True Christians
BY JAMES MONTGOMERY BOICE
Romans 9:6-8 SEVERAL YEARS AGO I read about a champion wood-carver from Bavaria who found a piece of wood in the mouth of a sack of grain. The wood was the same color as the grains of wheat, so he took it into his head to carve the wood into imitation grains. He carved a handful of them, mixed them with some real wheat, and then invited his friends to tell them apart.
The wood-carver had done the work so well that no one could tell the difference. Even he himself was unable to tell the imitation grains from the true grain. In the end, the only way to distinguish the true from the false kernels was to place the grains in water. After a few days the real grain sprouted, while the imitation grain remained exactly what it was before, mere wood.
There is a parallel of this to those who profess to be God's people. Sometimes the true children of God can hardly be distinguished from people who are merely behaving as believers or who are circulating among believers. But the difference is there; it has been put there by God. Those who have the life of God within them will in time show spiritual growth; the others remain lifeless.
Natural vs. spiritual. The distinction between those who seem to be spiritual children and those who actually are is what Paul begins to address in Romans 9. The original Christians, who were Jews, very naturally began witnessing to their Jewish family members, friends and neighbors. But they were severely disappointed to find that Israel as a whole refused to recognize Christ, insisting that they already were the chosen people of God.
But even more than this, it was a theological dilemma. The promises of God were to Israel, and yet Israel as a whole was unresponsive. Did this mean that God's promises to Israel had failed?
So, Paul explains in verse 6, "It is not as though God's word had failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel"; and in verse 8, "In other words, it is not the natural children who are God's children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham's offspring."
Actually, Paul has already made this contrast in chapter 2, where he showed that even highly moral and religious Jews need the gospel. His summary in verses 28 and 29 reads, "A man is not a Jew if he is only one outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. No, a man is a Jew if he is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code."
What, then, is required for one to be a true Israelite? Faith, saving faith in Jesus of Nazareth as the Son of God and Savior. Paul's chief example of such faith is Abraham, whose story is retold in Romans 4. Abraham was not saved by circumcision, because he was declared to be righteous before God in Genesis 15:6, which was years before his later circumcision. Nor was he saved by keeping the law, because the law was not even given until four hundred years later.
In short, the call of God followed by faith is that which makes one a true member of God's family.
Cultural vs. true Christians. This is true for those who call themselves Christians also. That is, not all who call themselves Christians or who are thought of as Christians today are true Christians.
Some years ago, an English writer named Leslie Stephen said, "the name Christian has become one of the vaguest epithets in the language." Those words are perhaps even more fitting today than when they were written. To many Jews, the name Christian is nearly synonymous with goy or Gentile. As they see it, the world is divided essentially into two parts: Jews and Christians.
And when other people in the world speak of "Christian nations", they usually mean the western nations those of Europe, the United States, Canada and some others. The fact, of course, is that few of the people in those "Christian" countries even attend church on Sunday.
What is happening? Obviously, many who carry the name Christian are not actually Christians.
True Christians Defined
What is a true Christian, then? The name itself gives us a clue; it literally means "a Christ one". This name was first used in ancient Antioch of Syria (Acts 11:26), which was then a degenerate city. But in it God planted a body of believers who identified so closely with Christ that the pagans there began to call them Christians; they called them "Christ's people", that is.Theologically, this includes several key characteristics:
1. They believe in Christ. To the early Christian communityand to all true Christians everywhereChrist is the Christ of the New Testament. He is the Son of God who became a man to bring us salvation. This is the One on whom the Chris
tians believed.This belief is no mere intellectual conviction; it has three elements. The first involves its intellectual content: knowing who Jesus is and what He has done for our salvation. The second is the warming of the heart, being moved by Jesus' sacrifice on our behalf. The third is personal commitment, giving ourselves to Jesus, taking up His cross, and becoming His disciple.
2. They follow Christ. This second characteristic is wrapped up in the matter of commitment that I have just indicated. That is, once a person has believed on Jesus in a saving way, then he has a heartfelt desire to follow his Savior on the path of discipleship. It is a path of obedience. And as he walks along it, he becomes increasingly like the One he is following.
This is an important dimension of what it means to be a Christian. A true Christian is one who is becoming increasingly like Jesus Christ.
3. They witness to Christ. Those early believers in Antioch were called Christians no doubt also because they always talked about Christ. The name of Jesus was constantly on their tongues, His gospel consistently on their hearts, and His glory uppermost in their minds. They were always sharing the gospel with others so these others might be saved.
