Jeff Brown

So You Think You're a Christian, Think again



Posted: Saturday, November 01, 2008

by
Inner Projection

What is a Christian? Simply, one who follows Christ or is a disciple. However, that's a
loaded proposition. What specifically does it mean to follow Christ? and how do we go about doing so if we can't seek out how his personal instruction. To handle this question, let's begin here.
 
Some would say, that in order to follow the teachings of Christ that we simply go to the Bible. The Bible will tell us "specifically" what to do. Specifically, to get a general feel as to what we should do to be Christ-like we should follow the Ten Commandments. But what specifically are they? Let's see.
 
(from King James version)
I am the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. 7 Thou shalt have none other gods before me. 8 Thou shalt not make thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the waters beneath the earth: 9 Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me, 10 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments. 11 Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain: for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. 12 Keep the sabbath day to sanctify it, as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee. 13 Six days thou shalt labour, and do all thy work: 14 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thine ox, nor thine ass, nor any of thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates; that thy manservant and thy maidservant may rest as well as thou. 15 And remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and that the LORD thy God brought thee out thence through a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm: therefore the LORD thy God commanded thee to keep the sabbath day.
 
16 Honour thy father and thy mother, as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee; that thy days may be prolonged, and that it may go well with thee, in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
 
17 Thou shalt not kill.
 
18Neither shalt thou commit adultery.
 
19Neither shalt thou steal.
 
20Neither shalt thou bear false witness against thy neighbour.
 
21Neither shalt thou desire thy neighbour's wife, neither shalt thou covet thy neighbour's house, his field, or his manservant, or his maidservant, his ox, or his ass, or any thing that is thy neighbour's.
 
These may seem rather straight forward to some, but in actuality, there is considerable gray area when knowing specifically what to do. As the U.S. Constitution was written as a general guideline as a "law of the land," so are the commandments.
 
For instance, "Thou shall not kill." This is not as cut and dry as it appears. What if a man comes after my daughter with a knife. What if I am drafted into military service for my country. Of course, in your mind you know the right thing to do. But where does this unstated wisdom and understanding come from. Hold that thought. We'll get back to that point in a moment. There are tens if not hundreds of unique situations that occur where killing is involved. Does the Bible handle each one of them? No.
 
One day, during a discussion in a college class I was teaching, the topic turned to interpretation of the Bible. A student from the back of the classroom spoke up and said, "Just do what the Bible tells you to do." I said that if this were possible then there would be only one Christian church, for everyone would agree on what the Bible tells us to do.
 
Now, to complicate the problem further is the fact that the Bible was written thousands of years ago, initially by the Apostles and prophets then rewritten again and again by monk scribes. And like any human, these monk's had personal agendas and were prone to error intentional and unintentional. If you'd like more on this issue, read Misquoting Jesus by Bart D. Ehrman.
 
But there's more to the issue. The original Bible (New and Old Testaments) was written by the twelve Apostles and various prophets, as I've stated. Now, to believe what you're reading is the word of God, you have to believe that these men were messengers of God. And even if they were, you'd have to figure out what in the Bible was actually what was said or written and what has been changed over time by the hands of scribes. But even if we didn't have the Bible, would we know right from wrong? Let's examine this issue.
 
A majority tend to agree that when something bad occurs it is just that "bad." For example, if a mother leaves her child unattended in the car and goes shopping, most will agree this is wrong. And not only wrong but that she should be punished. Or if a bag of money falls out of an armored car going to the bank that one should stop, pick it up and return it to its original owner. (Interestingly enough, this was done by a film crew to see what people would do. Out of the dozens filmed, only one didn't return the money.)
 
So even if we don't have a Bible with specific law-code to follow for every offense, we bring with us an innate knowledge of right and wrong. And what's interesting is that the majority of time people do what's right. The majority of time people do not murder, cheat, steal, kill, cut in line at the theater, go through red lights, take computers from their place of work. Why? Because we carry the Commandments with us. Generally, we know what's right or wrong, and when we do something wrong we don't need specific law because we have our own personal indicator that is even more accurate in telling us what we should or shouldn't do: guilt. Our portable Bible is there for a reason. The problem is that people ignore it or have lived feeling bad for so long they don't know what being guiltless is like. And if you're a Christian, hopefully you know how to get rid of that guilt and feel good if not all of the time the majority of time.
 
