What Does a Christian Look Like?, Pt 2 - Colossians 1

1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,
2 To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father.

3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, 5 because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, 6 which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and growing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth, 7 just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant.  He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf 8 and has made known to us your love in the Spirit.  (Colossians 1:1-8, ESV)

It would be very troubling if one of us stood on the corner of College Avenue and Allen Street and took a poll asking people to describe what a Christian is.  The responses would range from the oblivious to the dangerous.  There would be some who would have sympathy, and you would eventually find a Christian.  Others would be adversarial and derogatory.  But it should not be surprising that those who do not know the Lord Jesus would not know or understand His followers.  They cannot understand unless they have been enlightened by the Holy Spirit, so it is reasonable to expect their perception of Christianity and Christians to be skewed or faulty.  If you recall, Rosie O’Donnell said fundamentalist Christianity was as dangerous as fundamentalist Islam.

But take the same question, “What does a Christian look like?”, and ask professing believers at the Creation Christian concert in Mount Union, or at a large Christian women’s conference or men’s retreat, and you might be even more dismayed.  In the past week I have been in contact with a man who claims to be a Reformed Baptist and who is also involved in a homosexual relationship.  He stated that no one can convince him that his relationship is sinful. 

Also this week, I was told of a young man who is a professing, practicing Satanist.  However, according to this Satanist, his girlfriend is a Christian.  That may be the stupidest thing I have ever heard.  Some of us heard the prayer of an Episcopalian bishop this week on national television to “the god of our many understandings.”  We also have a very well-known evangelical pastor who never uses the word “sin” when he preaches to millions of people around the world. 

Richard Cizik, former lobbyist in Washington DC for the National Association of Evangelicals (which represents 45,000 churches), resigned from his position in December because of his advocacy of gay civil unions.  In an interview with National Public Radio host Terry Gross that aired on December 2, Cizik responded to a question about gay marriage by saying, "I'm shifting, I have to admit. In other words, I would willingly say I believe in civil unions. I don't officially support redefining marriage from its traditional definition, I don't think." ¹  What is most troubling about that is he wasn’t fired.  He resigned.

What is a Christian?  This week I was asked by an evangelical pastor if a person’s understanding of eschatology could be an indication that they were not saved.  One hundred and fifty years ago, the question often asked was, “Can a man be a Christian and own slaves?”  According to the book of Philemon, the answer is yes.  Twenty-five years from now, the question may be, “Can a man be a Christian and NOT drive a solar-powered vehicle?”

Culture does not determine what Christianity is.  Christians do not determine what Christianity is.  The Bible tells us what real Christianity is.  The Apostle Paul makes it very clear in Colossians, chapter 1.  Last week we saw three things that characterize true Christianity, according to Colossians 1.  They are:

1. Faith in Christ Jesus (v4a)
2. Love for ALL the saints (v4b)
3. The fruit of the gospel in their lives (v6), i.e.:
    a. Their understanding of the grace of God in truth
    b. Their love in the Spirit (same as “love for all the saints”?)
    c. All of the above: faith, love, understanding.
 
If you recall, these were the things Epaphras reported about the Colossians to Paul.  Based upon his testimony, Paul concluded that these people in Colossae were indeed genuine believers, and he wrote this letter to them for their instruction and encouragement as Christians.  We discussed what faith in Christ Jesus is, and what it is not.  Faith in Jesus is not simply an acknowledgment that there was such a person in history, or even an acknowledgment of the facts about Him, e.g. He is the Son of God, He was sinless, He was born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, etc.  Believing these facts does not a Christian make.

The faith that saves a person is faith in what Jesus accomplished through His life, death, and resurrection.  It is faith in the purpose of His life, and the purpose of His death as a substitutionary sacrifice for sinners.  It involves agreement with God’s assessment of us as guilty breakers of His law and deserving of death and Hell.  It involves repentance from sin, and trust in God that His Son, the historical Jesus Christ, is the satisfactory payment for our sin.  Saving faith embraces this gospel as the truth.

I told you last week that today, I would show you what a Christian looks like.  I want to take the next 20 minutes or so and have you watch a video.  What you are about to see is a 20th century example of what happened in Colossae when Epaphras preached the gospel to some of the people of that city.  What happened there, nearly 2000 years ago, still happens today when the biblical Gospel message is preached and the Spirit of God moves upon the hearts of men.

[Note: At this point in our service, we watched an outstanding video produced by New Tribes Mission entitled Ee-Taow!]

That is what Christianity is supposed to look like.  I’m not talking about skin color, or race, or nationality.  I am talking about salvation.  I’m talking about the effect of the truth of the Gospel.  The message of the gospel pardons the guilty, it sets the prisoners free, it transports the lost from darkness to light, it causes the burden of sin to be removed, it removes the fear of death, it grants hope for eternal life, it causes people to love one another, it creates joy and peace.  And it is all based upon the preaching of the truth, the gospel.

Now, I must ask this question: Are you a Christian?  Based upon what you’ve seen and heard, does your profession of faith resemble that of the Mouk people?  I’m not talking about dancing in the street, I‘m talking about what you believe.  Is your faith a belief in someone named Jesus, but you don’t really understand what He’s all about?  Do you believe the Bible, but you don’t really know much about what it says?  Is your Christianity little more than church attendance based upon some family or cultural expectation, or upon your own personal religious preferences?  Do you merely have faith in a religion called Christianity?

Or is your faith in the Person of Jesus Christ as your substitute, to rescue you from certain death, to deliver you from the wrath of God, to grant you forgiveness of sin, and to make you a child of God?  Which is it?  Are you just playing Christian, or are you a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ?  Is your faith truly in Him?

That is what a Christian looks like.  That is what a Christian is.  Do not think anything less is enough.  Anything less is a lie and a counterfeit.  It is something other than Christianity, and it is therefore damning.  Do not be deceived. 

What do you say to this?