A Dynamic (and therefore somewhat controversial ... ) Definition of a Christian
 

Most Americans (Gallup mentions something like 74%) would likely define a "Christian" as someone who does more good than bad, or someone who characterizes a life of goodness, or someone who lives by the Golden Rule, or someone who treats others well, or some other variation of an ETHIC / a SYSTEM that "reflects Christianity," whatever that means to them.

Public Definition:

Not surprisingly, when defining "a Christian," most Americans would also say they ARE one! They assume that a (genuine) attempt at copying God, or emulating Jesus of Nazareth as a great moral teacher or leader somehow MAKES a person a Christian. It appears to be about INTENSITY of SINCERITY ... or QUALITY of COPYCATTING (as if any of us are even intensely sincere or quality copycats.) We don't know exactly where this idea came from (certainly not from the Bible, except by those folks who reduce the Bible to some kind of a "Societal SourceBook for Ethical and Moral Behavior"). This position is extremely popular today.

Many, on the other hand, would say a Christian is someone who obeys the rules. Their thought is that "Obeying the Ten Commandments" would please God enough for Him to be appeased. "Live like the New Testament teaches," etc. If our OBEDIENCE outweighs our DISOBEDIENCE in the end, we'll be "saved" from the unmentionable eternal destination we'd all prefer to avoid (and which many would say, in the end, that they really don't believe in, anyway.)

Some think it's about which box we'd check on a form somewhere. "Christian" as opposed to "Muslim" or "Buddhist" or "Atheist" or "Prefer not to Answer." Kind of like "the right multiple choice answer."

Popular Evangelical (Static) Definition:

Others think a Christian is a person who has secured some kind of a "Heavenly Life Insurance Policy:" praying a prayer wherein they declare their (intellectual) agreement regarding Jesus' death on the cross for their sins. Agreeing with this historical fact, they believe, somehow GUARANTEES that their name gets "written in the Book of Life."

(Unfortunately, however, "even the demons believe, and shudder." - James 2:19. Belief, it appears, even when accompanied by SHUDDERING, does NOT lead to eternal life.)

Although we sense that all the above definitions are born out of a genuine SINCERITY, (and the last one is even a sincere, genuine THEOLOGICAL attempt at a definition), we fear they may not consistent with the Gospel or Acts accounts of what it means to "be a Christian" or "become one."

(By the way, for deeper thinkers, we'd ask this question for you to chew on, "When did Peter become a Christian? When did James and John cross over from death to life? When did Andrew and Bartholomew "gain entry to the Kingdom of God?" They were never asked to "pray the Sinner's Prayer." They were never asked to "invite me into your heart" by Jesus. WHEN, then, would you say, would Jesus have labeled them "believers?" When did they "become" CHRISTIANS?)

We certainly don't want to "throw the baby out with the bathwater" here, so we want to clarify that this popular process of "praying the Sinner's Prayer" can, indeed, be INDICATIVE of genuine repentance and obedience and faith, but it is not EFFECTUAL in and of itself. (That is, it may SIGNAL a conversion, but does not MAKE a person a Christian.)

We'd propose that "becoming a Christian" has not changed in the nearly 2,000 years since the term was coined by unbelievers in Antioch:

Dynamic. Not static. Today, not yesterday. This moment, not this past week. A Christian is someone who IS BEING someone AND DOING something, not someone who DID something. And they DO that something because they ARE something ... "a follower." Not a "copy-er." Not a box-checker. Not a "prayer-prayer." A follower. A disciple. Not perfect. But consistent.

An orange tree is not an orange tree just because it used to bear oranges in the past. (Technically, it may be one, but it's no longer worthy of taking up space in an orange grove. Jesus condemned trees that quit bearing fruit. Matt. 21:19. He is at work in LIVE trees, not dead, or barren ones. And He prunes us live ones specifically to keep us healthy and alive.) An orange tree is "worthy" of being kept in the orchard as long as it is bearing fruit.

