Who is a Christian?

Ephesians 4:17–5:21 ESV

Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. But that is not the way you learned Christ!— assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil. Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not become partners with them; for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.

Scripture: Ephesians 4:17-5:21

Belgic Confession Article 29

Sermon Title: Who is a Christian?

           The last few times I’ve preached, we’ve been looking at the biblical message of unity. What is the one universal or catholic church about? What is our calling as individual churches to each other as well as these denominations that we are a part of? This afternoon we turn our attention to people, to individuals. Who is the man, woman, boy, or girl that can call themselves a Christian? What does that label or the claim to be a Christ follower or believer mean? 

           Brothers and sisters in Christ, what makes a person what they claim to be? We’d probably all agree, it’s actions.  It’s bearing fruit that fits with the claim. There is a standard, and we measure a person’s commitment to that. I’ve said before in Corsica, I could tell you, “I’m a runner.” I could buy running clothes and shoes, and subscribe to running magazines, but until there is real proof that I’m running consistently—that claim is empty. Really, it’s a lie; to say I’m an ice fisherman, there’s a little bit more truth to that.   

We can identify that for active participation in an activity, but also, we could look at from the lens of a spectator. The winter Olympics has lots of exciting events. To be exact, there are 15 different sports with a total of 102 different events to medal in.  Over the past week, I’ve found myself watching some biathlon events, and some snowboarding and speedskating contests. Have I ever participated in those sports?  No.  Do I follow the veterans and know the up and coming athletes each year? No, not typically. I know enough about the sports, I might occasionally see an event, maybe I know one or two athletes, but I’m not really a serious, committed fan to any of them. My actions don’t match those of a true fan; I shouldn’t claim that title.  

           Seriousness about faith and salvation is not on the same level of being an athlete or a spectator, but I think we can see similarities. To confess Christian faith, faith that includes salvation by Jesus for eternity, it’s not simply something we say. When we hear or read about surveys taken of how many Christians there are in the world, I’m afraid there are many that fit that category, though. “If I say, ‘I believe in Jesus,’ that’s faith!” I hope I’m wrong, but I think it’s true and studies to an extent agree. According to a 2001 poll, 83% of Americans identified as Christians. That seems really high. According to a 2014 study, that number has decreased to around 70%. Of that 70% though, only three quarters said that religion was very important in one’s life, and among mainline Protestants only half of them would say that.

           Where we begin this afternoon is by answering the question, if it’s not just saying “I believe,” then what actually makes a true Christian? Again, I encourage us to ask that question of ourselves first and foremost. If we are to apply it others, may it be primarily to encourage them in their walk—not just to disqualify them. According to the Belgic Confession, there are roughly 5 marks. A true Christian can be recognized by “faith;” “by their fleeing from sin and pursuing righteousness;” “they love the true Lord and their neighbors;” “they crucify the flesh and its works;” and “they fight against [great weakness remaining in them] by the Spirit…appealing constantly to…Jesus, in whom they have forgiveness of their sins.”

           All of those makes sense, if we unpack them a little bit. Someone who is a believer in Christ, who has faith, has to believe what the Bible teaches us about Jesus, our Savior. In order to believe what the Bible says, a person of faith must spend time in God’s word, because the Bible is what teaches us and sets the foundation for us. Faith does not invite us to create what we think God and Jesus should be. No, it is specific to believing in Jesus.

           A Christian also flees from sin and pursues righteousness. Christian faith is not just an intellectual part of life, but our mindset and actions get transformed as well. In order to recognize something as sin, requires us to know and believe a certain behavior or way of thinking is sinful. Again we need God’s word to inform us of those things as well as to be formed by God’s Holy Spirit. We aren’t just to get lazy not doing bad stuff though, but we are to live righteously. Similar to how we hope someone who has been sick will get healthier and progress, we’re looking for that in our lives. We work out of our sin and towards God’s decreed intent.

           Faith, sin and righteousness, next is that such a person will love the true Lord and their neighbors. De Brès goes to the first and second great commandments. Love, that trusts and respects and perseveres and hopes and sacrifices, that is the love that God showed in creating and redeeming us, but it’s also the love he created us to show.

           Then we go back to dealing with sin—a Christian will crucify the flesh and its works, and we will fight against our weaknesses. Being a Christian does not end or prohibit us from having temptations to sin. But we do have a way to deal with that, which is to look to the Spirit for help and appeal to Jesus for forgiveness. The Christian life is not just a single-event kind of faith, but it requires ongoing commitment—we must be on guard. A moment ago, I said we’re not to get lazy and consider ourselves good simply because we’re not doing bad things, but we also must realize that we consistently are in need of forgiveness for the sins we continue to commit.

