Am I A “Good” Christian?

It’s the Million Dollar question....

Am I A Good Christian?

If you have given your life to Christ and accepted His Salvation, then you most likely have asked yourself this question.

Are you a good Christian? Maybe you think you are, maybe you’re not sure, maybe you don’t care, if you don’t, you should. In order to find out if you are a good Christian maybe we need to ask ourselves a very basic question,

What is a “GOOD” Christian?

Everyone has their own opinion of what makes a good Christian. If I asked 20 people in here to give me their definition of what a good Christian I would most likely have 20 similar yet different answers.

According to Crosswalk.com the top 10 qualities of a Christian are:

Loving

Forgiving

Humility

Compassion

Gentleness

Self-Control

Patient

Obedient

Honest

Prayerful

You can no doubt add to that list fairly easy. But these qualities or attributes are part of the character that you hopefully get from being a Christian. So the question then becomes. After you accept Jesus Christ and His Salvation. What at its core, makes you a “good” christian?

The apostle Paul was dealing with this in todays text. So turn with me if you would to Romans 7 and we will look at three different aspects of being a GOOD Christian.

To start in verses 15- 20 Paul shocks the reader. In fact for centuries after he wrote this He shocked the Church. Paul admitted to something that we look at as a scarlet letter of sorts in the church even though it is something that is inevitable in any Christian walk. Paul admitted that a good christian will struggle with sin.

A “Good” Christian Struggles With Sin.

Even though this is something that no one is surprised about, this simple admission has caused issue. -

For a man with the faith and stature of Paul to make such a startling statement there has to be a reason. This is what he said. Read with me Romans 7 starting with verse 15.

Romans 7:14–20 ESV

For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.

The first excuse scholars have made for this admission is that Paul was talking about his life before his conversion? Who doesn’t struggle with sin if they aren’t saved. They are drowning in it. The problem is in the way the verses are written. Now I am no Pastor Mark. I was taught grammer and English very well growing up but ask anyone who taught me, it’s not exactly my strong suit. With that being said, I know from the way that these verses were written that they were not written in the past tense. It was written in the present tense. It was written as if he was dealing with it right then and there.

So. The fact that it is present tense eliminates the option that Paul was talking about before conversion. There has to be another reason according to at least one scholar to why Paul would write something like this. If that wasn’t the reason that he wrote it, maybe he didn’t even write it at all.

J. C. O’Neill tried to solve the problem by denying that Paul wrote 7:14–25. His “best explanation” is that it was incorporated into Paul’s original letter by a Hellenistic Jew to “help persuade his non-Jewish neighbours of their need of deliverance if they were to live up to the high ideals they knew they should follow.”

This idea is even more ludicrous than the idea that it was written before he was a Christian. The Bible is God’s written word. Not God’s edited for what people need word.

The only other possible explanation was Paul saw something in himself that he struggled with. A sinful nature.

Wait, isn’t It impossible for a good Bible believing Christian to struggle with sin.

Paul starts this portion of scripture by comparing himself to a slave in verse 14. WHY? Think about slavery for a second. Slaves didn’t obey their masters because they loved and admired them. Slaves did what they were told because they had no choice. Paul wants nothing more in life than to follow the words of his savior but like a slave he has no choice because his flesh is weak.

Paul saw a simple truth. He sinned, and he hated that he did it. His soul longed for perfection yet his flesh wouldn’t let him have it. Paul is fighting a battle against an enemy that refuses to let go.

If recognising that he was in a battle against his sinful nature doesn’t make Paul a bad christian, then why does the fact that Paul saw something in himself that he hated, the fact that no matter what he did he couldn not overcome that sin that held him back, why does that make him a good Christian?

If in your life you don’t see the fact that you still struggle with sin, you need to check where your relationship to the savior is at all. Failure to realize that we struggle with sin means we have a disconnection somewhere with Jesus. When we like Paul realize that we are an imperfect sinner that needs a Savior it helps us rely on Him and we grow closer to Him. Thus becoming a better Christian. Someone who wants to be a better Christian and is not satisfied with where they are at in their walk is most definitely trying to be a good Christian.

Paul knew a simple truth. A truth that he learned from the master....

Christians Aren’t Perfect, Just Forgiven

Paul saw that Salvation doesn’t mean that we don’t sin. Salvation means that our Savior takes that sin in spite of our shortcomings and purifies us. That is what Salvation is. Salvation was Jesus Christ dying on the cross. He did this for one reason and one reason only. Jesus Christ died on the cross so that he would take all of our sins on himself. The ones we have committed, the ones we are currently committing, and the ones that we will commit. And all this coming from Salvation if we only ask for it. Paul knew this. Paul hated that he sinned. Paul recognized that this was a flaw in his humanity, something that he needed a savior to fix. This makes him and all who realize this a “good” christian.

