July 16, 2006

Cawson St. Church of Christ

Hopewell, Virginia

Mural Worthey

 

Traits That Distinguish Christians

 

Introduction

 

Last Sunday, we discussed traits that distinguished God from man and God from idols.  In a similar way, there are traits that should distinguish Christians from all other religions and all unbelievers.  What are those distinguishing marks of God’s people?  I believe that we need to be reminded of those peculiar traits.  There are two problems inherent in such a discussion: 1) the tendency to become like the world around us, and 2) the opposite tendency to become peculiar for peculiar’s sake.  Good examples of the latter are the Pharisees, Essenes, Amish, Quakers, and extremists among Muslims.

 

#1: Faith in Jesus Christ

 

What identifies one as a Christian is Jesus Christ.  He is the foundation for our faith and hope.  Paul wrote concerning Gentiles, “Christ in you, the hope of glory.”  (Col. 1:27.)

 

“Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved.”  (Acts 4:12.)  “For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.  Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or stubble; every man’s work shall be made manifest for the day shall declare it.”  (1 Cor. 2:11-12.)  “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.  No man comes to the Father except by me.”  (John 14:6.)

 

The Hebrew writer wrote extensively showing that Jesus is greater than Moses, the Levitical priesthood, his blood is better than the blood of animals.  Jesus is greater than the angels of God in heaven.  What this inspired writer said about Jesus in bold contrast to all others in the old covenant we can and must say about Jesus in contrast to all others today who pretend to be on equality with Jesus Christ.

 

What distinguishes Christians is Jesus Christ our Lord.  Our faith must be forever anchored in Him and in Him alone.  Pluralism is the key word for our modern minds.  They find it unacceptable to place Jesus Christ above Hira Krishna, Muhammed, Siddharta Gautama, or even the Tibetan monk Dalai Lama.  Just as Jesus is greater than Moses so also is He greater than all other mere men.  The Pluralists do not know or believe the Gospel.  If they did, they would understand that Jesus is Immanuel, God with us.  (Matt. 1:23.)

 

What justifies and saves us is faith in Jesus’ blood.  (Rom. 3:25.)  But what if others are following Jesus also?  John once said to Jesus, “Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name and we forbade him because he followed not with us.  Jesus said, Forbid him not; for he that is not against us is for us.”  (Luke 9:49-50.)  Paul once expressed the right attitude even toward some preachers who tried to add to Paul’s burdens.  Paul said, Notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached and I therein do rejoice, yea and will rejoice.”  (Phil. 1:16-18.)  What a magnanimous attitude on Paul’s part!

 

#2:  Participation in the Kingdom of God

 

Another significant trait that distinguishes Christians is their understanding of and participation in the Kingdom of God.  Many fail to understand the vast differences between God’s Kingdom and the kingdoms of the world in which they live.

 

When the seventh angel sounded, he said, “The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdom our Lord and his Christ and he shall reign forever and ever.”  (Rev. 11:15.)  This is one of the key passages in John’s revelation.  The prophet Daniel foretold that in the days of the fourth empire from the Babylon Empire, God would set up a kingdom which would never be destroyed or left to another people.  (Dan. 2:44.)  Jesus and John both preached that the kingdom of heaven is at hand.  (Matt. 3:2, 4:17.)  In the Gospel accounts, Jesus most often used the word kingdom to refer to the rule of God among men.  The word church was not often used.  While there are some similarities between the two words, there are some major differences as well.  We will make a major mistake if just substitute the word, church, when we see the word, kingdom.  That would be like substituting the word, word, whenever we see the word, Spirit.  Tragically, we often do these kinds of substituting.  We do violence to the Word of God whenever we do that.  We are rewriting Scripture.

