Only one kind of Christian

I haven't written anything for this blog in a long time. So many things have been happening lately, and I'm feeling the need to voice my opinions again using this neglected blog. So here it goes.

I have always been opinionated, and the older I get, the less patience and tolerance I have for sin. Yes, sin. I am a Christian, and I believe sin is real. "What kind of Christian are you?" you may be asking. Well, I'll be glad to answer that. There seems to be so many demoninations, or institutions that carry a Christian banner. I won't begin to list and describe the different names and affiliations which some self-proclaimed Christians indentify themselves with. What I will do is give a very nutshell description of what it means to be a Christian.

The word "Christian" is sort of a default term for many people, used in order to fit into some society or feel comfortable. Of course, that ends up giving Christianity a bad name, as those same people will say and do things that don't reflect Godly living. Those things are usually seen by others, and then naturally those "Christians" are mistakenly perceived at times as representatives of their Christian faith. Other times, they are just used as fuel for the fire against anything related to Christianity. Given there are so many relativist views today on what a Christian is, one way that I cut through that default mentality is to refer to myself as a believer in Jesus Christ. That puts me in a smaller category, since I am not using that all too familiar label of sorts, almost like "republican" or "democrat". There is nothing wrong with the word "Christian", but that word has been misused so much that sometimes it functions more as a label than a declaration of faith.

That's what Christianity is about, faith. It means trusting in God instead of ourselves, because we realize that we are not the final solution to the problem of evil in this world. It means realizing that we have all sinned, which means we violated Gods' standard, and that nothing we do is going to fix it. It means that we believe in what Jesus Christ, God the Son, has done for mankind. He suffered persecution, torture, and death on a wooden cross, in order to pay the debt for the sins of the world. "For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God." -2 Corinthians 5:21. Jesus even became sin, in order to take all of the punishment for us. He later rose from that death he willingly accepted, purchasing a place in heaven for those who trust in what He has done. We need to transfer our trust in ourselves to Jesus Christ, seeking His forgiveness for the sin we cannot remove on our own.

Being a Christian is not easy, and it's not supposed to be easy. I see everyday as a battlefield, since we are always given the decision to think, say, and do something bad or good. I slip up in some way everyday, no matter how "small" it is. I am not perfect. But, even though I still sin, it doesn't mean I have lost the salvation I recieved by faith in Christ. That's what is referred to as "grace". Unmerited, undeserved, totally unearned favor. Though I slip up now and then, I know that I am forgiven, and I don't have to live in guilt and doubt about a gift that can never be taken away. That doesn't encourage me to keep doing wrong things, but it does remind me of how weak I am, of how much I need to work on personally, and of how gracious God is. God knows our hearts, and if you truly believe in Jesus Christ as the Lord and Savior of your life, then you are saved.

"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast." -Ephesians 2:8-9