I recently listened to a podcast that asked the question, what does it mean to be a Christian? It’s an interesting question, and one that we probably think we can answer relatively easily. Our answers would probably be nuanced, and there’s a good chance that as we begin to answer, we will think of a series of answers to the question, all of which are probably part of the overall reality. So, what does it mean to be a Christian?

Does it mean we go to church somewhere? Does it mean we are baptized? Does it mean we believe in the creeds? All of the creedal statements? Does it mean we read the Bible? Do we believe what the Bible says? All of it? Does it mean we’re a “disciple”? (Do we know what a disciple is?) Is a person who wears a cross a Christian? Is a person a Christian because they say they are a Christian? Is a person seeking a relationship with Jesus a Christian? Can a person of another faith also be a Christian? Is a person still a Christian if they fail at being a Christian? Can we fail at being a Christian?

I remember the time I was asked a similar question by my spiritual director in seminary. In one of our sessions, during which we were studying Romans together, he asked if a person could be a Christian without being baptized? After thinking about it, I offered a non-committal, “yes?” His response was a smile and a nod of the head as he agreed and added, “but not for long.” His point was that the baptism itself didn’t make the Christian, and yet a Christian would quickly want to be baptized. It’s what we do and who we are and an important part of the Christian faith to be baptized into the household of God.   

I’m not going to go through each of the answers to the above questions as I understand them, but if you haven’t ever considered some of them, I hope that you will. There is a tension within the Gospels about what following Jesus is all about and what it entails. He seems to want those who are following him to know that it’s not easy to be his follower. He sets the bar high again and again, when he offers teachings about how being his follower can create tensions in one’s family, or when asking a person to sell everything, and most bluntly, when discussing the need to take up one’s cross and follow. We know now what that means, and it’s not a light-hearted invitation.  

For most of us, most of the time, our Christian identity is a part of who we are, a reality we carry with us. Yet, in most moments throughout the day, our faith is not front and center. Our identity is not on display, per se. Maybe it should be. The fullness of devotion we are called to is all-encompassing, after all. There are days I wonder if many of us will measure up, and days I wonder if I’ll be surprised as to who “makes the cut,” so to speak. I think Jesus has certainly set us up for such surprises if the Gospels are any indication. I know enough to know that our assumptions are often wrong when it comes to God; they always have been.

The answer to the question, what does it mean to be Christian, is worth wrestling with. It’s probably not as simple as we think it is, and it’s also probably a bit more grace-filled that we’ve been taught. At the end of the day, it’s not something we should get lost in, however. We need only follow the cross where it leads and do our best to be Christ in the world and for those we meet. I have a hunch that if we do that faithfully, the details don’t matter as much as we might worry they do.

Tom+ 

Direct us, O Lord, in all our doings with thy most gracious favor, and further us with thy continual help; that in all our works begun, continued, and ended in thee, we may glorify thy holy name, and finally, by thy mercy, obtain everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.