Thoughts on Being A Christian…

My oldest son poses some difficult questions,

“To get us really talking,” he explains, “I love to hear your views on things.  Why do Christians think that everyone should be a Christian?” he asks.

I don’t take this as a personal dig.  Apart from my four children (who learned all they know about God from me)  I don’t usually take the opportunity to talk about my faith to all who cross my path.

Evangelism is not my forte, I prefer to walk the talk.

Brahman

“I suppose they are carrying out The Great Commission,”  I say and look up Matthew 28:16-20 for myself.

He quizzes me on my faith,

“What makes Jesus different from other great religious leaders?

“How do you know the bible is true?

“Couldn’t it just be several people’s interpretations?

“How do you know the scholars weren’t skewing their translations to suit their agendas?”

I begin to think that perhaps he no longer sees life through the same eyes as I do so I tread carefully with my answers.

I was the one who taught him his prayers, studied the bible with him, took him to church, instilled our family ethics, led him on a journey to obedience and watched while he followed in my Christian footsteps.

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I was his homeschool teacher while he was being molded and he is used to getting answers from me (rather than Google).

I tell him, as my grown son,

“You’ve got to go and find those answers for yourself.  Don’t follow anyone else’s belief.  Do your own research, explore your own reasons to follow Christ…or not!”

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As a sage young teenager he once said to me,

“I think I will believe that Jesus is my Lord and Savior, because if I don’t and I die and find out He is then I’m doomed.    Safer to believe so that if when I die I find out He isn’t, it won’t matter.”

Back then he had worked out his own salvation (Philippians 2:12) by using Jesus as a safety net, just in case!

Today he thinks love is all that’s needed in our world to solve everything.   That was the answer I gave to my well-heeled stranger (who became the mentor for my homeschool) when she asked me,

“What’s the most important component for being a Christian?”

“Love your neighbor,”  I had quipped.

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Well, good answer but not exactly!

Love is part of my Christian life, but it isn’t all of it.

Obedience is part of my Christian life too, but not all of it.

The most important part of my Christian life is my belief that the only way to heaven is through Jesus Christ.

My salvific ideology is dependent on Faith; a spiritual knowledge rather than a proof.

Faith is difficult to explain without a formal justification of a religious doctrine.

“You need to read some theologians who struggled with the same questions,”  I suggest to my son.

“How do I know they’re not biasing their apologetics to suit their own agenda?” he counters.

“You have to decide for yourself.  I have my own belief system, what I take to be true, which results in my own personal relationship with God, nobody else’s.  It has become the foundation on which I base my life.”

“I’ve noticed you’ve had to find a way to relate to all of us without jeopardizing your beliefs,” he says, “despite the fact that what we do may be wrong in your eyes, you don’t make us feel unwanted, unloved or judged.”

“I’m glad about that,” I say, “I no longer see you as a child, your life is yours to lead as you see fit, your salvation is not mine to win for you, I’ve opened all the doors, sown all the seeds.  God will do the rest.”

This discussion brought to the surface a worry I have that choosing a relationship with my children over a fundamental adherence to biblical truths may jeopardize my Salvation.

Am I called to break-up with a child…

Who may be a swindler in need of a cup of cold water?

Who may one day invite me to attend a gay marriage?

Who may require my help buying a house with a partner because marriage isn’t for them?

Who may show up for dinner as an adulterer in the eyes of the church?

Am I guilty of pleasing my kin rather than God?

Am I damned if I don’t point out their sins each time I see them and by so doing ignore the log in my own eye?        (Matthew 7:3)

I thank the Lord for shining His light on the path when I talk with my children along the way,

When I enjoy their company,

Have long conversations with them and,

Remain a valued presence in their lives.

I know I am a cherished child of God and that my place in heaven is not in the balance any more than my children’s place at my table is.

They will eventually hear God’s gentle voice through me.

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