Christians...What's the Difference?

Are you living differently in your life as a Christian? Does your faith actually make any difference to your behaviors, your words or even your thoughts on any given day? That’s what we are here to cover about today.

Well, before we get started with HOW a Christian should act, speak or think, we first need to make sure we are on the same page with WHAT and WHO a Christian is, and importantly, what or who a Christian is not.

Christian is NOT just a convenient label or superficial saying, it is not instilled by birth or because your Dad or Uncle or Grandpa was a preacher, it is not a birthright, not a political or social label to be exploited, and it is not without change.

A Christian is a person, like you or me, who has recognized a need for a Savior, and realized we cannot save ourselves. We have confessed this TO GOD, and asked for forgiveness FROM GOD, and declared surrender to and belief IN JESUS CHRIST, AS GOD. And, importantly, we have been changed by this.

Romans 10 says this, that “If you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord, AND believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” And “all who call on the name of the Lord will be saved”

Have you confessed TO GOD, asked forgiveness FROM GOD, and declared belief and surrender IN JESUS CHRIST AS GOD?...

…if so, YOU are a Christian, a believer in Jesus. And if not, why not? and for what are you waiting? Turn in surrender to Him Who rescues, cares for, loves and saves...turn to Jesus in this way...Lord Jesus, I cannot do it anymore on my own. I confess my wrongs and I need You. Come and save me. He wants to...He will.

And now, having established WHAT and WHO A CHRISTIAN IS, and determined that we are saved by Jesus and His Grace, not by ourselves, what do you mean that it not without change, and we should live differently?

James, the brother of Jesus, tells us in the Bible -

James 1:22-24

²² But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.²³ For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. ²⁴ For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. 

James 2:14, 17-19

¹⁴ What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? … ¹⁷ So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

¹⁸ But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. ¹⁹ You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!

From a change of heart, out of adoration and gratitude, we want to live better, and in fact, as Titus 2 says, to say NO to ungodliness or wrong living. And many will say "I get it, lots of 'NO's' which is what I turned away from before, so what's new?"

Great segue into this...how then ARE we to live?

Well, Romans 12 gives us some insight…

Romans 12:9-21

⁹ Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.¹⁰ Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. ¹¹ Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. ¹² Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. ¹³ Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.

¹⁴ Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.¹⁵ Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. ¹⁶ Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. ¹⁷ Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. ¹⁸ If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. ¹⁹ Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” ²⁰ To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” ²¹ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Let me then sum up for us…first we see, then believe, then repent, then receive and are only then are we changed in our hearts and minds. We are SAVED, redeemed, rescued.

Then, because of His work in us, we live differently…saying NO to the wrong, YES to right, loving God and loving others in His Name and by His Spirit as Paul and James have helped those who claim the name of Jesus to see…

AND FINALLY, why should we care? Why should any of this matter even to us? Is it to look good to others, to simply escape from some possible punishment? Is it to stay out of Hell, or help in our marriages, or help in times of trouble? Yes, Yes, and Yes, BUT not ONLY that, and not MAINLY that…

This is why it matters, and why we should check ourselves and our behavior, and make sure of our salvation…All over the Bible we see it…full of the best, sweetest, most amazing truth anywhere…God is OUR God and He is worthy and we get to be WITH Him! -

“For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel
    after those days, declares the Lord:
I will put my laws into their minds,
    and write them on their hearts,
and I will be their God,
    and they shall be my people.” Hebrews 8:10

“Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.” Revelation 4:11

And this promise, this picture of amazing, incomprehensible future…listen to this description of what IS ahead for us who call Jesus Savior and Lord…

21 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. ² And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. ³ And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. ⁴ He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” Revelation 21:1-4

You see, we want to confess, believe, trust, surrender to this God, because HE, GOD HIMSELF, JESUS THE SON OF GOD, GOD OF ALL CREATION, GOD ALMIGHTY, He will be our GOD and we, you and me, we will be HIS people…and He alone is infinitely worthy of our praises, thanks, obedience and surrender…

You see, we want to be in Heaven, not Hell, we want to see loved ones who have gone before us, we want the peace and rest that God’s Word speaks of, yes, but mostly, those of us who see and believe and trust, those of us who are genuine Christians, will be WITH GOD HIMSELF, and oh what a joy it will be!

Let’s pray