next to us.
“Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”(Php.3:8-14)
Are we willing to keep pressing on no matter what the cost? There is an ever increasing cost to being a Christian. The cost of saying, every day, “not my will, but Yours be done.” How many of us achieve that consistently?
And while there is the ultimate cost, there is also the ultimate privilege. God Himself. And I want to know Him and be found in Him. And be on His list!
I am thankful there are people who love me and care for me who do not expect perfection. They are painfully aware of those days and those times I do not belong on anyone's list, but God's. They have realized that I am pursuing God and that I am not pleased when my actions are sinful. I thank God for His forgiveness even when people won't forgive you.
ReplyDeleteThis blog was so good. As Peggie and Jerri said, it kept me thinking. As Jerri said we need to keep pressing on no matter what the cost.
Do you think we even know how to count the cost? We know we are to die to self and in the midst of dying to self, we do have to confront the integrity issue. Often times, I don't have integrity with those closest to me because they see all the warts of behavior and attitude I have. They choose to forgive me from their love for me. God forgives when I ask Him. Back to the cost! Have we ever read of the martyrs and the price they paid? It wasn't just their lives they gave, but the manner in which they died. It was extremely painful. They counted their lives nothing. They wanted Jesus more than they wanted life. They are on the list of anyone who knows about their lives. What a list to be on. As Jerri said above, I want to be on God's list. Well done thy good and faithful servant. What a list. The Book of Life.
ReplyDeleteI was in a class this morning which used this blog as part of the teaching. Sobering.
ReplyDelete