Christianity, Discipleship and the Obsession with sin in the Christian Church
I should first say I am a Senior Leader of a church with several campuses and several different Discipleship Schools. When I get the opportunity to teach our students, especially those in our second year program, I am extremely hard on them. When it comes to matters of their character and their obedience within the realms of their Christian faith I believe that God is way more concerned about their character then their comfort. I teach them that living a life of sin is not beneficial for them and a lifestyle of sin filled choices has consequences that will be greater then the price they want to pay. I teach them that being a Disciple of Christ is a heavy call but it is a call to maturity, greatness and a path of discovery to the God of the great expanse, to a God bigger then they ever imagined. But, I also teach them that there is, in my opinion, a difference between being a Christian and being a Disciple. Being a Christian is a free gift, the good news Gospel. God has made a way for us once and for all. We can be with him because sin no longer rules our life. His Son sacrificed Himself for us and that is good news to the world as ALL can now be saved. It is the message of a loving God who is passionately pursuing us to every corner of the earth, and that should be our message to the world. God Loves YOU!
The call continues from there however, as once you are a Christian, next you should become a disciple. Do the hard work of walking out your salvation as the Bible says in Philippians 2:12, “with fear and trembling”. Sin is no longer a barrier between you and God, so as Hebrews 12:1 says, “Since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us”. This is the call to Discipleship. Paul is clearly talking to those who have already accepted Christ, those we call Christians. But don’t mistake a Christian for a Disciple. Isn't a Christian someone who has accepted the sacrifice that Christ provided for all? If that is true then why is there so much talk today about what a Christian can and cannot do? Why is there so much emphasis put on sin in regards to those who are Christians? Didn’t Christ die for forgiveness of sins and once we accept what He has done aren’t we all considered Sons and Daughters of Him? It seems there’s a lot of talk on peoples lifestyles choices and sins they are committing with regards to their salvation. Does the sacrifice of Christ no longer cover our sins once we accept Him? How is it that the Bible says “believe and you will be saved” (John 3:16) and yet some people say, believing is not enough. You have to live a sin free life once you accept Him. Can anyone truly live a completely sin free life? Please hear me, I am not saying it is good to sin or good for you. Let me say again there are consequences for sin but those consequences are not a matter of salvation.
Now for my main point, I know homosexuality has been in the blogosphere lately especially given the comments of Pastor Brian Houston of Hillsong Church. If we say we are going to live by the Law, then we need to live by all of them and not just the ones that we feel we don’t have a problem with. One time I heard a Pastor say, “you cannot be a Christian and be a homosexual because homosexuals are living in sin.” When this Pastor made that statement he was an easy 100-150 pounds overweight. Isn't gluttony a sin? Can he himself be a Christian and a glutton? Of course he can be a Christian as well as someone who is a liar, cheat, and anything else. Isn’t that an example of picking and choosing what the bible says?
Can someone be a homosexual and be a Christian? Yes! The message of Christ is that He paid the price for our sins, so if you believe that homosexuality is a sin you still have to believe that the sacrifice of Jesus covers that sin. How can you possibly not believe that those who have accepted Christ, who have believed in His name, are not part of the Kingdom of God? Sin is not the determining factor for salvation. The cost of sin has been paid. Isn’t that the whole point of the parable of Mathew 20 and the workers in the field? All are welcome. All can be a part of the Kingdom even though some have worked and toiled longer then others. Some not even really doing anything but yet receiving the same reward. Being saved, being a Christian is a free gift to all who believe and call upon His name. We live in a world that desperately needs the Love of God. We live in a world that does not know God is for them and madly in love with them. We have confused being a Disciple of Christ with being a Christian. People have been told, you must be a disciple before you are part of the family but the parable of the prodigal son shows the father waiting every day for his son to return. The father never disowned his son. The loving Father was waiting for his son, not denying his sonship. In fact, as the son returned the father confirmed his son’s standing by giving him his best. Once we become part of the family and become a Christian, we may stumble, fall and do things that others do not approve. Maybe even doing them on a regular basis but the Father, our Father, is there loving us every day waiting and wanting to give us His best. He is waiting for us to enter into a life of a Disciple. To truly get His best for our life.
I will end with this, you cannot be a Disciple unless you are a Christian but you can be a Christian who never becomes a Disciple. Isn't that what really tweaks us the most?