 

What does living in the Kingdom of God mean?  This is rich in meaning and helpful in understanding what distinguishes us as Christians.  Jesus said, “My Kingdom is not of this world.”  (John 18:36.)  We are citizens in another Kingdom.  We live in this present age without partaking of it.  We live by different standards.  Jesus is the King over his Kingdom.  There are principles and truths that set his followers apart from those who know not the King or the reality of His Kingdom.

 

Some characteristics of that Kingdom are: 1) The greatest is the servant; the first will be last; the last shall be first.  2) The poor, downtrodden, lonely and outcast are loved and cared for as equal to the privileged.  3) God really reigns in his kingdom.  He works and rules and provides.  4) Seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you.  5) Disciples should always pray, Thy Kingdom come; thy will be done on earth.  We anticipate and desire an entrance and acceptance of God’s Kingdom among men.

 

We misunderstand the Kingdom if: 1) We think that we can worship on Sunday in a correct manner and then go our way and live as if God’s Kingdom does not exist.  2) If we are not really different from the world. 3) If we live by the world’s standards and judgments.  4) If we are prejudiced and sinful.  5) If we think the assembly is the chief expression of God’s Kingdom.

 

#3: Love for One Another

 

Jesus said, “A new commandment I give unto you that you love one another as I have loved you, that you also love one another.  By this shall all men know that you are my disciples if you have love one to another.”  (John 13:34-35.)  Note the phrase, by this shall all men know that you are my disciples.  Here is something that Jesus pointed to as our chief distinguishing trait.  This does not mean that there are no other traits that are important, but it does mean that this one exceeds them all.  This one is the greatest.

 

Paul wrote, “Now abides these three: faith, hope and love.  And the greatest of these is love.”  (1 Cor. 13:13.)  “Put on therefore as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering, forbearing one another and forgiving one another.  If any man have a quarrel against any, even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.  And above all these things put on charity which is the bond of perfectness.”  (Col. 3:12-14.)

 

Think about the kingdoms of the world and see what men think is the most important attribute.  Dictators rule by brute force and power.  They rule by intimation and fear.  Only in the kingdom of God do you find the chief trait being love for one another.

 

Jesus said, “On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”  (Matt. 22:40.)  That is all the other commandments depend upon love for God and love for man.  This sums up all that God requires and wants for his people.  This makes us most like God for God is love.  (1 John 4:8.)  If one does not love others, one does not know God.  All is well in our lives, in our families, in our marriages, with our children, and in the church if we love one another.

 

#4: Love for Enemies

 

Jewish rabbis taught that Jews should love their neighbor (fellow Jews), but hate their enemies.  (Matt. 5:43.)  They misrepresented the will of God concerning their enemies.  Solomon wrote, “If your enemy hunger, feed him.  If he thirsts, give him drink.  For in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head.”  (Prov. 25:21, 22.)  For centuries Israel had bad relations with their neighbors because of the false teaching of their rabbis.  This hatred has continued to this day.

 

Jesus said in this typical and significant phrase, “But I say unto you.”  What I am teaching is very different.  If you are going to be my disciples, I want you to love your enemies and pray for them and do good unto them.  Whatever else we decide about these words, we must not teach what the rabbis taught.  We must not retaliate against our enemies.  We must not do evil for evil.  Eye for an eye is wrong theology.

 

What distinguishes Christians today?  One thing that surely ought to distinguish us as followers of Christ is that we love, not just one another, but that we love our enemies as well.  That will diffuse bitterness and hard feelings.  It will heap coals of fire upon their heads.  This is the Christian way to destroy your enemies.   Abraham Lincoln had many political enemies.  He put many of them in Cabinet posts in his administration.  He destroyed his enemies by putting them to work on solving the problems of the nation.  He said that he wished that he had more positions for them.  In this way, he “destroyed” his enemies.

 

Loving one’s enemies does not mean that you have warm, brotherly feelings for them.  It does not require that we feel the same way for them as we do toward our family or those who love us.  But it does mean that we do not harbor ill will toward them and wish their harm.  We should be able to genuinely pray for them.