What is a Christian?

Mark 2:13-17

Follow me was a call to discipleship then and now, but many who go by the name Christian never seem to make that connection.  Much of my younger life in Christ, if you asked me I would have said I’m a Christian, but there came a time I asked what does that mean, the word Christian to others outside and inside the church.  The dictionary defines the word Christian as, professing Christianity or its teachings: the Christian Church.  But that is not what many outside of the church would say; they believe a Christian is more than likely a Republican who is angry and bitter and against almost everything. 

It became clear to me that both the world and many in the church do not have a Biblical understanding of what the word Christian means.  And as I explored, it became clear that it was non-Christians that gave that name to those who were the earlier followers of Christ.  It was around that time, that I dropped the name Christian as who I was and I entered into being a follower of Christ.  When by grace through faith given us by the Father, we ask Jesus to forgive us of the sin of unbelief and we entered into a relationship with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; we came into the family of God.  We get adopted into the family; we are heirs and co-heirs with Christ.

Matthew was just like 99% of us when he got up and followed Christ immediately, and he had little understanding of the fullness of the call Jesus put on his life.  In verses 15-17, we see our Lord having dinner at Levi’s house with his disciples and all the friends of Levi.  One must ask, what kind of friends did Levi have and it is clear they would not be of the religious class in that he was considered by them to be a traitor and a sinner?  We see Jesus and His disciples enjoying a meal with tax collectors and sinners, and this was a big no, no!

Now scribes and the Pharisees were not that different than some people you and I hang out with, very religious in public, now public is the key word but on vacation or home not so much.  I’ve often said, you can’t con a Conner, yet for years I duped myself into believing I was not acting like a Pharisee.  And if a Pharisee today or back then saw a rabbi or teacher doing something like coming out of a bar they instantly condemned them to others.

That is what the Scribes and the Pharisees were doing with Jesus when they ask; “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?”  And this was Jesus’ answer to them, then and now; “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.  I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”  If one lives in a culture as we do in 2018, where from birth on it is someone else’s fault and often God gets the blame for anything bad that happens.  Where good is called bad and evil is called good, and evil and sin are removed from the vocabulary, and everyone does what is right in their own eyes, you have no need for a redeemer, for Jesus.  Jesus came for this reason; “I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” 

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice