What does it mean to be a Christian? What might it mean to be a Christian? What doesn’t it mean to be a Christian? And how do we respond when we see a need for change?
God calls us to an identity, and that identity is not based on our performance, it is based on Christ’s perfect performance.
That is the key distinctive of Christian faith. Amongst the myriad different faiths to which people across geography and time ascribe, what makes Christianity unique is Christ: His work, His sacrificial, atoning life and death and resurrection.
He is the Mediator of the New Covenant between God and man. He is the Sacrificial Lamb, making atonement between God and man. He is the High Priest, standing in the gap between God and men, interceeding on our behalf.
In Him, we can find rest from the endless need to prove ourselves worthy. That’s at the core of the Gospel; we aren’t worthy. We can’t be. Yet He offers us an easy yoke, and a light burden: Do but come, and receive life everlasting, on the basis of His character, not on the basis of ours.
We can’t just stop there though. As you press into that everlasting life, you find a demand on yourself, not to prove that you belong or to earn God’s affection. Rather, there becomes a demand to reflect the New Creation that has been made in you.
Faith without works is dead. And new life has a way of showing itself. It does so through a life-long process of sanctification.
I hope these articles are helpful for you as you explore your identity in Christ.
Judas and Peter: A Case Study on Repentance
Let’s look at the failure of both Judas and Peter, and see what we can learn.
What does God want from me?
“What should the interaction between the Divine and humanity look like?” Or, to put it more personally, “What does God want from me?”
Philippians 4: Paul Shows Us How to Functionally Center Ourselves on God
In the fourth chapter of the book of Philippians, Paul gives us some of the most famous and memorable verses in the Bible. Beyond just being one of Paul’s “greatest hits”, there is some tremendously practical and approachable wisdom being given. Let’s look at a few things that stand out in Philippians 4:4-13. Philippians 4:4-13:…
What Is (and Isn’t) Repentance?
Repentance is a matter of the present tense. Real repentance has to do with how you are currently responding to your current conviction. You can really repent, and still struggle.
Pride, Shame, and Humility, and How to Grow as a Christian
The way we grow in humility is to look at Jesus. To keep our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith. This is the best path to all Christian growth.
“What If” vs. “Even If”: A Practical Path to Peace
In Christ, God has promised that all things will be redeemed for His people. He WILL overcome the world, and its brokenness.
“Godliness with Contentment” Lesson and Reflection
What does it mean for a Christian to be godly? What does it mean for a Christian to be content? How do those concepts intersect? And what do you do with that?
To What Standard Should We Work and Live?
What are your thoughts about the phrase “Do your best”? Is that how God wants us to live?
Don’t Worry About What Others Think?
Our society can be quick to offer the advice, “Don’t care about what other people think.” Is that advice the Bible would agree with?
A Brief Testimony on Striving
My best is an unsustainable standard. I can’t live at “my best”. And my best, or trying my hardest, won’t guarantee success, even when I do that.
At the core of Christianity is the reality that our best CANNOT be sufficient.
On Joy and Hope
A friend recently confessed to me, somewhat downcast, that he felt he didn’t experience joy well. To him, joy was supposed to be this bright and high emotion, and he felt a bit embarrassed that wasn’t really an apt description of his own emotions. I appreciated my friend’s honesty, and I think his problem, not…
TR Hartley 