What does it mean to be a Christian? How might you recognize a Christian? (Dave Graham)

The question: What does it mean to be a Christian? Was discussed but only for a short while in Donald Miller’s book “Searching For God Knows What.” However the book chose not to examine this question that deeply. The book points out that most of us Christians, do not know how to biblically answer this question. We say things like: born again, focused elsewhere, a person that is a part of a church, read their bible, and other things that do pertain to the Christian life, but do not separate us from what someone from another religion would say. So my question is: What makes a Christian different and unique, and how might we and others notice that?

What makes a Christian unique? Erwin Lutzer says it is the fact that we have a sinless savior.1 He speaks of a time when he was at a conference where many different religions had booths setup. He went around to the booths asking some basic questions. His search was for a savior that was not a part of our predicament.

Every religion has a basis on good and evil. Most religions have a system of good and bad things we do that it is impossible for us to follow them all, thus needing someone to help us out of our sinful predicament. Each religion could not point to a sinless savior, each except one. Jesus did not sin. Jesus was not a part of our predicament; therefore He can save us from it.

A Christian is a person who accepts this sinless savior, Jesus, and what He did on the cross. Christians believe that Jesus died as the propitiation for our sins. He died so that we, Christians, would no longer live under the law of sin and death. Romans 6:1-14 explains this more. The reason Christ died was so Christians could have a relationship with God. God has always been about the relationship with us since the beginning.

Adam and Eve walked with Him in the garden. In Genesis 3 when Adam and Eve sinned God was sad that the relationship was now changed. Some people struggle with this story because they say, why God made Adam and Eve in a way that they would sin. I’m glad you asked, because Paul answers this question of sin in Romans 7:7-25 then back in 6:15-23.

The key is faith in Christ Galatians 2:15-21 specifically looking at verse 16, “yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.”

No matter how much we would like to believe that basically good people go to Heaven, they don’t. I would like to believe that I have ten thousand dollars in the bank saved up for school. I can believe this with all the passion that I have, and make documents to look like statements from my bank, but does that make it actually so. The bank would see through my lies and would not recognize or allow me to withdraw that ten thousand I “would like to think” I have in there. Romans 9:30-33 and Galatians 2:15-3:9 Salvation is based on faith alone, apart from works.

Does this mean a Christian can do whatever they want so long as they have faith in the resurrection of Christ? No, a Christian is different after salvation then they were before. When a person comes to Christ through faith the Holy Spirit enters into their soul, changing their soul. Jesus presents this to the disciples before His ascension, Luke 24:49, Acts 1:4-5. Paul talks about this difference between our sinful bodies and our souls post salvation, Romans 8:1-11. Romans 8:5 say this, “For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.”(ESV)

How might we and other notice the difference in a Christian verse a non-Christian? Romans 12:9-21, describes some of the marks of a true Christian. Genuine love, hold fast to what is good, love on another, serve the Lord, pray, contribute, rejoice, weep, do not overcome evil with evil, and other things as well, but these are just a few things we might notice in a Christians life. These things here are how a Christian might act, but what is at the heart of these actions, a person carrying out commands or a reflection of whom they are and the spirit that is within them?

Jesus said a tree is known by its fruit, Matthew 12:33, well what is the fruit of the spirit? Galatians 5:22-26, verse 25 says, “If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.” How do we walk by the spirit?

Christ said to His followers, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.” Luke 9:23-24 ESV. This is shortly after Peter confesses that Jesus is the Christ, and Jesus in telling the disciples once again about the purpose He came to fulfill. Just like most of Jesus’ ministry the disciples do not full understand what Jesus meant by this statement until after His death and resurrection.

This reminds me of a saying we hear very often, “When the goin’ gets tough, the tough get goin’.” Why must a Christian or anyone go through pain? Many of us do not look forward to the next hurdle or obstacle we will need to overcome, but how do we meet that time? This is where many non-Christians have trouble understanding those who call themselves Christians. In college I knew a Christian who struggled with drunkenness, and lived with another Christian and a non-Christian who was curious about the Christian faith. This non-Christian roommate said something one night to the drunken Christian’s face that I will never forget what was meant by his words. I do not remember the exact words but it was something like this, “Doesn’t your book tell you not to do this?!?!” By your book he meant the bible, how do I know that, well he pointed right at it when the question was expressed. Non-Christians for the most-part know the things we Christians should not do, and when we appear no different from them, they question the authenticity of our faith.

