Articles
Who Am I, Really?
Those who follow Jesus Christ are known by several descriptive terms, each one revealing who we are or are supposed to be, what we do, who and what we believe, and our earthly purpose. If I claim to be a follower of Jesus, then I must live in such a way as to fulfill the expectations and demands of each of those descriptive terms, and if I fail in my spiritual life, it is most likely because I failed to live up to one or more of those expectations and demands. Maybe I failed because I was unaware of one or more of the terms that describe a follower of Christ and did not understand what was expected of me.
To prevent further failures, it would be good for me to consider each of those descriptive terms; unfortunately, time and space will not allow in this format [there are around 175 different descriptive terms applied to followers of Christ]. But, let us consider just a few that will hopefully help us all better understand who and what a follower of Christ is to be, and help us in our efforts to be pleasing to our Lord.
Children of God. (1 John 3:1) John declares, “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!” To that, I can only say, "Amen!" What a privilege and blessing it is for we who were once called the “enemies” of God (Rom. 5:10) to now be called His children!
As His children, we enjoy the watchful care of our Father, who “knows the things you have need of before you ask Him” (Matt. 6:8), one who, if we who are His children confess and repent of our sins, “is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9), and who has promised an inheritance (Rom. 8:16, 17) — one that is “incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven” (1 Pet. 1:4).
As “children of God,” we have all spiritual blessings in Christ (Eph. 1:3) and a spiritual family here on earth to help us walk the path of righteousness. We have as our Father the Creator of the universe, one who breathed into us the breath of life and who by a word brought everything into existence. We also have a Father who “has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor punished us according to our iniquities” (Psa. 103:10), and “As a father pities his children,…pities those who fear Him” (Psa. 103:13).
At the very least, when I think about the fact I am a child of God, I should be thankful to God every waking moment, and unashamed to vocally praise
Him for all He has done and continues to do for me. I should have peace of mind because my Father is more powerful than any man and He has promised me eternal rest when this earthly life ends. As a child of God, I have a Father and Forgiver, Provider and Protector, and the recipient of my respect and honor.
Christians. (Acts 11:26) It is said here, “the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch,” and that Divine description is certainly fitting, for it is the true Christian who is "adhering to or following" Christ. Following Christ is not like 'followers' on Twitter, where it only means you are halfway interested in what someone is doing or saying; no, following Christ means following His teachings and following His example. Only those who are willing to do that can honestly be called Christians.
In regards to His teachings, it only makes sense that if we call ourselves Christians, we would be following His teachings. Jesus, in fact, said, “You are My friends if you do whatever I command you” (John 15:14), and, “If you love Me, keep My commandments” (John 14:15). John adds, “He who says, ‘I know Him,’ and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him” (1 John 2:4). Simply put, we cannot honestly claim to be followers or adherents of Jesus Christ if we are not obeying His commands.
As for following His example, Peter reminds us Christ willingly suffered for us, “leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps” (1 Pet. 2:21); Paul admonishes us, “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ” (1 Cor. 11:1); and John reminds us, “He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked” (1 John 2:6). In other words, to be truly called a Christian, I must follow the example of Jesus. Am I doing that?
Disciples. (Acts 6:1, 7) In the early church, we find “the number of the disciples was multiplying” (Acts 6:1), and, “the word of God spread, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem” (Acts 6:7). When the pure gospel of Jesus Christ is preached, those who hear and obey are then called disciples, and fittingly so. The Greek word translated as disciple in the New Testament is (mathetes) and, literally translated, means "a learner," or a student. Again, this makes sense since we are students of Jesus Christ, our Master Teacher.
We should not be surprised, then, to hear Jesus call to us, saying, “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me” (Matt. 11:29), and neither should we be surprised to see that teaching the commands of Jesus must take place before there can be any disciples (cf. Matt. 28:19, 20). So, am I learning from Jesus, or are mere men my teachers? Am I learning from Jesus, or do I think I already know all there is to know? Am I learning of Jesus, or is my mind preoccupied with learning the ways of the world?
Sojourners and Pilgrims. (1 Pet. 2:11, 12) Peter reminded the early disciples, “Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation.” The admonition here is a reminder that we are not living for this world, but for the Lord; we are not to conform to the ways of the world, but to be changed people (cf. Rom. 12:2).
But that description of “sojourners and pilgrims” is also a reminder of where our minds should be set: “on things above, not on things on the earth” (Col. 3:2). If we do this, we will not be overly concerned with the political wranglings and power struggles of godless men, the wild swings of the stock markets, or the price of tea in China. To the spiritually-minded follower of Jesus Christ, these things are mere bumps in the road he travels, and nothing to be anxious about and no cause for undue stress.
If I am to live in a way that demonstrates I am truly a “sojourner and pilgrim,” I must not be laying up earthly treasures, seeking worldly power or wealth fame, and I must not find my greatest pleasure in material, physical things. A sojourner is someone temporarily living in one location, but headed somewhere else; a pilgrim is one who is on a purposeful journey to a particular destination. Both of these terms rightly describe a follower of Jesus Christ, but do those terms describe me?
Let us not forget: “we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal” (2 Cor. 4:18). As a follower of Jesus, I must not get wrapped up in the worldly affairs, nor should I allow them to distract me from my goal. Let us truly be followers of Jesus: God's children, Christians, disciples, and sojourners Doing so leads us to where He now is. —— Steven Harper