Then Paul went on to tell us why in spite of his sinful nature he doesn’t give up. Read with me verses 21-25.

Romans 7:21–25 ESV

So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.

Paul knew that would continue to fail. Paul saw that other believers were going to struggle. Paul knew this was a fight that would never end. But Paul was a “good” Christian and a good Christian stands with Christ.

A “Good” Christian Stands With Christ

I think if we were all honest with each other we would admit that the sin that the world offers seems like an easier way to live than the Christian life. Anyone who has walked with God knows this to be the case.

Philippians 3:12–14 ESV

Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

We have been over this before. Perfection is unattainable. I know that things have been hard, and I know that things will continue to be hard. But I will continue to try because I have given my life and everything in it to Jesus Christ. I am going to continue the push because that is what I have been called to do!

Paul saw that this was a battle that not only could he not win, he could not even fight alone. He knew that Jesus gave him every tool he would need to fight this battle, the best tool being Jesus himself, and it was battle He wanted to Fight!

Galatians 5:17 (ESV)

For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.

If it was easy, everyone would want it, wouldn’t they? Think about it, No Cost Salvation. Instant approval for Heaven. No credit check necessary. Just Dial 1800Save Me! The flesh wants sin because sin is very intriguing. The spirit is against Sin because the Spirit sees that the flesh wants everything that goes against what Jesus wants.

Why are we in a war with the world for our beliefs. Why does the world seem to hate the things that Jesus stands for? Why is Jesus such an enemy to the world? Simple, Jesus goes against the flesh. And to go against the world, to go against the flesh, as a good Christian we need to stand with Jesus!

Through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, God gave us the power to live in the freedom of the spirit. That is freedom that we should be sharing with anyone who will listen.

That is why the third thing that makes a good Christian is....

A “Good” Christian Does The Job They Were Given.

If you are like me you grew up with parents who worked very hard and instilled that work ethic in me. Now imagine you walk into a place of business. You walk up to the owner and say “I would like the job you offered.” Just because you asked the owner hires you on the spot. Pays you a salary of one billion dollars a year, and tells you you have one job. Recruit as many people as you can to the same job I just gave you. No quota, no reporting, just simply asking people if they want the same amazing opportunity that you have been given. Pretty amazing thought right. Now imagine that after the first year the owner comes up to you and asks how many people you shared this opportunity with and you say 0. “Why” asks the owner.

I was scared to ask.

There were other people who do it better than me.

I don’t want to offend anyone.

I was to lazy to get off my couch.

It is an absolutely absurd thought isn’t it. Yet this is the job that we Christians fail at on a daily basis. We serve a Savior who did all of the hard work for us. He died on the cross, he rose from the dead. He took all of our sins on his back for us so we can have Salvation which is worth far more than a billion dollars a year. Look back at Jesus ministry. He taught us many things. Told us things we should do in order to be a better person. A person who is striving for better things. Then right as he was leaving this earth to prepare Heaven for us He gave us a job. The one request he made of us. As Jesus was ascending in the clouds He looked at His people and said in Matthew 28:19

Matthew 28:19 (ESV)

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

He told us to share the amazing gift we have been given. Yet we don’t. How can you look in the mirror and call yourself a good CHRISTian when you are ashamed to talk about Christ?

You say “I Do talk about Christ!” Yeah with other believers. But what about strangers. What about family and friends who don’t know about Salvation. Do you talk to them?

Dennis is going to start teaching about Revelations. This is a book about the future. Our future. About what the world can expect. About the end times. I think anyone who knows the Bible can look at the world that we live in and see signs of the end times. Like a preview of a movie that is coming out later. I cannot tell you when Jesus is coming back. No one can. In fact the Bible tells us exactly in Matthew when it says...

Matthew 24:36–42 (ESV)

“But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left. Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.

No one knows. Only the father. We can see the signs. We can be ready. But it can be tomorrow or 3000 years from now. Only the father knows. The question that you need to ask yourself, is if you call yourself a Christian are you willing to risk your family, your friends, or even those enemies that we talked about last week. Are you willing to risk their eternity because you are too nervous to hear the word no. That is our job as Christians. That is what Jesus asked of us. That is what a “good” Christian should strive to do with every bit of their being.

Close

I am not accusing you of being a bad Christian just because you don’t match up with these three points? I’m certainly not judging you if in your mind you say to yourself that you are falling short in one or more of these areas. Welcome to the club. The last thing I would ever do is assume what someone else’s relationship with God looks like. My question to you this morning is would YOU consider yourself a “good” Christian. If you were to see Jesus this very day could you look at your Savior and tell him you did your very best. Did you even try. Or did you take His Salvation and then do nothing about it. I don’t know about you. But after all that Jesus Christ has done for me. I would love nothing more than to see His face for the very first time. To have Him embrace me and say “I’m proud of you son. Well done.” How about you?

Let’s Pray