But let's get back to my original point. Are you a Christian?
 
Well, at least we know where everyone goes--even the non-religious--to discover if they are doing the right thing or being Christ-like or sinless. OK, I've opened a can of worms for the non-believer here: sin. But sin simply means you've done something bad and you know because you feel bad or guilty. You've lied to your spouse, you've lost patience with your children, you've come late to work again after you said you never would the time previous, on and on.
 
Now that we've laid the groundwork for understanding, let's take a specific look at Christ to see what it means to be Christ-like, to be a Christian.
 
Christ was the only man to walk this earth without sin. He never lusted, lied, killed, bore false testimony, belittled another or thought badly of another because of race, color, creed, even religion, was slow to anger, accepted all difference, imperfection, and did not judge, on and on and on.
 
Therefore, if you find yourself speaking badly of someone, gossiping, stealing time or money from your employer, being intolerant because of difference, seeking to create tension above peace, degrade, demean, defame, or do anything that makes you feel guilty for doing so then you are not a Christian.
 
OK, so that makes no one a Christian. But fortunately for us we have repentance. And without it the guilt builds and builds and builds to the point where excessive acting out occurs which leads to ultimate destruction in our lives. For time and time and time again we find those who have done bad for too long without release (repentence) and ultimately it takes them down.
 
If you don't know what I mean just read the papers. Look to the pop star who never addressed his abuse at the hands of his father resulting in his abuse of children. Look to the leaders of business who abused their power and authority only to end up broke, spending the rest of their lives in prison. Or look to the brilliant scientist who never addressed his perverse desire for under-aged girls. Or the rock star who abused her privileges ending up alone, deranged, and devoid of peace.
 
To be a Christian is to be as Christ-like as we possibly can. To continue to stumble and pick ourselves up over and over again but to understand our imperfection, and above all else to never, never, ever, judge another within our imperfection and to be fully forgiving and to trust that in by doing so that those who offend us will be taken care of by a higher power and that we within our limited vision know that our job is not vengence but the clensing of ourselves to keep ourselves free of that which brings on guilt and pain, keeping us closer to our goal: The Love of God.
 
Peace to you within your imperfection.
Jeff is a Career, Life, & Mentor coach & CEO of  www.InnerProjection.com: working with students and parents using the proprietary Success, Design and Preparation system creating a plan to ensure his clients are of the 30% of college grads who don't waste 10 to 15 years or leave 100s of thousands of dollars on the table.

Prior to owning Inner Projection, Jeff worked as a computer programmer and in tech. support, but hated it enough to move from his home in Connecticut to do stand up comedy in Boston where he worked with such comics as Bill Burr, Dan Cook, and Billy Martin and wrote for people like Mz. Michigan who needed material for her ventriloquism act. He then moved to Los Angeles to do more stand up, but found being a coach & college instructor more rewarding. He's married with 3 children.
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Top-level comments on this article: (1 total)
» left by Kathy Somers
 3 years 82 days ago.
38 fans.
Hi Jeff, I see you put alot of work into your article. I am a Christian, with alot of faults and I feel guilty alot, but I ask for forgivness and repent and try not to do the same things again, but sometimes I do.
 
In your 14th paragraph or so down, its starts off like.....Therefore, if you find yourself speaking badly of someone, gossiping........
 
Just wondering, if a person is a christian and does these things and feels quilty, isn't that good to know they have done wrong? Then they can ask for forgivness.... What if a person does all these things and does not feel quilty...would that not mean that they are leaning more to the non-christian side..?
 
I don't know, I love talking about God and religion, it's so interesting to see other people's points of views. I really like your article Jeff, and I have to get in gear and write one about something someday soon.
 
