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What Is A Christian?
Brian Mashburn
February 7, 2016
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What Is A Christian?
It seems a simple question, and in a sense, I guess it is.
But it is a question that we should never get over. That is, it is a question that we should never be "done with," because it's a bigger question than it first appears to be. It is denser, if you will. It is a question that grows with you, whose answer impacts you at ever increasing depth corresponding precisely with your spiritual sensibilities and need at any given time.
As we continue through the book of Ephesians, we come upon a section (1:11-14) that answers this question with words simple enough to meet you where you are at, yet weighty enough to contain newness for us in each season of life, and also lofty enough to require faith if they are to be experienced and enjoyed in the slightest.
This struck me as I read it slowly. I've been a Christian for decades, and I've been a "minister" of Christianity for well over half of that, and yet as I read Paul describing what it means to be a Christian, it once again took my breath away.
Now, the book of Ephesians is about the church. It serves as a sort of "constitution" for the church. It explains what it means to be the church, who the church is made up of, how each member plays a part, and how it all adds up to contribute towards God's mysterious plan, that is, to bring all things together under Christ (1:10).
But before he really dives into the guts of that, Paul wants to be clear; to be sure we know what it means to be a Christian and how to become one.
Besides (spoiler alert!), this is something we need to know if we are to join God in His mysterious plan.