A Christian is one who follows Jesus moment-by-moment. Certainly not perfectly ... NONE of us will ever (for THIS 100-year life, anyway,) follow Him without mis-steps. But a Christian is not someone who has a "membership." A "Christian" is someone who "follows Christ." (It's almost like it's a VERB, not a NOUN.)

And it's not about "leaving the starting line," any more than winning a race is about "starting it." No ... a Christian is one who crosses the finish line (or is carried by Christ.) See I Cor. 9:25-27.

(By the way, we don't EARN God's grace with obedience or following. Our legs and tongues merely reflect what our head and heart have decided / chosen as a result of His gracious, effective invitation. An orange tree isn't an orange tree BECAUSE of the oranges on the branches. It's an orange tree because of the cell makeup of the roots and the trunk and the life juices flowing through it. The oranges just SHOW UP as a result. Much like the new juices flowing through us when we turn our lives over to Christ.)

Now ... when we say "follow," we mean follow Him AS HIS DISCIPLE, ... just like the first twelve did !

Not like the Enemy follows Him (daily, no less! ), a REPORTER hot on the trail of facts for a story. (Remember, the Enemy "knows Jesus." V-e-r-y well.)

Not like the Pharisees followed Him (out of CURIOSITY.)

Not like the religious crowds followed Him (who wanted to be ENTERTAINED or FED or INTRIGUED by His works and words on Sunday mornings and Wednesday nights, hoping it'd "pump 'em up" for the coming week.)

Not like those who thought that being PART OF THE "really spiritual" CROWD would secure some kind of guarantee of entry into the Kingdom.

Nope. We're talking follow Him for the purpose of TAKING ON HIS LIFE and mission AS OUR OWN ... taking instructions from Him. Turning right when He turns right. Turning left when He turns left. Stopping when and where He stops. Starting when He starts.

All the first-century disciples had to do was ...

(a) accept His INITIAL call to Discipleship, (same for us), ("Drop your nets and Follow Me,")

(b) listen daily thereafter for Jesus' SUBSEQUENT calls, His moment-by-moment conversations and invitations (just like we do today through prayer), and

(c) say, "Yes" in response to those invitations / instructions! Simple, eh?

Think back to the Gospels ... Jesus never:

• Advocated an ethical or moral "system" as the doorway into the Kingdom.
• Claimed to be one of the many well-intentioned ways to "get to God."
• He never instructed followers to "ask Me (Him) into your heart."
• He never asked them to "pray a Sinner's Prayer."

Nope. Jesus issued the same command/invitation consistently, to virtually every person He encountered during the first century:

"If you want to EXPERIENCE ... TASTE ... ENTER the Kingdom of God ...

I am THE (only) way. Fall in. Follow me." We'd propose ... nothing has changed in the past 1,970 years. Jesus issues exactly the same command to us today, hundreds of times each day, as He did in the first Century. We can listen for His voice, or we can tune Him out. We can STRAIN beyond these mortal bodies and senses to live in a DYNAMIC, moment-by-moment relationship with Him, or we can "slough back into" some ancient conviction about something that (albeit sincerely) happened decades ago in a Sunday School classroom or at a youth youth camp. Simple, huh?

No requirement to be or become a theological giant with all the answers. No more wondering about "eternal security" theology debates. A simple "Do I choose to follow Jesus at this moment, ... or not?"

Have you decided to follow Him this morning and this afternoon and this evening? He's looking back at you from the front of the small crowd, directly, gently, lovingly and personally ... issuing you an inviting gaze. Hundreds of times today. Won't you say, "yes?" It's a wonderful adventure. Sometimes scary. Rarely comfortable. Frequently costly. But it's an adventure, to be sure. It's the abundant adventure of a lifetime.

"Money-back guarantee," by the way ... You can even turn back later at any point in the future if you change your mind. Judas did. Kind of a "if you don't like it you can have your old life back ..."

(But please, ... don't go there.)