My close friend and I both came to trust in Jesus as Savior at the same time. We were both sophomores in high school and we were both part of the same youth group. Today, we are both pastors, serving the Lord vocationally. However, our faith in Jesus looked quite different in those early years. He began to learn how to play the guitar and spent hours alone worshiping the Lord. I hung out as I usually did with my other friend, playing basketball, going to the movies. He gave up watching TV and movies and seemed to read the Bible all the time. I found it very difficult to read the Bible, and frankly, a bit boring. He grew in character and in leadership. I was still my same old self, shy, striving for approval and significance. In other words, he looked like a Christian and I looked like a non-Christian. Or maybe that's going too far, maybe I looked like a weak Christian, or a nominal Christian, or a church-going Christian.
Or maybe that's not it at all. Maybe he was a radical Christian and I was the normal Christian. So which is it?
The Bible seems pretty clear on this issue. Jesus tells Nicodemus in John 3:3: "“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Paul essentially paraphrases Jesus in 2 Corinthians 5:17: "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come."
Jesus also said these words regarding following Him:
"If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me." ~ Luke 9:23
"If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? For what can a man give in return for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” ~ Mark 8:34-38
"If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple." ~ Luke 14:26
And there are many other passages of Scripture that seem to lay out for us clearly what it means to follow Jesus. He doesn't leave a middle ground for Christians. Christian = Follower of Jesus = Disciple of Jesus. There really are no shades in the Christian life. There is no such thing as a "radical" Christian, or a "missionary-type" Christian. According to the Bible, a Christian IS a new creation and is being transformed (Rom 12:1-2). A Christian is born again.
So what does that mean for someone like me who was so different from my friend, in terms of my faith? By God's grace, there is the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit. My friend and I are on the same journey. We are guaranteed to arrive because our Savior and Lord is carrying us there in our state of utter weakness and sinfulness. He bled and died so that we might arrive safely. But only the Lord knows where we are on this journey. This is really good news for those who are at different stages of faith.
But let's not kid ourselves. There is no such thing as a radical Christian or a martyr Christian. The rich young ruler found this out when he refused to surrender his god to Jesus, the god of money. The following passage shows us what so many so-called followers of Jesus can be like:
Or maybe that's not it at all. Maybe he was a radical Christian and I was the normal Christian. So which is it?
The Bible seems pretty clear on this issue. Jesus tells Nicodemus in John 3:3: "“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Paul essentially paraphrases Jesus in 2 Corinthians 5:17: "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come."
Jesus also said these words regarding following Him:
"If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me." ~ Luke 9:23
"If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? For what can a man give in return for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” ~ Mark 8:34-38
"If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple." ~ Luke 14:26
And there are many other passages of Scripture that seem to lay out for us clearly what it means to follow Jesus. He doesn't leave a middle ground for Christians. Christian = Follower of Jesus = Disciple of Jesus. There really are no shades in the Christian life. There is no such thing as a "radical" Christian, or a "missionary-type" Christian. According to the Bible, a Christian IS a new creation and is being transformed (Rom 12:1-2). A Christian is born again.
So what does that mean for someone like me who was so different from my friend, in terms of my faith? By God's grace, there is the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit. My friend and I are on the same journey. We are guaranteed to arrive because our Savior and Lord is carrying us there in our state of utter weakness and sinfulness. He bled and died so that we might arrive safely. But only the Lord knows where we are on this journey. This is really good news for those who are at different stages of faith.
But let's not kid ourselves. There is no such thing as a radical Christian or a martyr Christian. The rich young ruler found this out when he refused to surrender his god to Jesus, the god of money. The following passage shows us what so many so-called followers of Jesus can be like:
As they were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” And Jesus said to him, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” Yet another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” ~ Luke 9:57-61
How many believe they are following Jesus by their church attendance and yet, when Jesus actually calls them to come, excuses abound. "Later" or "After I..." is one of the greatest deceptions of the devil, keeping so-called Christians bound for destruction. And we are all susceptible to such deception.
I am thankful the Lord is doing the good work and He will bring the Christian to completion (Phil 1:6). Without such a promise, I know I never would have trusted in Jesus, not as my Savior and my Lord, two concepts which in actuality are inseparable.
I am thankful the Lord is doing the good work and He will bring the Christian to completion (Phil 1:6). Without such a promise, I know I never would have trusted in Jesus, not as my Savior and my Lord, two concepts which in actuality are inseparable.