           I’ve moved through those points kind of quickly because I think we have a grasp on them, especially if you’ve been here throughout this series. All of these are things that have been developed previously. Article 29 pulls them together. There are true churches and false churches. If you are a true Christian, if you believe the gospel of grace set forth by the Bible in Jesus, then you will be changed in such a way that the marks will be true for you.

           How does change take place though? If I don’t start off as a Christian, as a passionate disciple, how do I go from not being one to being able to take that name for myself. “Lord, I want to be a Christian in my heart, to be more loving, to be more holy, to be like Jesus in my heart.” How? There’s a video on YouTube called “Honest Pastor.” It’s intended to be somewhat of a joke, what do pastors honestly want to tell their congregation. This preacher comes up and instead of his prepared message just says, “You guys, sometimes you’re bad. Don’t be jerks. You’re supposed to be good. I’m in my office every day and somebody comes in and they’re like, ‘Hey, Whoops!’ I’m like ‘Don’t’…Look, it’s Jesus and he says, ‘Stop it!’” Is that the answer? Does God just tell us to stop it and we either do or don’t?

           Looking at Ephesians 4 and 5, Paul gives a long list of do nots—sensuality and lust for impurity, falsehood, anger, stealing, unwholesome talk, grieving the Holy Spirit, bitterness, rage, brawling, slander, malice, sexual immorality, greed, obscenity, foolish talk, coarse joking, deceiving with empty words, darkness, being foolish, getting drunk on wine, debauchery. There are over 20 things that Paul labels as not fitting for a Christian.  We heard the beginning, “[I] insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do.” Last time I mentioned he’s trying to unify Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians, Gentile typically meaning any other nationality. But in this case, we’re likely to understand him to mean pagans. So, he's saying, your religious or faith identity does necessarily change what we assume is a normal way of life.

           So, to a degree how does change take place, the answer is to stop participating in these things. Here’s the standard, these are non-Christian activities, so just don’t do them. But what are you to replace those behaviors and ways of life with? Speak truthfully, work with purpose and give to those in need, talk in a way that builds others up, be kind, be compassionate, forgive others, imitate God and his love, speak with thanksgiving, live in light which means goodness, righteousness, and truth—in order to please the Lord, live carefully, live with wisdom, understand God’s will, be filled with the Holy Spirit, make use of music to God, submit to one another. More than 15 characteristics of a Christian, this is what we are to be doing.   

           How does the change happen though? Is it all to be viewed that I used to do something, but like a light switch turning on, now I don’t do those things but do these things instead. Paul would probably tell us that would be ideal, and not a wrong thought, but before getting into all of these behaviors, he said this, Ephesians 4 verses 22 through 24, “You were once taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”   

           Change among believers, seeing faith as prescribing us to live differently, invites us into a three-step process. First, learn what is sin and put it off. Sin is not glorifying to God and so we ought not to have it. Second, have the attitude of your mind renewed, have your perspective on things change and brought around to understanding the different life God is calling you to. Then, third, put on the new self—be like what God created you to be with righteousness, holiness, and I think we could include obedience to God in what he’s saying here.

           We don’t jump from step 1 to step 3 without step 2. We don’t go from getting rid of bad and starting to do good without a change in our way of thinking. That being said, we don’t always see this as a straightforward process in real life. A person completes step 1, then begins and completes step 2 and then gets to step 3 and never regresses, they should never go back into that step 1 mindset. It’s easy to think that if you give people all the right information, expose them to a passage like Ephesians 4 and 5, and they’ll get their life together themselves. 

Yet as broken people, as sinner-saints each one of us knows that our sin and temptation does bring us backward at some points in our lives. We may come around to almost every good action in response to God’s grace and faith in our lives, but there is that one or those few things that we continue to struggle with. The Holy Spirit has not completed a certain work, likely because we have not desired to completely give up that sin. We must recognize though that this being “made new in the attitude of your minds,” the change of old to new, is an ongoing process, the Christian matures over time, not necessarily all at once. 

What makes a true Christian, how does change happen, and now to end an encouragement to remain sensitive in where God may lead our lives. Paul writes in verse 18, “[The Gentiles] are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over…” Again, just because we have the right information doesn’t guarantee the right or good change is going to happen. 

But a believer must remain sensitive to the work that God is doing in him or her. One of the primary sins that is easy to overlook is pride—thinking that God has completed what needs work in our lives, he’s not only made our sins known to us, but he’s fixed us as much as we need it. There’s a hardening of the heart that adamantly rejects God, but might there also be a hardening that the believer has that tries to keep God from continuing to purify us, continuing to make us holy, continuing to refine us and shed his light in our lives.

Stay sensitive, brothers and sisters, to the work God continues to do in your life. As we read in Philippians 1 verse 6, Paul is confident that “he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” May we view lists like this in Scripture not just pertaining to new and immature believers, but worthy of reflection for all of us—seeing where God is continuing to shape and draw us into closer communion with himself. Amen.