Isn't there one commandment that sums them all up into one? LOVE THY NEIGHBOUR as YOU LOVE YOURSELF? or somethin like that... Love one another.....I think that is the one.....Love One Another as I have Loved You.....I hope I keep this one pretty good, but I pray to god and say, God how am I suppose to Love you the most when I can't even love my own family the right way. I ask for his help all the time, he says that he is just so happy that I pray to him and talk to him...because alot of his children don't.
 
This is a different question for you, and not related to your article, maybe you can help out. It says in the bible that God has given each person a set of talents. Some would be teaching, some would be becoming a preacher or what, some are singers, some are carpenters. I have a few talents here I think, plus talents in my heart......but were suppose to use them for the goodness of God. I pray and ask him what am I suppose to do, anyway, what is a person suppose to do with their talents? Is god going to led me in that direction? its suppose to be all for his glory.....so, say making something and giving it to someone just to make them smile because you showed them you care.....would that be one? I read an article in my DECISION MAG a couple of days ago that is put out by Billy Graham Evag. How is a person suppose to use their God given talents to change the world a bit???
 
Nice article Jeff....I really enjoyed reading it :)
» left by Jeff Brown 3 years 81 days ago.
145 fans. Follow Jeff Brown on twitter!

Kathy,

 

Yes, whether Christian or not the guilt is built-in to aid in our not going off the deep end in our aggression or the tearing down of others. However, some have a defective guilt gene and do as they please or build up resistance to guilt by ignoring it and doing bad until guilt exists little if at all.

 

And yes, the love commandment is a difficult one. Christ said love your enemy. Now that's a tough one. But He makes a good point, it's easy to love ones you love but a challenge to love those who hate, despise, and use you. Just as He did when He was spat upon, laughed at, derided and crucified He spoke not a word in anger and judged not. Even on the cross He asked Heavenly Father to "Forgive them, for they know not what they do." Can we be so perfect in our efforts to love? Maybe, for He tells us in the scriptures "Love one another even as I have." Yet most if not all struggle mightily with this one. But if it were easy, it would not give the same reward, for ease does not make one grow and learn, learn priceless, eternal lessons.

 

Yes, I was thinking about this very issue the other day. Talents. I was wondering of all the talents listed in the scriptures which ones I have and if I could get others I don’t currently have. But if you remember the parable of the talents, the one who buried his talents had them taken away and the one who used his received more, there's our lesson. I don't know how many each individual can get, but I do know they are there and that we can acquire more.

 

Personally, I received a message years ago--some twenty or so--to go back to college, obtain my degree, and "Write," for I would be blessed in doing so. And I still remember that word “Write” being indelibly engrained not just in my mind but upon my entire being, even my soul. And I certainly have been blessed. The way time, and time, and time again has been opened for me as I’ve bettered and used my talents. The blessings have poured down from heaven as I've done so.

 

Personally, I used to be shy, retiring, introverted in the extreme, hopeless, suicidal, angry, and more but I decided to (as Eleanor Roosevelt said) embrace my fears and began to do standup comedy, of all things!!! But one of my talents is humor which I've developed and used not just to make people laugh any more but also to teach hundreds if not thousands and potentially millions the bastion of hope and faith as tools of unrelenting power. I've developed and used my humor, way with words, musical talent, ability to teach and inspire, and more, and as I've done so, I have gained greater strength and insight, and, yes, more talents. And I’ve gained strength with the Spirit which now guides and informs almost instantaneously.  

 

And as I've overcome my weaknesses, I've gotten stronger and stronger. As Vicktor Frankl states in Man's Search for Meaning, he fully began to discover the great secret of life only at the depth of despair--as He who has overcome and descended below all knows: "Then I grasped the meaning of the greatest secret that human poetry and human thought and belief have to impart: The salvation of man is through love and in love. I understood how a man who has nothing in this world still may know bliss, be it only for a brief moment, in the contemplation of his beloved. In a position of utter desolation, when man cannot express himself in positive acting, when his only achievement may consist in enduring his sufferings in the right way--an honorable way--in such a position man can, through loving contemplation of the image he carries of his beloved, achieve fulfillment. For the first time in my life I was able to understand the meaning of the words, "The angels are lost in perpetual contemplation of an infinite glory."

 

May God bless you in your journey of understanding and hope. Peace!

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