A Christian Guidebook: Who Is a Christian? (3)

“…and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28.20

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly placesin Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. Ephesians 2.4-7

A Christian is a disciple
A Christian is a disciple. Anyone who claims to be a Christian is a disciple, a learner, a learner of Jesus.

But the New Testament recognizes that disciples—and therefore Christians—are such in varying degrees. There are those who are babes in Christ (1 Cor. 3.1). Either they are very new Christians, or they are older Christians who have not grown in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ (2 Pet. 3.18). Either way, remaining a “Christian baby” is not acceptable according to the New Testament.

Then there are those who have grown some but not enough to really fulfill their discipleship. They are not babes, exactly, but they are immature. They should be at a point of teaching Jesus to others, but they are not (Heb. 5.12-14). Being content with this is not acceptable, either.

Mature Christians can be recognized by a variety of indicators. They feast on the Word of God (Heb. 5.14), persevere in love and good works (Heb. 6.9, 10), bear the fruit of the Spirit rather than the marks of the flesh (Gal. 6.16-23), use their gifts to help build the church (1 Cor. 12.7-11; Eph. 4.12-16), teach the things of Jesus to others (Heb. 5.12: Acts 1.8), and more. This, the New Testament insists, is the condition toward which every Christian strives.

All Christians need to assess their condition as a disciple. Are we just babes? Or simply immature? Well, that should not be acceptable to us. Are we growing toward maturity? Great. Paul would say, “Press on!” Do we consider ourselves mature? Well, as J. I. Packer reminded us in his book, Finishing Our Course with Joy, even the most mature of us always has something more to learn.

Ken Boa once likened the Christian life to walking up the down escalator. Standing still gets you nowhere and demonstrates a lack of seriousness about the climb. But getting to the top takes some work.

And that work begins by spending time with Jesus: “Then He appointed twelve, that they might be with Him…” (Mk. 3.14).

Begin here—always
The first criterion Jesus established for His disciples is that they must be with Him. Being with Jesus is how the disciples began their walk with and work for the Lord and being with Him is how each of them ended. In between, the disciples embraced being with Jesus as the sine qua non of a true disciple—a true Christian.

Being with Jesus has two aspects, each of which begins by meeting Jesus in His Word. We will find it difficult to be with Jesus as He intends unless we are daily communing with Him in Scripture and prayer. All Scripture is about Jesus, as He explained (Jn. 5.39); thus, in the Scriptures Jesus reveals Himself to us. All Scripture, over and over and ever more fully.

We respond to Jesus revealing Himself to us in prayers of wonder, admiration, praise, thanksgiving, and supplication, and through lives of obedience. Christians are resolved to meet Jesus like this every day because in His Presence is fullness of joy and at His right hand are pleasures forevermore (Ps. 16.11); and because unless they do, they will struggle to be with Him throughout the day.

Meeting with Jesus daily in His Word and prayer prepares and equips us for being with Jesus wherever we are and where He is.

Where we are, where He is
Jesus has promised to be with us always (Matt. 28.20). Like the disciples, when we are thus with Jesus in our temporal endeavors—working, being with others, eating and drinking, listening, helping, and so forth—we will strive to imitate Him, just like Paul did (1 Cor. 11.1). So we need to pay close attention, in our reading and study of Scripture, to how Jesus spoke, related to others, observed the people around Him, took initiatives, and more. Jesus with us—and even more, by His Spirit in us—will do those good works that take shape out of our seeing Him in the Law, the Prophets, the Writings, the Gospels, and the entire New Testament. We must “walk circumspectly” (Eph. 5.15-17) to be like Jesus in all our words and deeds, looking to and communing with Him—if only in silence—so that He will direct, empower, and bless our being, speaking, and acting like Him.

Christians spend their time with Jesus, and He shows Himself to the world through them.

But Christians also enjoy the privilege of being with Jesus where He is, seated at the right hand of God in heavenly places (Col. 3.1-3). The Scriptures—in both the Old and New Testaments—provide ample descriptions of Jesus, exalted in glory, upholding the cosmos, ruling His Kingdom, advancing the Gospel, gathering and perfecting His disciples, building His Church, and preparing a place for us. We must spend time with Jesus in these Scriptures. Christians have a ring-side seat with Jesus, to look out on themselves and their world with the mind of the Lord (1 Cor. 2.16), and thus to take all our thoughts captive to obey Him (2 Cor. 10.3-5).

This is the work of meditation, deep prayer and silence, singing with rejoicing, and encouraging one another in the Lord. John Owen, that great Puritan theologian and pastor, wrote that all believers have some image of Jesus in their mind (Christologia). But we must seek to improve and perfect that vision of Jesus, as much as possible in this life, because, after all, this is what God is working to do in us (2 Cor. 3.12-18) and it’s where we are headed at the end of our days (1 Jn. 3.1-3).

Christians spend time with Jesus where He is, gazing upon His beauty, wondering at His majesty, marveling at His excellence, basking in His power, and looking into His face for the glory that transforms them into His image (2 Cor. 4.6; 2 Cor. 3.12-18).

Learning Jesus begins by being with Him. A Christian is a disciple who spends time with Jesus. Not like a babe or some frivolous youth. But like a mature saint. Daily. In every situation. With an abundance of peace and joy. If you are a Christian, become a mature disciple. Spend time with Jesus.

Search the Scriptures
1. What are some things the disciples observed in Jesus’ life and conduct while He was among them?

2. How would you explain what it means to practice Colossians 3.1-3?

3. What can keep you from spending time with Jesus? How should you deal with that?

Next steps—Restoration: God is working to restore us to the image of Jesus. Are you spending enough time with Jesus for that to happen? How can you improve the time you spend with Jesus?

Additional Resources
If you have found this study helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).

Need some help learning Jesus? Our book, The Joy and Rejoicing of My Heart, shows you how to get at the Scriptures, get into them, and get with them in your life. Order your copy in book form by clicking here or in a free PDF by clicking here. And what does it mean to “learn Jesus”? Our book, To Know Him, follows Paul in Philippians 3 to answer that question. Order your copy by clicking here.

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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.