What does it mean to be a Christian? - Part 2
Last week we began this two part sermon on what it means to be a Christian. We touched on how the world sees us and on how effective our service to God actually is. Then we got into our first point of our lesson and studied how to be a Christian means that we come to Salvation by the Grace of the Holy Spirit which grants us:
a. Access to God (Hebrews 4:16)
b. Forgiveness of our sins (Ephesians 1:7)
c. Adoption into God’s family (Galatians 4:4-7)
d. Righteousness and justification in Christ Jesus (1 Corinthians 1:30, 2 timothy 4:8)
Today we will complete this teaching touching on the redemptive work of Christ, the calling of God in our lives and the Holy Spirit’s help that we may commit our lives to Jesus. So hold on because we are getting right into it!
To be a Christian means that we are redeemed by the blood of Christ from all of our sins and bondage. The evidence is clear and abundant and is easily found in the word of God.
In Romans 3:23-24 we learn that we are redeemed from the slavery of sin. Turn there with me and we read: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.
Let me give you a free translation of these verses: Even the righteousness from God which is obtained by faith in Jesus Christ unto all and upon all that believe: Everyone falls in this category - for all have sinned and fall short of the glory [approval] of God. That this righteousness is by faith, not by works, the Lord Jesus made clear when they asked him, “… What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?” Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent” (John 6:28–29).
And the important thing about securing this righteousness of God is not that there’s any credit in your faith or that there’s credit in just believing. Because, actually, faith is not a work on your part. The object of faith is the important thing. Spurgeon put it like this: “It’s not the hope in Christ which saves you. It’s Christ. It’s not the joy in Christ that saves you. It is Christ. And it is not the faith in Christ that saves you, though that be the instrument, it is Christ’s blood and merit.”
“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” Now that doesn’t mean that there is not a difference in sinners. Let me illustrate this with a very homely illustration. Let’s suppose that here in California we play a game called “Jumping to Catalina.” Catalina Island is out in the Pacific Ocean twenty miles from the shore of California. We will go down to the pier in Santa Monica, and we will take a big running jump, and we’ll see who can jump to Catalina. Somebody’s going to say, “That’s an impossible jump!” Frankly, no one has jumped it, but it’s a lot of fun playing the game. Suppose you and I play the game. You may be able to jump farther than I can jump, but you will miss Catalina. And the person who jumps the farthest gets the wettest and has to swim farther back to shore. Of course, nobody could jump to Catalina.
Some are better than others, but it’s rather childish to play a game like that and say, “I jumped farther than you did. I’m better than you are, and I’m better than half the church members.” Maybe you are—but what difference does that make? You have not come up to the glory of God.
we are redeemed from the curse of the law. Galatians 3:13-14 says: Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”), that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
These two verses beautifully summarize all that Paul has been saying in this section. Does the Law put sinners under a curse? Then Christ has redeemed us from that curse! Do you want the blessing of Abraham? It comes through Christ! Do you want the gift of the Spirit, but you are a Gentile? This gift is given through Christ to the Gentiles! All that you need is in Christ! There is no reason to go back to Moses.
The word redeemed in Galatians 3:13 means to purchase a slave for the purpose of setting him free.
It is possible to purchase a slave and keep him as a slave, but this is not what Christ did. By shedding His blood on the cross, He purchased us that we might be set free. Salvation is not exchanging one form of bondage for another. Salvation is being set free from the bondage of sin and the Law into the liberty of God’s grace through Christ.
This raises an interesting question: how could these Judaizers ever convince the Galatian Christians that the way of Law was better than the way of grace? Why would any believer deliberately want to choose bondage instead of liberty? Perhaps part of the answer is found in the word bewitched that Paul uses in Galatians 3:1.
The word means “to cast a spell, to fascinate.” What is there about legalism that can so fascinate the Christian that he will turn from grace to Law? On a side note, Legalism is strict, often too strict and literal, adherence to law or to a code – just what many of the Israelites faces with their 600 and some laws in order to follow the 10 commandments that God gave.
For one thing, legalism appeals to the flesh. The flesh loves to be “religious”—to obey laws, to observe holy occasions, even to fast (see Gal. 4:10). Certainly there is nothing wrong with obedience, fasting, or solemn times of spiritual worship, provided that the Holy Spirit does the motivating and the empowering.
The flesh loves to boast about its religious achievements—how many prayers were offered, or how many gifts were given (see Luke 18:9–14; Phil. 3:1–10).
The person who depends on religion can measure themselves and compare themselves with others. This is another fascination to legalism. But the true believer measures himself with Christ, not other Christians (Eph. 4:11ff). There is no room for pride in the spiritual walk of the Christian who lives by grace; but the legalist constantly boasts about his achievements and his converts (Gal. 6:13–14).
Yes, there is a fascination to the Law, but it is only bait that leads to a trap; and once the believer takes the bait, he finds himself in bondage. Far better to take God at His Word and rest on His grace. We were saved “by grace, through faith” and we must live “by grace, through faith.” This is the way to blessing.
We are redeemed from the power of Satan. In Colossians 1:13-14 we reads: He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.
Paul is thankful that we have been delivered from the kingdom of Satan. We were dead in trespasses and sins, going the way of the world. Now we have been translated into the kingdom of the Son of His love. This is the present aspect of the kingdom of God here on earth today. You can’t build the kingdom of God.
The only way you can be a part of it is to open your heart and receive Christ as your Savior.
He delivered us (v. 13a). This word means “rescued from danger.” We could not deliver ourselves from the guilt and penalty of sin, but Jesus could and did deliver us. We were in danger of spending eternity apart from God. But this deliverance involved something else: we were delivered from the authority of Satan and the powers of darkness.
