A Sermon Unpreached: The Definition of a True Christian

During my vicarage some years ago, as I was wrapping up a Russian language Bible study lesson on the Ten Commandments, a woman raised her hand with a question.  She asked why, since God sent Christ to die for us and we cannot possibly keep even one of “those Commandments,” do we even bother to talk about them anymore in church?  At hearing this question, it was immediately clear to me that she, unlike the vast majority of Russian speakers still under the spell of Orthodox Church, had a full grasp on the concept of justification by faith; that is, all is right between you and God and me and God because we believe. 

My answer to her question initially recapped what the Bible study materials had already pointed out, that the Ten Commandments—that is to say, the Law of Moses in the Old Testament—like a mirror, show us our sin; like the reins on a horse, keep us “reined in”; and, like a compass, point to moral north. But as others joined the discussion, another thing remained clear to me: Russians by tradition, cultural or church, are innately programmed to believe that God exists in the good all around them, and being good, naturally, brings them closer to Him. To put it bluntly, Christ’s work on the Cross is a hard sell—to get something for nothing goes against not just a Russian’s mindset, but the mindset of most folks in this you-scratch-my-back-and-I’ll-scratch-yours world we live in.

Most Christians know that the believer in Christ must also be the follower in Christ.  After all, Christ Himself tells us by way of the Gospel accounts of Mark (8:34) and Matthew (10:38) to drop everything we have, everything we own, everything we are doing, pick up a cross, and follow Him. We are called on, as the Christians we profess to be, to live a Christ-like life. To be like Christ. Many, sadly, see this as a paradox because we are told that, since no man can keep the Law, God sent Christ so that the only “law” in effect now is to be like Christ. We couldn’t keep the first Law (the Ten Commandments) and we surely can’t be expected to live poor, homeless, and, even worse, sinless!

First and foremost, I told them, is that, yes, Christ came to Earth to take away the sins of the world on the cross; we, I emphasized, are “saved,” that is, justified, reconciled with God, regardless of our past transgressions by believing that Christ’s work for us on the cross really happened. There is absolutely nothing we can do to gain favor with God or secure a place in heaven outside of faith. As for the Law, Christ freed us from it, so that by faith in Him, we are freed to love our neighbors as God loves us. Love, Jesus teaches us (John 15:12), is the new Law in town. Love is the “Law of Christ,” through which all other Laws can be ascribed.  Love is a “fruit of the spirit,” along with the joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control that the Apostle Paul writes about in Galatians 5. We are called to live a Christ-like life, not to try and be right with God by driving the speed limit, remaining faithful to a spouse, being honest on income tax returns, and giving money to the church each week, but to be right with God through faith.

After a little more discussion, when I felt certain that the others were on board, I posed what I thought to be a simple enough question to them: What, then, would be the definition of the “true” Christian? They agreed that the “true” Christian has faith in Christ, and that by this faith, he or she is no longer a slave, shackled by sin. That this freedom in Christ from the Old Testament Law makes possible those “fruits of the Spirit” Paul talks about. I was smiling inside and out.

But I couldn’t stop myself. I had to ask one more time about the Law.  Does a “true” Christian have to live by any Law or laws? No, one person said. As long as the “true” Christian knows the Law is there…maybe that’s why we learn about the Ten Commandments in church, another added…Yes, still another said, the “true” Christian has to live the Law of Christ, the one Commandment that covers all the others: love. We revisited Paul’s advice (Galatians 5:25), that if the “true” Christian lives by the Spirit, he should also walk by the Spirit. Then to drive the point home, I read Luther’s poetic definition of the “true” Christian…and just about every one of the dozen or so of them wrote it down: “A true Christian conducts himself in such a way that he does not need any law to warn or to restrain him.” 

Boy, we had come along way! From ending a study on the Ten Commandments to defining a “true” Christian—that was the cherry on top of the sundae. Ours is a world in which the definition of just about anything, including a Christian, is in the eye of the beholder.

It occurred to me then that the problem for the Church is not that so many non-Christians do not know the definition of a true Christian, but that so many Christians themselves do not. Thankfully, we have a Savior who does.

That’s it until next month…

Peace by with you,

Pastor E.B.