With regard to my last post.... there are a few things I am pondering. Most of it falls under two main category.
1. First is, from the post, what does it take to be a Christian. Not just to become a Christian, but to be one. What makes someone Christian? praying a magical prayer?
2. Second, purity and holiness. God calls his people to be set apart and different from those in our culture. I think the American church has largely failed at that. 'Christians' eat, drink, dress, talk, and entertain ourselves the same way as those who are 'Not Saved'. So then are we any different than those around us? What does that say about our salvation?
Well, what are your thoughts on the matter? I have a few verses that pertain to each, but I think I need to read through the rest of scripture and see what it says.
What do you guys think?
2 comments:
1. I'm not going to tackle this question, because it's not in my authority to say what makes a Christian - that's God's call... and I’m going to venture to guess that the bar is not set at exactly the same height for every person and situation.
2. I think this topic can be looked at from several angles. God calls us to be in the world, but not of it, and to be a light in the darkness. But never does he say "I want you all to form your own little community. Talk funny, dress funny, only engage in entertainment that society will not understand, pay no attention to what's going on in the world around you, and care not what society thinks about you. "
In our modern society, I think it's important to be a light for Christ in a culturally relevant way, so that the "un-churched" are intrigued by, not disinterested in our faith because our lifestyle is so weird to them they can't help but laugh at us. We have our Christian movies, our Christian music. We wear Christian T-shirts and even have Christian breath mints for crying out loud... And all of these things are fine, but if we wrap ourselves in this "Christian-ese" blanket, how can the unsaved ever feel like they can relate to us, much less want to BE like us.
What if we stripped ourselves of everything outward that screamed to the world that we’re Christians? Our Christian T-shirts, the fish on the back of our car, even that outward prayer before eating a meal with an unbelieving coworker (you know the one – you feel awkward and know they do too, but you do it anyways because you feel like for some reason it’s the right thing to do). Would we have to face our faith in a new way if we didn’t have that mask to hide behind? What would we have left?
I see a simpler faith - one where the religion is stripped off, and all that remains is an openly imperfect person, living a normal day-to-day life in a hurting world, albeit with a slightly different outlook on life: That even though we’re just like you, we have an answer to the hurt and rejection the world throws at you. No frills, no pretensions, no annoying Christianese sound bytes thrown around – just an honest faith lived out in an uncomplicated way, beckoning those who have not yet found Christ to a relationship with him, instead of trying to convince them to buy into the American Christianese Club, and all the quirks that come with it.
Now THAT’S attractive.
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Just my 2 (or maybe 3) cents.
What I'm going to say is only my opinion, and I want to get that out there first.
Basically, I think the difference in "becoming" a Christian and "being" one is that in becoming one people make a big deal that this is what they decided that they want to do, etc etc, but then it sort of wears off and they do the exact things that they used to do. While being one is continuing our new faith and growing with that faith. It's kind of hard to explain what I mean by this.
As for part two, I think that where as those who are saved and those that aren't are the same, yet different. On the outside, we're all the same. It's what we have on the inside and they way we lead our lives that make us different. It's the small things that show it, rather than the big things. Something small as those that just eat without thinking about it and those that bow their head before eating. At the same time, I don't think that God wants those that are saved to be completley away from those that aren't. That's the purpose for those that are saved to help those that aren't.
That's enough of my ramblings for the day.
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