He translated us (v. 13b). This word was used to describe the deportation of a population from one country into another. History records the fact that Antiochus the Great transported at least 2,000 Jews from Babylonia to Colossae.
Jesus Christ did not release us from bondage, only to have us wonder aimlessly. He moved us into His own kingdom of light and made us victors over Satan’s kingdom of darkness. Earthly rulers transported the defeated people, but Jesus Christ transported the winners.
The experience of Israel in the Old Testament is an illustration of this spiritual experience; for God delivered them from the bondage of Egypt and took them into the Promised Land of their inheritance. God brings us out that He might bring us in.
And we are redeemed from death. Hebrews 2:14-15 tells us: Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil.
This statement emphasizes the Lord’s incarnation. “As the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same.” Christ came in a way they were not expecting Him to come. However, they should have known, because the prophets had made clear the way He would come to earth the first time.
Because we were made of flesh and blood, He took upon Himself flesh and blood. And He came into this world by human birth just like you and I came into the world. “That through death he might destroy him.” Christ Jesus came not only through birth—His birth didn’t save anyone—but through death. It is by His death He saves us, not by His birth or by His life. His death brought to us salvation and deliverance from spiritual and eternal death.
The Law of God demanded and does demand death for sin. “The soul that sins, it shall die.” “The wages of sin is death.”
So to be a Christian means that we are saved by grace and freed from our sins. It also means that we are called by God. But called to do what?
1 Peter 4:9-10 tells us that it is to serve! Be hospitable to one another without grumbling. As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.
I think hospitality can also be expressed in ways other than entertaining in your home. It may be in other ways like inviting someone out to dinner “Without grudging” or giving something of yours to help another “without grudging”. However we extend our hospitality, it should be done with real warmth.
“As every man has received the gift”—“the gift” means a particular spiritual gift, and there are many gifts. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 12 that there is one body and many members and that the church is a body in which there are many members and many gifts. I might not know what your gift is but what I do know that if you are a child of God, you have some gifts and you are to be using it in serving one another.
2 Timothy 1:9 tells us that it is to live differently! God… who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began.
We are part of a great eternal plan that God determined “before the world began.” God knows the end from the beginning. He has purposes for His people to accomplish for His glory.
The emphasis in this verse is on grace. God saved us; we did not save ourselves (Eph. 2:8–9; Titus 3:5). He called us, not on the basis of our good works, but wholly on the basis of His grace. It is His purposes that we are to fulfill; and if these purposes include suffering, then we can accept it by faith and know that God’s will is best. This is not fatalism. It is confidence in the wise plan of our gracious Heavenly Father. All of this grace was given to us in Jesus Christ. We could not earn it; we did not merit it. This is the grace of God!
Isaiah 42:6 reminds us that it is to accomplish a specific task. I, the LORD, have called You in righteousness, and will hold Your hand; I will keep you and give you as a covenant to the people, as a light to the Gentiles.
God not only did him no wrong in calling him to this hard service, he having voluntarily offered himself to it, but did himself right in providing for his own honor and performing the word which he had spoken. He promises to stand by him and strengthen him in it, to hold his hand, not only to his work, but in it, to hold his hand, that it might not shake, that it might not fail, and so to keep him.
When an angel was sent from heaven to strengthen him in his agonies, and the Father himself was with him, then this promise was fulfilled. Note, Those whom God calls he will own and help, and will hold their hands.
Finally this morning to be a Christian means that we need to be committed to live Christ-likeness.
We as believer are to be imitators of Christ.
1 Corinthians 11:1 Paul reminds us to: Imitate him, just as he also imitated Christ.
In other words we are to have the mind of Christ. Philippians 2:5 reads: Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.
The “mind” of Christ means the “attitude” Christ exhibited. “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus” (Phil. 2:5, NIV). After all, outlook determines outcome. If the outlook is selfish, the actions will be divisive and destructive. We must humble ourselves before God after all James 4:6 says: God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.
Through the help of the Holy Spirit for us to be Christ like. 2 Corinthians 3:18: But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.
This is a very wonderful passage of Scripture. Paul has been talking about the veil being on the heart; then when we turn to Christ, that veil is taken away. Now as believers we are looking upon the Lord Jesus Christ—but even as believers our eyes are veiled when there is sin in our lives. But when that sin is confessed, and we are in fellowship with Him, we look to Him.
Then we, with “open face” or unveiled face, beholding (not reflecting as another version translates it) as in a mirror the glory of the Lord—the idea is not of reflecting in order to transform, but rather that of beholding until transformed. Then we can reflect His image. I feel that a more accurate translation is: we “beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord, the Spirit.”
Christ-likeness will need to be the aim of our discipleship. Our talk will need to match our walk.
1 John 2:3-6 reads: Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.
We cannot do or be all that the Lord Jesus Christ did or was, but if we set our hearts on doing our Father’s will, which was the thing that the Lord Jesus put uppermost in His life, then we are walking as (in the same manner as) He walked.
I hear the word commitment a great deal these days. When an invitation is given after a message, the question is asked, “Do you want to commit your life to Christ?” What do they mean by that? Well, let me tell you what John means by full commitment.
It is to love Christ. And if you love Christ, you are going to keep His Word—you can’t help it. You want to please the person you love. You don’t want to offend; you want to please. You see, the question is not “Are you committed to Christ?” The question is, “Do you love Christ?”
Christ-likeness will indeed be based on a total commitment and surrender to Christ.
Galatians 2:20: I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
Have you truly captured what it means to be a Christian? What have you learned about yourself and what you are lacking in your walk? I hope God’s Holy Spirit has brought to your attention some areas in your life where you need to surrender. Christ-likeness is simply setting our hearts on doing our Father’s will. Once truly commiting ourselves to a relationship with our Lord, we should have the desire to please him, to honor him because we truly love him.
