So You Call Yourself A Christian

Not sure how many times I have heard this but it really drives me crazy when it comes from a believer.  As if the practicing “Christian” is perfect like the one he follows.

I expect non-believers to have this attitude - but not from followers of Christ. As long as we are in the flesh and have un-glorified bodies we will fight the flesh (James 4:4, and      2 Corinthians 10:4).  We should know that.

           What happened to extending the Grace that has been extended us to others? What gives the saved in Christ the right to be judgmental of anyone? Especially our brother in Christ. Our place is to help physically if we can and to pray – not to judge people. As Thomas A Kempis puts it in his treaties Imitation Of Christ

Look well unto thyself, and beware that thou judge not the doings of others. In judging others a man laboureth in vain; he often erreth, and easily falleth into sin; but in judging and examining himself he always laboureth to good purpose. According as a matter toucheth our fancy, so oftentimes do we judge of it; for easily do we fail of true judgment because of our own personal feeling. If God were always the sole object of our desire, we should the less easily be troubled by the erring judgment of our fancy.

Instead of looking at ourselves first,we take the attitude that the expectation is perfection instead of the forgiveness and the Grace that has been extended to us. We get as judgmental as the not born again - and we complain about the audacity of them judging us so unfairly.

            You see, non-believers, for the most part, don't hang with believers, they don’t understand the concept of forgiveness, the absoluteness of God’s love or Law, Grace, the non-degrees of sin, loving the person but hating the sin – etc.. Those are all foreign - almost ridiculous concepts for the non-believer.

 God is a perfect God of absolute right and wrong, who hates sin but LOVES the sinner (all people – Romans 3:23). WE ARE SUPPOSED TO UNDERSTAND THIS and cut everyone slack. Instead, we go even further and get ticked at everyone including our alleged co-worker In Christ or better yet the new Christian striving to be co-workers.

 As a believer in Christ your foremost calling is to take Him to the world (Mark 16:15).

 Ephesians 3:6 that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, and fellow members of the body,
and fellow partakers of his promise in Christ Jesus through the Good News ...

The Word makes the point that the Gentiles of Paul’s day were just as much a member of the body of Christ as the Jew. If that obstacle could be cleared then, we can surely treat our fellow believer as the asset that he truly is.

With the empowerment of The Holy Spirit along with help of or brothers and sisters in The Lord we can take the Gospel to the world.