There are sme who claim that to be a Christian . . .
There
are some who claim that to be a Christian, you must hold certain beliefs—that
Jesus is the Son of God, let’s say, or that he was raised from the dead on the
third day, or that the Trinity consists of three persons—the Father, the Son,
and the Holy Spirit. Others claim that
it is not so much our beliefs that mark us as Christians, but our actions. A Christian is a person who does certain things;
or to listen to some, a Christian is a person who avoids doing certain things,
like smoking or drinking or playing golf on Sunday mornings. (Interesting, isn’t it, that a liberating
gospel is so often defined by what we are prohibited from doing.)
Both of
these views have a degree of merit, I suppose.
But the fact remains that there are plenty of non-Christians who live
perfectly decent, even exemplary, lives.
They are good neighbors, they volunteer in the community, and they make
charitable contributions (some even tithe!) to help those who are less
fortunate. True, they may not be doing
it in the name of Jesus Christ. But it’s
a little presumptuous to suggest that Christians are the only people in the
world who perform acts of love and compassion.
When
Jesus talked about what it means to be a Christian, he did not speak of it in
terms of our beliefs or our actions. He
never said, “This is the way, and the truth, and the life.” Instead, he told the disciples, “I am the
way, and the truth, and the life.”
In
other words, it is our relationship with Jesus Christ that makes us
Christian. “No one comes to the Father
except through me,” he said—meaning that is not simply our beliefs, or even our
actions, that determine whether or not we are Christians. It is the fact that Christ called us! “You did not choose me,” he reminded his
disciples, “I chose you.”
To be a
Christian is not merely to sign your name on the dotted line as someone who
subscribes to this doctrine or that creed.
Nor is it someone who says, “From here on out, I will do these things
and avoid doing those things.” To be a
Christian is to recognize that before we say or do anything at all, Jesus
Christ reaches out to us and declares, “I want you to follow me.”
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