God's word says there is only one thing that makes a person a Christian, and that is faith in Jesus Christ. But what does that mean? Does it mean just saying “I believe” or praying a prayer? Or is there more to it?
The book of Romans goes step by step through what salvation means. The beginning chapters talk about sin, and the penalty for sin (death, hell) and the fact that everyone is sinful. Chapters 4 and 5 talk about how we are justified by faith alone, and how salvation (getting to heaven) is NOT a result of our works, or our good deeds, but it is based on God’s power to save us. It also mentions the Law (all of God’s rules for our lives) and how the purpose of the law was to show us that we cannot follow the law, and that we are all sinful. Why would God go to such lengths to prove how sinful we are?
Let’s say you had a deadly disease that had no symptoms but would suddenly kill you 6 months from now. During your regular checkup, your family physician (a brilliant man) realizes that you are suffering from this insidious illness. He knows that the news will upset you but he also knows that he has a cure for your illness. Now, it wouldn’t make any sense to tell you about the cure without first telling you about the illness. In the same way, God created the law to show us our sin so that we would realize the danger we are in and believe in Christ for our salvation.
A mysterious thing happens when a person becomes a Christian. Something dies and is replaced with something else. We are still ourselves, walking, talking, going to work, feeding our pets. But something intimately connected with our being has been lost. Look at Galatians 2:20.
“I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.”
The part of us that dies is what we refer to as “the old man”. And in Romans Chapter 7, Paul tells us about the reality of our life now, as Christians. A battle is going on in us all the time. You see, the “old self” and the body (he calls it the flesh) were really good friends, and when the “old self” was crucified with Christ (by faith), a “new man” arrived (this is the life we now live in the flesh, by faith). God calls this being “born again” (John 3) or becoming a “new creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17). But this “new man” and the flesh do not get along. They are always at war. The flesh wants to sin. But the new man wants to please God. So, we have this conflict inside us. This is totally normal for a Christian – if you read Romans chapter 7 you will see how even Paul struggled with it.
Now, all that said, what makes a Christian a Christian?
- A Christian sees and acknowledges the existence of God and His right to rule.
- A Christian is convicted by the words of the Bible and will see that they can never live up to the standard God has put in place.
- A Christian accepts the reality that their deeds deserve death, and that without God’s intervention, they will be lost eternally.
- A Christian takes great joy in the fact that Jesus Christ has taken the punishment for sin and has opened their way to Heaven.
- A Christian believes that Jesus’ sacrificial death applies personally and completely to their debt of sin. A Christians obeys the Lord – not out of a desire to save themselves, because that has been done on the cross – but because the “new self” desires to obey.
- A Christian will have peace in doing what’s right – following Him, even when it hurts.
- A Christian is not a person that does everything right all the time, but a person who desires what God desires.
- A Christian is not a person that wins every battle against sin, but one that keeps on fighting.
Jeremiah 33:3 says: Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.
Only when you trust the Lord and follow Him will you see those mighty things.
No comments:
Post a Comment