It is significant in this respect that the first great missionary movement of the church began in the City of Antioch. We are told about it in Acts 13:2,3:
While they were worshipping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, 'Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.' So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.
The Lord Jesus Himself said that His followers would be witnesses: "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8).
4. They desired to keep learning about Christ. True Christians want to keep learning about Jesus. We are told in Acts 11 of Barnabas, who, having gone to Antioch to encourage the infant church in its faith, went to Tarsus in Turkey to look for Paul. When he found him, he brought him back to Antioch so that "for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people" (v. 26).
Significantly, it was immediately after the Christians at Antioch had been carefully taught about Jesus by Paul and Barnabas that they "were first called Christians".
True believers become more and more like Christ as they learn more and more about Him. As they increasingly know about their Savior, they intensify their love for Him and their witness about Him to others.
SELF-EXAMINATION
The point of all this is that each of us who calls himself or herself a Christian should be led to self-examination. You may think that you are a Christian, but may not in fact be a true Christian. And if that is the case, you are not a child of God; you are not saved. The question we all should ask ourselves is: Am I a true Christian, or am I a Christian in name only?It is a serious question and a necessary one. For if Israel with all its spiritual advantages could be composed of thousands or even millions who were not true Israel, then it is certain that the visible church of Jesus Christ in our day is filled with many who think they are Christians but are actually unbelievers.
That's why Paul told the Corinthians, "Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves" (II Cor. 13:5). And Peter told his readers, "Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure" (II Peter 1:10).
How can we test ourselves? How can we be sure we are Christians? There are a number of ways to do so, and among them are the matters I have been discussing.
1. Do I believe on Christ? The first requirement is faith, because faith is our point of contact with the gospel. Paul told the Philippian jailer, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved" (Acts 16:31).
Ask yourself: Have I believed on Jesus? Not believing in broad cultural categories, as many in the western world tend to do, especially if he or she has been raised in a Christian home or has attended a Christian church. But rather, Have I been touched by the knowledge of Jesus' death for me, and have I committed myself to Him?
The visible church of Christ in our day is filled with many who think they are Chris 2. Am I following Christ? The first question leads to the second one: Am I actually Jesus' follower? The way Jesus called His followers was by the words: "Follow me." And when they did follow Him, their lives were inevitably redirected. Some had been fishermen, but when they began to follow Jesus they became fishers of men. One had been a tax collector, but after he had followed Jesus he became concerned with the currency of heaven.
Nobody who has begun to follow Jesus Christ has ever remained the same or walked in the same paths afterward.
So ask yourself: Has my life been redirected? Is there anything I am doing now that I did not do before or would not be doing were I not committed to Jesus? And are there things I've stopped doing? Do I have a desire not to do anything to displease my Lord and Savior?
3. Do I testify to Christ? This is a harder point of self-examination, because it is easier for some to talk about Jesus than others. It is easier for some to talk about nearly anything than others. Nevertheless, this is an important question and one worth asking. For if you never speak to anyone about Jesus, how can you take for granted that you really care about Him and love Him, not to mention caring about and loving the other person, who needs to receive the Savior?
Nominal Christians do not talk about Jesus. They are content to let everyone believe as he or she likes.
They wouldn't think of trying to impose their beliefs on others. But not all who are Christians are true Christians, just as "not all who are descended from Israel are Israel". True Christians want to tell others about Jesus.4. Do I desire to keep learning about Christ? Am I trying to learn more and more about Jesus Christ? Do I know Him and His will better today than I did at the time of my conversion? Or at this time last year?
I know people who claim to be Christians who never go to a Bible study and, as far as I can determine, never seriously study the Bible on their own. If you are one of them, I ask: How can you think of yourself as a Christian when you have no interest in learning about the One who gave Himself for you? How can you consider yourself a believer when you really don't care about Jesus?
Over the last few years I have been talking with diverse Christian leaders, and the one thing most of them say is that they see no hope for the United States or American Christianity apart from a revival. The drift is so obviously downward.
But what is a revival? A revival is the reviving of the alleged people of God; it is preceded by an awakening in which many who thought themselves to be Christians come to their right senses and recognize that they are not new creatures in Christ and that all is not well with their souls. Revival begins in the church, not in the world. It begins with people like you.
I too think we need a revival. But frankly I do not see it happening. But if it happens, why should it not begin with us? With you? May God grant it for His mercy's sake. o
Dr. James Montgomery Boice is pastor of the Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia, and the speaker of the Bible Study Hour broadcast, 1716 Spruce St., Philadelphia, PA 19103.