A few weeks ago I asked a question to friends on facebook/twitter/myspace : How do you know you are a Christian?
Most were based on our position in Christ and what he does for us (Died for you and me, Gives us a spot in Heaven, Loves me unconditionally). I have a few thoughts of my own that I hope you will find helpful.
If our salvation and position in Christ’s sole purpose is for US to achieve acceptance/love/security/eternal life and has no other commanding and persuasive action to it than we are short changing Salvation.
Salvation does something we cannot do for ourselves (Eph. 2:8-9). So for that part we are correct, we know we are Christians because of the faith we have in Jesus Christ and the work he has done for us. This is the work of the cross in our lives.
However, there is an important part of salvation and Christianity that we miss by only focusing on what Christ does for us. We are saved from something (Death, Hell) for something (good works in Christ; Eph. 2:10). This involves the eradication of sin in our lives and a major emphasis on serving outside of ourselves and our personal needs (Matt. 23:23-25).
Being a complete Christian is more then going to a service on Sunday, more than a political opinion, more than a “do’s and don’ts” list. It is the real power of Jesus Christ (God in the flesh) working to restore a dying world. It’s not just that God loves the world but he loves you and chooses you to be a part of his Kingdom and help establish it here on earth and reveal his glory in this world. That’s salvation!
And how do you do that? We share how he has transformed us. We become vulnerable, open, and honest. We don’t lie about anything, we don’t embellish, and we simply tell how Christ has changed us. Be open to what Christ is doing, and love him more than yourself.
The mark of a Christian is that they embrace the call of God on their lives, and that call on its most basic level is to bring Glory to the name of God.
And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.
Rev. 12:11
This has only scratched the surface of this issue, I hope you find these thoughts helpful, please leave your thoughts, it is important to think on what salvation is. (Phil. 2:12)
For more discussion on this topic and the Roots of our faith please come to St. Paul’s United Methodist Church Sept. 19th at 10:30 am and 6:06 pm for the start of “Rooted” a new sermon series. www.stpaulsocala.org
