Are we known how Christ wants us to be known?
Have you ever given much thought to the question, “What are Bible-believing Christians known
for in America today?” Since the days of the Roman Empire up until the present, Christians have been known for many things, some good and some not-so-good. I think that most of us would agree that we should want to be known the way God wants us to be known. Well then, how does God want us to be known, and how does that help us understand what we should be known for?
How God wants us to be known is clear. God want us to be known as the witness-bearers to Jesus Christ. By our words and our actions, we are to demonstrate that Jesus is Lord and that we worship Him. We are to bear witness to Jesus, to His life and His work of salvation. People who know us should be prompted to think about Jesus, or perhaps we could say, to be reminded of Jesus. It should be clear that we are His followers, His disciples.
With this understanding then, what should we be known for? Some of the last words that Jesus said to His disciples before His death were these: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." (John 13:33-34)
The one distinguishing mark of a Christian is love. What distinguishes the life of a Christian must be more than mere law-keeping. It is not enough to merely keep God’s law or be known by others as a champion of God’s law, as someone who wants to see God’s moral law upheld by all. The Pharisees in Jesus’s day were known for that, and Jesus told them that they were under God’s judgment of wrath when He said to them “Woe to you Pharisees.” Jesus testified that they were zealous for God’s law and careful to keep it, and at the same time He told them that they were nonetheless going to the judgment of hell. Why? Because of what was in their hearts. Their hearts were full of greed and wickedness instead of being full of love. (Mat. 11:39-42)
We are to be like Christ in the way we love. We are to love in a way that reminds people of Jesus. There is something peculiar about the love of Jesus. When Jesus said that we are to love one another just as He has loved us, He said this shortly before His disciples deserted Him as He was falsely arrested, and not long before Peter denied even knowing Him. He told Peter and the disciples in advance that they were going to do these things. He knew what kind of people they were, and yet He loved them.
Many people will be kind to those who are kind to them and love those who love them, but people will not ordinarily be kind to those who are cruel to them and love those who hate them. And practically no one will lay down their lives for those who want to kill them. But this is how Jesus loved His people, the Jews, and also how Jesus loves us who are sinners. God wants to see the likeness of Christ in us, for that is what it means for us to be His disciples and His witnesses. In fact, God saves us so that one day we will be conformed to the image of His Son (Romans 8:29).
So then, what do we as Christians want to be known for? This is an important question for us to consider at this time because now more than ever others need to see Christ in the way we love, for as we all know, Christ-like love only comes by grace through faith from the risen Jesus.
Rev. David Durant is the Operations Director of Ministry To State.
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