What is a Christian? - Introduction

On the cruise which my wife and I enjoyed as a celebration of our Ruby Wedding anniversary (now more than eleven years in the past!), I had the opportunity to minister at two of the interdenominational worship services that were held on board the ship. On the first occasion, knowing that there were folk there with different church backgrounds and experience, I started by sharing about – my school blazer!

You see, there were two particularly important 'items' attached to that school blazer. There was, first of all, a label. Now that label was very important. It held a lot of useful information - the size of the garment; the material with which the garment had been made; the instructions for cleaning it; probably even the name of the manufacturer. That label, however, in spite of carrying all of that important information, was attached either inside the inside pocket, or to the collar - inside the garment. In other words, it was kept out of sight!

The badge, however, was different. It held only one piece of information - the name of my school. There was, of course, the school crest - but, to the vast majority of folk, it would have been totally meaningless without the name of the establishment! It was proudly displayed on the front, breast-pocket, of the blazer, where it could be seen by all.

So, what has all of that got to do with anything? Simply this. In this new, short series of posts, I will be considering a badge, not a label! A label, I would suggest, refers to the particular denomination to which I belong. It holds some important information - what I believe about water, and Spirit, baptism; where I stand in reference to church government; my views on the primacy of the Word of God; etc., etc. But, as a growing schoolboy, I sometimes had to have my blazer replaced - and the label wasn't always the same! However, regardless of how often I changed my blazer, the badge was always the same. And my "badge" in this context is "Christian" or, as I prefer to say (because the word "Christian" has, in my opinion, become so devalued), "disciple of Jesus".

Some time later, in the fellowship to which I then belonged, we went through a series on the general topic “What is a Christian?” We looked at some of the Biblical pictures of a Christian – lover; witness; child of God; disciple; saint; living stone; worker; traveller; etc. But those were, indeed, just pictures. So what is a Christian, a disciple of Jesus, in essence? 

Some of you, in the UK, may have heard of a young man named Garry Brotherston who, during a street brawl in 1994, while still in his teens, killed another man who was 40 years old. He was sentenced to life imprisonment, but released after 11 years. In prison, he had a life-changing experience of the Lord Jesus Christ, became a well-known as a singer and song-writer who shares a powerful testimony to what God can do in the life of an individual, and is now minister of Bishopbriggs Free Church of Scotland, in Glasgow.

It is not my intention to discuss the rights and wrongs of his early release, or any other aspect of the case. However, I was interested in a reported comment by the mother of the murdered man. “There is nothing he (Garry B) can say that will convince me he’s a Christian. Billy (the murdered man) was a Christian. He went to Sunday School. I kept all the drawings he did at Sunday School and I placed them in his coffin.”

“Billy was a Christian. He went to Sunday School” Is that all that is required to be a committed follower, and disciple, of Jesus? Or is there more to it than that? Non-Christians seem to have a lot of strange ideas as to what a Christian is. A church-goer; a nice person; a kind person. All very laudable – but I know people who are very nice; very kind; who even attend church services regularly – but who, in Biblical terms, are not Christians! Maybe you know folk like that! Maybe you are one of them!!

So, “What is a Christian?” Paul describes the Christian in a number of his letters. One example is found in his letter to the believers in Philippi: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let all men know your forbearance. The Lord is at hand. Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”  (4:4-7)

That’s a sort of general description against which we may measure ourselves! But note that it is “measure ourselves”! I am not here to measure you, nor you me. That’s the responsibility of Almighty God. “Let a man examine himself” is what Paul exhorted the Corinthian disciples (I Cor. 11:28), and those words must apply to each one of us!

Over the next few posts, DV, I plan to tease out more of what being a genuine, Biblical, disciple of Jesus is. I hope that you will join with me!

The Manual.

Have you ever noticed that most of the things that we purchase, and that "work", come with a manual?  Indeed, many gadgets come with two manuals - one for the installer, and one for the owner.  These manuals are of tremendous assistance in ensuring that the item to which they refer is kept in good condition; works as intended by the manufacturer; and achieves its maximum 'shelf-life'.

I'm recalling a story from my own Sunday School days (and that wasn't yesterday - or even the day before!) of two men, each of whom bought a brand new car; the same model and specification; from the same dealership; and through the same salesman.  As it happened, the two men both lived on the route that the salesman followed on his way to and from the showroom.  Each day, he would walk past those houses and look, with a certain amount of satisfaction (doubtless thinking of the commission he had gained!), at the two vehicles.

The weeks, and the months, passed.  The salesman made his regular journeys.  He looked at the two cars.  However, after more than a year, he noticed some differences.  One of the vehicles was still sitting in the owner's driveway, looking as if it had just been driven from the showroom.  The other was showing definite signs of rust, with the paint bubbling here, there, and everywhere.  One of the vehicles, if he passed by as the owner was about to drive away, still purred quietly as the driver moved up the gears with barely a sound.  The other vehicle was already beginning to sound like a cement-mixer - and that was while the engine was still idling in the drive-way.  One vehicle hadn't even got a scratch on the bodywork.  The other vehicle had dents, and scratches, and one bumper was hanging lower at the near-side than it was at the off-side.

The salesman knew what had happened.  One owner had obviously read the manufacturer's manual, and followed the instructions.  He had had his car regularly serviced.  He had ensured that it was washed, and polished, and vacuumed on a weekly basis.  He had driven with due care and consideration.  His car was still in excellent condition - body-wise, and mechanically.  The other owner simply hadn't bothered.  The manual probably hadn't been opened, let alone read and the instructions followed.  It looked as if he was a driver who drove without any consideration for kerbs, low walls, or shopping trolleys.  The car was a total mess!

One of my former pupils has just given birth to a little girl.  The comment on her Facebook page reads: "Our beautiful princess [name] was born on the 22nd June at 23:12, weighing 6 lb 8 oz. She's absolutely perfect, and mummy and daddy are in love."   

... she's absolutely perfect ..."  You and I come into the world and, for the vast majority of us, do so both physically and mentally perfect.  However, so many then grow up, and live their lives with no thought for the manufacturer's manual.  Most of us know about it - we refer to it as the Bible.  It contains all of the necessary instructions to help us keep our whole selves - body, mind, and spirit - in the best possible condition.  Of course, as we all know, the unforeseen, may happen - just as a car may be involved in an accident, that isn't always the driver's fault.  However, even then, if the car has been properly looked after, that very fact may well minimise the damage.  So with us, if we have followed the Manufacturer's manual, we may well be able to withstand situations to which we might, otherwise, succumb!

So do reads the Maker's Manual.  It provides all of the guidance you need.