Many years I struggled with this. The application of faith that overcomes the desires of the body, this is how you might recognize a Christian, a true Christian. Romans 6:1-14, 8:12-17, 12:1-2, 14:1-23, 1 Corinthians 10:23- 33, Galatians 3:10-14 these are just a few verses about the struggle that Christians face between the soul and the body. Just because a Christian is saved they will still sin from time to time, but the Christian, the true Christian fights hard against the desires of their body in a desire that the spirit within might shine through these bodies we have, so that others might catch a glimpse of God.

1. Southern Evangelical Seminary “National Apologetics Conference” 2006 Erwin Lutzer “7 Reasons You Can Trust the Bible” 11/10/2006

Can God Be Seen? Can God Be Seen In The Lives Of His People?

When the question of seeing God was first presented to me I was in high school and my classmates were teasing me, because they said I had faith in a God that cannot be seen. In college this question came up in a different manner. Professors spoke their theories to disprove the existence of a God, and the thought of ever seeing or knowing Him could never be accomplished. Then again in these few years that have passed since college a different light has come on the question. Now when this question is presented it is to put a limit on God. The question is now presented as, “God does not care about us, and that is why we do not see Him, He does not care.” There is an answer to this question, but the answer is not necessarily easy to understand. There are two types of people to consider when answering this question; those who are believers in Christ that accept His gift of salvation and those who deny what Christ did.

What I mean by, those who are believers in Christ that accept His gift of salvation is defined by my answer to the question; what does it mean to be a Christian? The other type of person is a wide scope of people. People of the Islamic faith would say that they have seen God or heard from God. Islamic followers and Christians would say we worship the same God. I do not agree with either one of their points of view. The Islamic God is very different from the Christian God, and the Jewish God is different from these two beliefs also. So one must ask is there a difference in the God that people of these faiths say they see? Then there is the question of do we actually see God or is the image that we think we physically see actually a result of our imagination?

When Muhammad was first receiving his messages he asked his wife whether she thought these messages were from God or not. Muhammad’s wife convinced him that they were of God. How could there be any doubt whether God had spoken to you or not? Moses did not question the origin of the words God spoke to him. Moses might have doubted their ability to come true, but Moses never questions their origin. The same is true for Elijah, Paul, and many other prophets and teachers in the bible felt the same way about the words spoken to them by God. The difference is in who was speaking to them. To that I turn to the testimony of my pastor, Naeem.

My pastor, Naeem, tells a story of a night hen he saw the glory of Christ. He was alone in bed, puts his book down and notices the room begins to get dark. Soon after something grabs his shoulders, drags him, and pins him to his pillow. At first he tries to make sure he is awake and realizes he is. Suddenly the door opens and what he identifies as a demon walks in. All the sudden everything disappears, and he is free to move. He runs over to his brother’s room to find some understanding to that which he has just experienced. After a long conversation with his brother, his brother explains that Jesus is the only one that has power over demons. Naeem prays for protection and dependency on Jesus to get him through this. He goes back into his room and starts to read the book of John. In terror he says to Jesus that if anything happens to him that night it is His fault. He begins to shake and is afraid to open his eyes, but he finally does. In front of his face he sees a presence in the room that communicates that this presence is Jesus. He becomes overwhelmed by His presence and all the sudden falls to sleep. This transformed his life in to a path that leads him to be my pastor. I have never had an experience like Naeem’s, but that does not mean they are not real. There still is the question, can we see all Him today? Can we have an experience similar to Naeem’s?

Some would say that you can see God in His creation. Now this perplexes me because do you actually see God or do you see the effects or workmanship of God? Science has tried for years to put together evidence to discredit Creation. Every time I look at more of their supposed answers to the questions for evolution I only come up with more questions, I never seem to find a deductive explanation for how evolution could have developed different chemicals into D.N.A.. There are other examples of things that I struggle with evolution making any type of creditable sense. However when I look at how we got here through the lens of creation, everything makes much more sense. It amazes me sometimes when I think about the complexity of just my eyes, and their ability to transmit images to my brain. This intricacy paints an amazing picture for life, and leaves me staring at the workmanship of an amazing God.

Many of us made things at school to bring home to our parents when we were in school; I still make things for them to this day. One year I wrote some short poems for my mom. I put some pictures together around the poems and gave them to my mom for her birthday. I surprised her at work, because I was leaving on a weekend trip, she cried as she read the poems and gave me a hug. To this day, four years later, she still has this gift, and it is not hidden in a box, but out on their kitchen counter for all to see. Does my mom see me when she looks at those poems and pictures, no; she sees the affection of a loving son.

