Portrait of a Christian
I Peter 1:14; 2:2,5,11
Many things have been said of religion or Christianity. William James, the famous psychologist, said: "Religion shall mean for us the feelings, acts, and experiences of individual men in their solitude." Paul Tillich (August 20, 1886 – October 22, 1965) German-American theologian and Christian existentialist philosopher said: "Religion in the largest and most basic sense of the word, is ultimate concern. And ultimate concern is manifest in all creative functions of the human spirit." The Random House Dictionary says of religion that it usually involves devotional and ritual observances and often has a moral code for the conduct of human affairs. Rudolf Otto, (September 25, 1869–6 March 1937) was an eminent German Lutheran theologian and said of religion: "It is the emotion of a creature, abased and overwhelmed by its own nothingness in contrast to that which is supreme above all creatures."
Friedrich Nietzsche, the atheist who proclaimed that God was dead, said something quite different about religion. He said: "From the start, the Christian faith is a sacrifice of all freedom, all pride, all self-confidence of the spirit; at the same time, enslavement and self-mockery, self-mutilation.”
Now we might ask ourselves what kind of portrait we would paint of a Christian. For some a Christian is one who must be at church on Sunday and Wednesday and any other time there is a function or activity at the church. I have had people tell me that they do not have to come to church to be a Christian, and technically this is true. I recall the time a man and myself were visiting another family in the community, and the question was asked if this particular person was a Christian. His answer: "Well, I was raised a Christian." On the movie Across the Great Divide, the question is asked of the man who is leading the two children across the wilderness: "What religion are you?" His answer was “I was raised a Christian." For others a Christian is anyone who has accepted Christ as their Savior and what they do after that point does not really matter. Some equate being an American with being a Christian. Seemingly then, there are many different ideas about what it means to be a Christian.
In our passages today, Peter shows us what an accurate portrait of a Christian should look like. While we may go to many different places or people to find ideas on what it means to be a Christian, the Word of God is the final authority.
I. THEY ARE OBEDIENT CHILDREN
Peter says; "Like obedient children, do not be conformed to the desires that you formerly had in ignorance."
Peter compares the relationship Christians have to that of a parent and child. The Bible is very clear on the matter that children are to obey their parents. In fact, under Old Testament law a rebellious child could be put to death. This commandment to obey the parents is a command that carries a promise. Remember what the commandment says: "Honor your father and mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you." (Exodus 20:12)
Obedience to parents or any kind of authority is sometimes hard to find. It appears that we are now raising a generation of young people who have little respect for authority. One gathering in Saugerties, NY (August 1994) celebrated the 25th anniversary of Woodstock. This was a love and drug fest that took place in l969. That generation was rebellious too. It also seemed to want to cast off the yoke of authority. Bucking rather than obeying seems to be the norm.
Peter says this is not the way it should be in the Christian's relationship with God. What proves to ourselves and others that we are a Christian is our obedience. We are to obey God just as the child is to obey their parents. Ideally, the obedience of a child should be out of love, not out of fear of reprisal if they disobey. We can force our children to obey us, and sometimes we have to do that as parents, but it is much better when they obey out of love. It should be the same way with the Christian. They should obey God because they love him. We should not obey God simply because we fear his wrath. We should not simply obey God because we are afraid we will miss out on some blessings. We should obey God because we love him and appreciate his sacrifice for us. This is a part of the portrait of the Christian. What a shame that so many believers miss out on the deeper meaning of being a Christian because of areas of disobedience in their life.
In Melville's Moby Dick, Father Mapple ascends the pulpit and says some very interesting words about this matter of obedience: "And if we obey God, we must disobey ourselves; and it is in this disobeying ourselves, wherein the hardness of obeying God consists."
II. THEY ARE LIKE NEWBORN BABES
Peter said; "Like newborn infants, long for the pure, spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow into salvation."
So now the painting of a Christian takes on another side. We are to imitate newborn infants. We have all seen newborn infants, and we know the desire they have for milk. The hunger drive in newborns is an all consuming drive. This is obviously all the infant thinks about. When the hunger drive is not satisfied, the parents or whoever the caretaker is will know about it somehow. The crying will continue as long as the stomach is empty.
For almost three years, I became aware of the hunger drive with both of my children. There was that routine of waking up two to three times every night to satisfy their hunger drive.
If the child is to grow and mature into an adult, they must have nourishment. Not to get the proper nutrition means physical problems. Peter says it is the same way with the child of God. He says we are to long for the pure, spiritual milk. The pure spiritual milk comes from the Word of God. The Word of God is where we find our nourishment. We, like the newborn baby, should cry out for it until our hunger need is met.
