Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children, and walk in love, just as Christ also loved us and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma. Ephesians 5:1 LSB
Many people identify as a Christian. If you ask them if they are a Christian, they will tell you they are. Some will say they don’t like organized religion and I’ve done a whole other blog about that.
Gallup took a poll in 2021 and compared it to a poll taken in 1971. I will talk more about this poll tomorrow, but basically a large number of people in 1971 claimed to be Christians and while the number drastically declined in 2021, the majority of Americans still claim to be Christians.
Claiming to be a Christian and being a Christian are two totally different things. Many claim to be a Christian and go to church every Sunday but behave as anything but a Christian.
When we answer the call to salvation, it means we act differently laying our old sinful habits aside and we talk differently. We show love for one another. Philippians 2:14-16 tells us what this should look like. It says, “Do all things without grumbling or disputing, so that you will be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the work, holding fast the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I will have reason to boast because I did not run in vain nor labor in vain. We shine as lights in a dark world.
When Jesus sent His disciples out in Matthew 10, he gave them very specific instructions. In verse 14 he told them that whoever did not receive them or heed their words, as they left that house or city, to shake the dust from their feet as it would be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah on judgment day than for those who rejected them.
In Matthew 10:15, Jesus told His disciples that He was sending them out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents but as innocent as doves. As Christians, we use God-given wisdom, but we temper that with innocence. We can be wise and still be humble and show love for others. Galatians 6:1 tells us if anyone is caught in a sin, those of us who are spiritual should restore them gently, being sure that we are not tempted. In verse 2 we are told to bear one another’s burdens.
Last but not least, if we are truly Christians, others should know this by our love. In John 13:35, Jesus said, “By this all of you will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” God loved us while we were still sinners (Romans 5:8). It wasn’t a superficial love, but a love that led him to send His Son into the world as fully God and fully human to die for our sins so that we might be saved (John 3:16).
Jesus felt every nail being driven into his body just as we would. Jesus felt the heartache of rejection, just as we do. Still, he loved us enough to die for us.
If you claim to be a Christian, have you died for Him? I don’t mean a physical death; I mean have you died to your sin? Have you been born again to be the man or woman God has called you to be? Do you shine like a light in this old, dark world? Or, are you too busy trying to blend in with the darkness?
In today’s world we can identify as whatever we want to be. You can identify as a lizard, but this doesn’t mean your skin will change colors depending on where you are. You can identify to be a Christian, but if others can’t see Christ in you, it’s just a lie.
Jesus said in Matthew 7:21 that many who claim to be Christians will be sorely disappointed when they are turned away and he declares to them, “I never knew you, depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.”
There are so many more Scripture passages and words that could be said on this topic, but I will close with this. Do you claim to be a Christian? If so, can others see Christ in you? My friend, that’s what it’s all about.
Have a great day!