Creation to me is the affection of a loving God. God created the earth, sun, moon, animals, and everything around us for us to enjoy and notice how much he loves us. We may not notice the fingerprint of God on creation, but that does not mean it isn’t there.

My dad had this to say when I asked him this question, “Your question is a good one and makes someone search and think. This is my answer. God walked in the garden with Adam. He appeared off and on to a few throughout the Old Testament. He told His followers if you've seen Me you have seen the Father. How many times has God been seen after the writings of the New Testament? Today God does not live in the temple built by man. Through the Holy Sprit He lives in the hearts of men and women. God is love, GOD IS IS IS LOVE and HE IS SEEN as we love one another. As we put off the old man of strife, anger, pride, and selfishness. He is seen as He has freed us from that so that we can be like Him. He is seen not like in the Old Testament to us but now he is seen in and through us as we show patients, kindness, rejoice in the truth, bear all things, believe all things, hope all things, and endures all things. And He is not seen as we are arrogant, jealous, brag, provoke, rejoice in unrighteousness, and take account wrong suffered. My answer although I might have missed a few passages is that GOD showed Himself to us in the Old Testament as He lived in the holy of holy we've made. And now in the New Testament He shows Himself through us today as HE LIVES LIVES LIVES in the holy of holy He has made.”1 My dad likes to repeat words for emphasis, sometimes I get him talking and I cannot get all of what he is saying down. He makes a good point about how God might be seen in the lives of His people.

But sometimes life can be so busy that we forget to take the time to focus on God, to sit back and realize that He is there. I was reminded of the song “In The Secret” the other night while talking with my small group guys. Examine the words, because a part of the answer to this question is in their meaning.

In the secret,
In the quiet place
in the stillness you are there
In the secret in the quite hour I wait, only for you
Cause I want to know you more

In the secret
In the quite place
In the stillness you are there
In the secret in the quiet hour I wait
Because I want to know you more

Chorus
I want to know you
I want to hear your voice
I want to know you more
I want to touch you
I want to see your face
I want to know you more

I am reaching for the highest goals
That I might receive the prize
Pressing onward
Pushing every hindrance aside
Out of my way
Cause I want to know you moreChorus x2in the secret in the quite place
in the stillness you are there

Chorus x2

A true Christian is viewed as a weirdo for a good reason. Through the life of a true Christian we see glimpses of God. When they consider others better then themselves, show kindness to a neighbor, when we push aside this I’m better then everyone else attitude and let love come out, there is God. At weddings they quote 1 Corinthians 13 a lot, but there is more to it then love applying to marriage. Jesus was asked what is the greatest commandment, Matthew 22:36-40 "Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the Law of Moses?" Jesus replied, "'You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the other commandments and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments."” (NLT)

To answer the question, “Can God be seen?” yes, but not necessarily in the way we feel we should see Him. Jesus says this, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” John 20:29 (ESV) Are we looking to God to incase all that He is into a single thing that we could see? That is ridiculous, God cannot pull all that He is into one visual thing for our eyes to see. There is so much that God is that we cannot see with our eyes. So we must then say that yes we can see parts or glimpses of God, but we cannot see all that He is.

1 John 4:12 “No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us.” A skeptic’s bible that I was looking at about this verse called it an absurdity.3 There is the question that if no one has seen God then who did Moses, Noah, Enoch, and others in the Old Testament see? The answer is within the passage, and some is further explained by other resources. Within the passage we see that people may see the love of God in us, now this love does not make us God, but a reflection of the love God has for us. An example of the Spirit that is within us. Here is what John MacArthur says about this verse, “Nobody can see God loving since His is invisible. Jesus no longer is in the world to manifest the love of God. The only demonstration of God’s love in this age is the church. That testimony is critical (John 13:35; 2 Corinthians 5:18-20). John’s argument in verse 7-12 can be summed up as: love originated in God, was manifested in His Son, and demonstrated in His people.”4

No one can fully see God, to do so would be to see the invisible encompassed in love, with a little wrath for those who oppose Him. God is a holy loving God, and who could see all that He is? I only hope that people see God in me and in my church, for that is where they can catch a glimpse of Him, unless they have an encounter like my pastor’s.

1. E-mail sent to me December 7, 2006
2. Andy Park Copyright 1995 Mercy Vineyard Publishing
3. http://www.skepticsannotatedbible.com/
4. The John MacArthur Study Bible