Ask 10 people what constitutes a Christian and I bet you will get 10 different answers. Some think it is simply being born into a Christian family or a “Christian nation” – if there is such a thing. Some will tell you it is those who believe in “God” or those who try to live a good life.
I recently received an email containing the title, “Christianity is not a hate-group.” There are many who think it is. I remember a college professor who gave me “A’s” on my papers but told me she did so under duress. She couldn’t fault the writing, but she hated the subject matter. Since we were writing about personal experiences and thoughts, much of mine centered around Christianity. I asked her why she hated the subject matter. Then she proceeded to explain that she felt Christianity was a hate group—after all, she proclaimed, Hitler was a Christian, the Ku Klux Klan asserted its “Christianity.” Ah.
I told her that to be a Christian, one had to be a follower of Christ, a disciple, and that God’s will for us is to be conformed to the image of Christ. I asked her if she thought that Hitler or the KKK acted anything like Jesus. She agreed they did not. Then I told her that it isn’t who we claim to be that determines what we are, it’s who approves us. “For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.” [2 Cor 10:18 NIV]
We need to make sure that both our words and our actions reflect who Christ truly is. We need to be true followers of Jesus. In doing that we can assure ourselves of Christ’s approval and the world will really know us by our love.