Much love and blessings
Willy
I should first say I am a Senior Leader of a church with several campuses and several different Discipleship Schools. When I get the opportunity to teach our students, especially those in our second year program, I am extremely hard on them. When it comes to matters of their character and their obedience within the realms of their Christian faith I believe that God is way more concerned about their character then their comfort. I teach them that living a life of sin is not beneficial for them and a lifestyle of sin filled choices has consequences that will be greater then the price they want to pay. I teach them that being a Disciple of Christ is a heavy call but it is a call to maturity, greatness and a path of discovery to the God of the great expanse, to a God bigger then they ever imagined. But, I also teach them that there is, in my opinion, a difference between being a Christian and being a Disciple. Being a Christian is a free gift, the good news Gospel. God has made a way for us once and for all. We can be with him because sin no longer rules our life. His Son sacrificed Himself for us and that is good news to the world as ALL can now be saved. It is the message of a loving God who is passionately pursuing us to every corner of the earth, and that should be our message to the world. God Loves YOU!
The call continues from there however, as once you are a Christian, next you should become a disciple. Do the hard work of walking out your salvation as the Bible says in Philippians 2:12, “with fear and trembling”. Sin is no longer a barrier between you and God, so as Hebrews 12:1 says, “Since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us”. This is the call to Discipleship. Paul is clearly talking to those who have already accepted Christ, those we call Christians. But don’t mistake a Christian for a Disciple. Isn't a Christian someone who has accepted the sacrifice that Christ provided for all? If that is true then why is there so much talk today about what a Christian can and cannot do? Why is there so much emphasis put on sin in regards to those who are Christians? Didn’t Christ die for forgiveness of sins and once we accept what He has done aren’t we all considered Sons and Daughters of Him? It seems there’s a lot of talk on peoples lifestyles choices and sins they are committing with regards to their salvation. Does the sacrifice of Christ no longer cover our sins once we accept Him? How is it that the Bible says “believe and you will be saved” (John 3:16) and yet some people say, believing is not enough. You have to live a sin free life once you accept Him. Can anyone truly live a completely sin free life? Please hear me, I am not saying it is good to sin or good for you. Let me say again there are consequences for sin but those consequences are not a matter of salvation.
Now for my main point, I know homosexuality has been in the blogosphere lately especially given the comments of Pastor Brian Houston of Hillsong Church. If we say we are going to live by the Law, then we need to live by all of them and not just the ones that we feel we don’t have a problem with. One time I heard a Pastor say, “you cannot be a Christian and be a homosexual because homosexuals are living in sin.” When this Pastor made that statement he was an easy 100-150 pounds overweight. Isn't gluttony a sin? Can he himself be a Christian and a glutton? Of course he can be a Christian as well as someone who is a liar, cheat, and anything else. Isn’t that an example of picking and choosing what the bible says?
Can someone be a homosexual and be a Christian? Yes! The message of Christ is that He paid the price for our sins, so if you believe that homosexuality is a sin you still have to believe that the sacrifice of Jesus covers that sin. How can you possibly not believe that those who have accepted Christ, who have believed in His name, are not part of the Kingdom of God? Sin is not the determining factor for salvation. The cost of sin has been paid. Isn’t that the whole point of the parable of Mathew 20 and the workers in the field? All are welcome. All can be a part of the Kingdom even though some have worked and toiled longer then others. Some not even really doing anything but yet receiving the same reward. Being saved, being a Christian is a free gift to all who believe and call upon His name. We live in a world that desperately needs the Love of God. We live in a world that does not know God is for them and madly in love with them. We have confused being a Disciple of Christ with being a Christian. People have been told, you must be a disciple before you are part of the family but the parable of the prodigal son shows the father waiting every day for his son to return. The father never disowned his son. The loving Father was waiting for his son, not denying his sonship. In fact, as the son returned the father confirmed his son’s standing by giving him his best. Once we become part of the family and become a Christian, we may stumble, fall and do things that others do not approve. Maybe even doing them on a regular basis but the Father, our Father, is there loving us every day waiting and wanting to give us His best. He is waiting for us to enter into a life of a Disciple. To truly get His best for our life.
I will end with this, you cannot be a Disciple unless you are a Christian but you can be a Christian who never becomes a Disciple. Isn't that what really tweaks us the most?
Much love and blessings
Willy