The True Christian Part 1

                The last article I wrote was a rational judgement on whether Kenya is a Christian Nation. If you did not catch it, here is the link; https://scripturemonger.blogspot.com/2020/06/is-kenya-really-christian-nation.html

 I concluded that the country cannot be regarded as a Christian nation. I know that is quite a controversial statement but it is a statement I am willing to stand by unless I perceive notable changes, in line with the word of God, in the future. Many think that they are Christian mainly because they were born in a Christian family. This has even led some antagonists of the Christian faith in Kenya to suggest that the reason for widespread Christianity in Kenya is because of families; otherwise, if this was Middle East or China, we probably would have been, as them, a Muslim or an atheist nation respectively. They ignore the fact that even in such countries, there are numbers of Christians many of whom were not so because of family but through the work of missionaries in their country and other agents. Some call themselves Christian just as a matter of convenience. They perceived that they looked nothing like the other religions and closest only to the Christian religion hence they took upon themselves the Christian name. Others just do the Christian thing as an ointment to their conscience. Their mentality is such; I know I have done some things wrong against God but as long as I confess and go to church on Sundays or give to the poor then I am good. Others think that provided they don’t drink nor fornicate and are baptized then they are Christian. There are probably other scenarios but let us stick to those for now. Therefore, the big question at this moment is – who is a Christian?

                To answer this question, I believe we must first understand the true nature of a human being. After creation, the whole universe was good before God’s sight including People (Gen 1:31). People being good would have meant that they were also morally pure and perfect. There was no hint of sin either on their mind, neither their heart nor their flesh. They lived to please God. However, by Genesis 3, we see human beings being enticed to acts contrary to God’s ways. They fell into sin which added up to another, then another and from then henceforth no human being was ever good before God in terms of their righteousness (Romans 3:10-18). By Genesis 6:5, humanity had gotten to a point that every thought of his heart was evil before God. Not only so but humanity got into a point that they did not even want God himself; we became hostile to our own creator (Romans 8:7). It is as though when the first humans committed a sin, they planted a seed of sin that grew throughout every generation and is ever growing. My dear reader, our very nature doesn’t want the true God. It doesn’t desire Him. It seeks every way to suppress His presence. Some may say they have met some lovely souls who really love God. Take such people through the God of the Bible (the only true God) with His attributes such as His holiness, His justice and His sovereignty then see whether they will continue “loving Him” unless the Spirit of God intervenes. Note that whatever reactions they exhibit are expressed towards our Creator (The God of the Bible). What they have loved is mostly a figment of their imagination; a god who has being constructed in their minds in whatever way and they love the image they have. This god is always the kind that satisfies our selfish longings (that is a topic for another day). Some may say but I have met Muslims who really love God; tell a Muslim that Jesus is the Son of God co-equal with the Father and see what happens unless the Spirit of God intervenes yet that is the nature of the true God. Others may say I have a Hindu friend who worships, loves God and he is a good person. The God of the Bible (The only true God) says there is just one God (Ephesians 4:6) yet Hinduism holds that there are hundreds of gods. This is the force behind atheists, their conscience is stamped with the existence of God (Romans 1: 19 - 20) but they have decided to exhibit what their very nature really is; in full force. They hate God. Now we may engage in a debate of who could be wrong and who could be right about the true God but one thing is for sure that we can’t all be right; only one of us can be right and I hereby proclaim that the God of the Bible, whom our very nature seeks to obliterate his memory from the face of the earth, is the true God. I won’t go into the reasons of this pronouncement for this is not the reason of this article.

                Further evidence of our natural despise of God is seen in our disobedience of his Commandments. Let us just observe the Ten Commandments alone (Exodus 20); have you ever stolen anything in your entire life? Have you ever used God’s name in vain? Have you ever coveted anyone’s property? Have you ever dishonored your parents? Have you ever been angry at anyone that you call them names? Have you ever looked at anyone in lust? When you examine the Ten Commandments no honest person will come out of it saying that they have kept all of it their entire lives. In fact, our nature seems to always have a desire to go against these commandments. Whenever, we go against these commandments we show our disdain of God. Imagine going against a president’s direct decree. What message does it pass? Now God is nothing like the president yet our very nature seeks to disobey Him hence approving our disdain of Him. Therefore our nature is Hostile against God. We hate God.

                Why am I saying all these? Because when a person comes to believe in Christ all of that will have changed. The God whom they never cared about becomes the focus of their lives. Their nature begins to treasure the God of the Bible. Their heart starts having vigorous loving affections towards the God of the Bible. The mind begins to be filled with lovely thoughts about the God of the Bible. The flesh will not just desire to live for God but will also enjoy pleasing Him. This primarily is brought about when the work of Christ is seen and savored. When an individual actually sees that they have sinned against God and that they preferred their sins over Him; the God of the universe, then they see that Christ suffered punishment on the cross in their place, that Christ was sent in Love by God to save people like them, that Christ left His heavenly magnificent glory to suffer an animal’s death out of love for people like them, that through Christ we are given a new start, that through Christ our sins are no longer counted against us, that through Christ we are no longer reproachable before God but eternally loved; a filial love, that through Christ we are presented righteous before God, that the God whom we rejected at one time is no longer ashamed to call us His sons, that for the love and joy he has for us he has promised an eternal home in which we will partake of the great  eternal extent of His glories in unbridled undisturbed joy… I can go on forever… My point is, when a person sees Christ his heart is already changed. They will begin to see Christ as absolutely worthy of their obedience and worship. They will have joy in Christ and the name of God will no longer be a cuss word or a by the way but the meaning and essence of their life; the irreducible minimum. All their actions will revolve around Christ. That is why some Christians may seem more spiritual or more zealous than others because they have seen Christ and the work He did to save them as described through the Bible. Without that kind of “seeing”, all humanity remains hopeless in its rebellion, its darkness, its folly and its blindness.

Therefore, the main question to you who call yourself a Christian – Do you treasure, value, adore and love Christ in such a way it pleases you or that you enjoy it? Again, I am not expecting perfection, but is there even a hint of this love toward Him that you enjoy? For the false Christian this kind of love to Christ will become boring burdensome and they will eventually leave it alone but to the True Christian there is no life without loving Christ no matter what. You are not a Christian if there isn’t even a hint of this devotion in you. If someone ever asks you what being born again means – it literally means being given this new nature which will love, treasure and adore Christ in obedience through the Holy Spirit.

If you find that you have not this love, I beg you cry unto the Lord while meditating on Christ and His work through the scriptures till YOU “SEE” HIM. Possible only through His spirit.                   

 @scripturemonger