subject: The Test Of The Christian Faith [print this page] Last week my pastor delivered an excellent sermon on giving. As he discussed this subject, I was drawn into John chapter three where I am currently still working on the Bible study about Nicodemus. As he spoke about giving, not just financially but through all of our resources, I began to realize what a true Christian really looked like.
So this is a simple test. I'm not going to say that if you fail, you are not going to heaven. In fact I think there will be many who fail who will still make heaven their home. Unfortunately, they won't have a reward to present to Christ on that wonderful day. I just think that ultimately, this is what God is wanting for all us to achieve in life.
To start with, we were created in the image of God. As humans, we are supposed to be representatives of the God who made us. Because of sin, however, our image is now shaped to that fallen personality which represents sin and the workings of the devil. Through Christ, God restored our relationship with Him and by accepting God's gift through faith we can once again obtain our Godly nature. We become Christians, a word which means 'Christ-like'like Christ, or in reality like God.
Now, in John 3:16-17 we are told that God is a giving God. So, if we want to be like God, we should be a giving peopleright? So take a moment to answer the following questions:
1. In what manner did God give? If you answered 'In love', you are correct. For God so loved the world... The first question we have to ask is, Why am I giving? Is your giving promoted by guilt, by peer pressure, by the feeling or need of good works...or out of pure love? Jesus said, Freely you received, freely give. If we are not giving out of a heart of love, without expecting a reward, then we are one step closer to being like God.
2. Why did God give? If you answered 'For people to be restored to a relationship with Him', again you are correct. While there is nothing wrong in giving to charities, everything Jesus did was to promote the Kingdom of God. More than anything we should be giving in such a way that shows God's glory. What good is it to feed or clothe a person physically, but leave them spiritually unchanged? Our goal in life is to give with the intent of sharing the gospel. Now, don't get this wrong. You shouldn't be giving with the intent of pressuring people to come to church. But when you give, you should give in such a way that people know that it is from God, and not from you. We are not called to promote a church but to promote the Kingdom of God.
3. Finally, how much did God give? If your answer was 'All', then you are a genius. Jesus was the Son of God, but if you study the first chapter of John you will discover that Jesus is God incarnate; in other words, God in human flesh. Jesus is God. So when we read that God gave His only begotten Son, what that means is that God gave Himself as a sacrifice in a form we could easily identify with. God didn't give a little; He gave everything.
I know that this might sound kind of radical, but if we want to be like Jesus, then we are supposed to be imitators of Him. If that is what we want to do, then we need to do what He did: we need to dedicate our lives for the sole purpose of loving this world so much that we give everything we have to bring people back into right relationship with God.
That's what God did.
That Sunday I asked myself if I was a true Christian. I'm still thinking about it. Being a Christian means more than just going to church on Sunday. It is a transformation of life. It means wanting to be like Jesus. So as you read this essay, think about the love God displayed on Calvary's cross, think about the way He gave and the manner in which He gave, and then ask yourself:
