What Does Being A Christian NOT Mean?
Being a Christian means, by the grace of God, that we believe that Jesus is the Son of God, and we trust Him to reconcile us to God, by the sacrifice of His perfect life, in place of us due to our imperfections that separated us from God. But many people have a different interpretation of what 'being Christian' means. Lets sort through some of these things that being a Christian is NOT:
Being A Christian IS NOT A Heritage (Inherited)- Clearly, the decision make to have Faith in Jesus as the Christ is a very personal one. No one can make that decision for us, and no one can inherit that decision from anyone else. A family may have a tradition of strong Christian beliefs, but that does not make the children 'automatic' Christians! The children must make the decision and the commitments for themselves.
Being A Christian IS NOT 'Going To Church' Or Following Any Particular Ritual - A person can obviously get up in the morning, dress up in their Sunday best, sit in a pew and listen to the sermon, and even say and do all the "right things" and never have made their personal decision and commitment to God and to Jesus the Christ. As Paul Little says:
"Going to church no more makes you a Christian than going into a garage makes you an automobile!"
Being A Christian IS NOT Mere Intellectual Assent To The Facts Of Jesus - Many people say "I believe in Jesus" as assume that makes them a Christian. Many actually believe that He lived, was crucified, and rose from the dead - does this make them Christians? To these people, "Faith" is synonymous with "Belief". But the Bible is VERY clear on this point. Consider the knowledge of Satan and his followers - clearly they know and believe that Jesus is the Son of God, died and rose again. Does this make them Christians? Of course not! James addressed this issue in his letter to the church, considering whether demons are atheists!
"You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that - and shudder. James 2:19
Clearly, there is more required than mere agreement with the facts. One who has been transformed by Jesus will show evidence of this transformation in his life. These deeds are the evidence of a living faith. James clarifies the point:
"What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such a faith save him?...You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? James 2:14, 20
Being A Christian DOES NOT Mean "I Am A Christian Because Of My Deeds" - So I believe in Jesus, and I do what I can to follow His teachings...I am 'earning' my way to God. Is this 'being a Christian?" NO! Unless a person can achieve the perfection of God or of Jesus, he cannot earn his salvation to God. Everyone knows that this perfection is impossible, by definition and in practice. Jesus Himself addressed this issue in his Sermon on the Mount:
"Not everyone who says to me 'Lord, Lord' will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in Heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never know you. Away from me, you evildoers!' " Matthew 7:21-23
Again, a living faith is required for salvation.
Being A Christian DOES NOT Mean "I'm Perfect" Or "I Do Not Sin Anymore" - Perhaps one of the most damaging misconceptions about the Church is its image of 'perfection', especially when the church becomes critical of the world around it and sets itself up as 'more moral' or as 'better' than the rest. Nothing could be further from the truth. Practically the entire book of Romans discusses the situation of the position of sin in a non-Christian's life, as well as in the Christian's life. This discussion is so important to the message of the church, we will take up a study of Paul's dissertation to the Romans a little later, but for now, consider what he says about sin in the Christian's life:
"Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. So I find this law at work: when I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of of the law of sin at work within my members...So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin...But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness...Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation - but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. Romans 7:20-23, 25b, 8:10, 12-14
Does this give us license to sin? Of course not!
"What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means!...You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness." Romans 6:15, 18
The Christian is transformed by Christ, humbly thanks God for His gift and Jesus for His sacrifice, and pursues the fruits of the Spirit within him, while putting away the sin nature...but when that sin does emerge (because we are not yet made perfect) we repent to God and Jesus to keep our relationship strong, and move on with the pursuit of the fruits, knowing that our errors are covered by God's grace. For the Christian, Peace with God means that:
"...there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus..." Romans 8:1
"My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody dies sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense - Jesus Christ, the Righteousness One." 1 John 1:2
Being A Christian DOES NOT Mean "I Never Have Doubts About My Salvation" - Sometimes when we have doubts, whether it be of God, Jesus, or our salvation, we feel guilty...we think that maybe our lack of 'faith' is bad, or that we may actually not be saved. But an honest appraisal of this situation may clarify why this is not so. In a world that values the natural world as all there is, we are programmed to expect concrete evidence, and we WILL experience doubt when we don't have it. Phillip Yancey succinctly describes the situation as "God's invisibility guarantees that I will experience times of doubt." This will apply to all aspects of the supernatural, whether it be God's existence at all, or of Jesus, or of my salvation. But remember that one part of FAITH is CHOICE. We CHOOSE to believe, based upon not only the things we can experience with our five senses, but also with the things we can feel apart from these senses (love, fear, longing, right, wrong, etc.)
Us doubters are in good company. Remember that "Jesus' own neighbors doubted Him. John the Baptist, his cousin and forerunner, later questioned Him. Among the twelve disciples Thomas doubted, Peter cursed, and Judas betrayed, all after spending three years with Jesus." (Philip Yancey; Reaching for the Invisible God; pg 40.)
In addition, it is interesting to remember that Martin Luther battled almost constantly with doubt. Increase Mather, Dwight Moody, and many other giants of the faith battled with doubt. They were simply repeating the mantra of the demonic's father who said:
"I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief." Mark 9:24b
Periods of doubt can actually help us grow in our faith. "Faith is reason gone courageous" according to Thomas Graham. Instead of doubt becoming a crippling problem, it can provide an incentive for further searching and study, ultimately resulting in TRUST, not certainty, which is the basis for all relationships. Remember that FAITH is a CHOICE! This is well described by Sheldon Vanauken:
"I choose to believe in the Father, the Son, and Holy Ghost - in Christ, my Lord and my God. Christianity has the ring, the feel, of unique truth. Of essential truth...but a choice was necessary; and there is no certainty. One can only choose a side. So I - I now choose my side: I choose beauty; I choose what I love. But choosing to believe is believing. It's all I can do: choose. I confess my doubts and ask my Lord Christ to enter my life. I do not know God is, I do but say: Be it unto me according to Thy will. I do not affirm that I am without doubt, I do but ask for help, having chosen, to overcome it. I do but say: Lord I believe - help Thou my unbelief."
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