Do you have a deep longing for the Word of God? How long do we go during the week without reading it. Is it a daily habit, or is Sunday the only day that we receive anything from God's Word. Does it bother us if we are not able to read the Word of God for a period of time. If we lost our Bible, would it make any difference. Would we even know if we lost it. I recall one church I attended. After the people had left, you could walk up and down the center aisle and see how many Bibles were left on the pews. I often wondered if they had others at home that they read, or if they never read until the next time they were at church. What is it that keeps you from the Word?
Peter says the way we grow up in our salvation is by longing for the milk of God's Word. Just as the literal milk causes the child to grow, so the Word of God makes believers grow. Without it we will fail in our walk with God. Without it, we will not be able to fight the spiritual wars that come our way. We will forfeit the guidance God wants to give.
We must remember that salvation is a life-long process. We are saved at a point in time. After that we are being saved from the power of sin over our lives. In the end, we will be saved from the very presence of sin. God’s Word helps us in our fight against temptation. Is the busyness of your life crowding out what is most important?
III. THEY ARE LIVING STONES
Peter said; "like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ."
Peter picks up on the imagery of Jesus when he talks about living stones. In the previous verse, he refers to Jesus as the living stone, and in this verse he says Christians are living stones. Jesus referred to himself as a cornerstone. Cornerstones are not very important in our society, but they were vital in Biblical times. The laying of a cornerstone is usually the last thing done in the building of a structure and is nothing more than a formality. In Biblical times, the cornerstone was a very important stone. Peter may be picking up on a legend that concerns the building of the Temple in Jerusalem. As the story goes, the builders rejected a very unusual stone during the building process. However at the end, they discovered that this was the very stone they needed to finish the building. The cornerstone was the stone that held the walls together. The buildings during this time did not have metal supports like today.
Now Peter says that Christians are living stones. We are to build ourselves up into a spiritual house. If we are going to do this, there must be unity among us. If we are going to advance the kingdom of God in our community, city, state, country, and world, there must be a unified effort by all Christians.
The problem is that sometimes the stones do not appear to be very alive or unified. To be sure, we may go through the motions of being a church, but there is not really much life in God's people sometimes. If others are going to get excited about serving God, the excitement must begin with believers. If we are not excited about being a Christian, how can we expect anyone else to be?
Peter says we are a holy priesthood. As believers, we need no priest to make intercession for us to God. As a Christian, we can go boldly before the throne of grace and have interaction with the living and mighty God. What a wonderful honor and privilege. But there must be unity among those living stones if we are to make a worldwide impact.
On April 4, l949, the foreign ministers of the countries of the United States, Britain, France, and nine other countries signed the compact that created NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization). They agreed "that an armed attack against one... shall be considered an armed attack against all." If the living stones live in unity, there is nothing we cannot do in the name of Jesus.
IV. THEY ARE STRANGERS IN THIS WORLD
Peter said; "Beloved, I urge you as aliens and exiles to abstain from the desires of the flesh that wage against the soul."
In the naturalization process, the rights of living in one country are given to a person from a foreign country. They take an oath of allegiance to that particular country, and then the rights of a citizen are conferred upon them.
Peter says that Christians are aliens and exiles or strangers. In reality, the Christian is a citizen of two countries. God allows us to live in this world for a time, but our real citizenship is in heaven.
Since our citizenship is in heaven, it goes without saying that we should not be excessively concerned with what goes on in our world. This is not to say that we should not be concerned about our world or its affairs because we should desire that Christian values be put in place and that godly leaders rule. It is to say that our utmost attention should be given to godly living, spreading God’s love and discipling his people. This will help enlarge the kingdom of God on earth. Additionally, we should strive to see God's will done on earth.
John Wesley was a great evangelist. While at Oxford, he learned the true meaning of holy living. He belonged to the Holy Club which was a group of young men who lived lives of strict discipline. They were known for self-sacrifice, devotional practices, and charitable activities. They came to be known as Methodists because of the methodical manner in which they did things. Might we also recognize where our primary concerns in life should lie.
Conclusion
A small boy who was not quite three years old skipped down an imposing corridor. The armed servicemen took no notice of him as he passed their posts. He passed several staff members who paid no attention to him. The guard outside the door the little boy wanted to enter made no attempt to stop him. Once inside, the little boy ran across the carpet of the Oval Office. He then climbed into the lap of the most powerful man in the country. Cabinet members had to wait to finish their discussion as John F. Kennedy and his son, John John, exchanged hugs and kisses. John-John knew who his daddy was and his daddy knew who he was and because of this he could approach him at anytime.
As Christians, Peter tells us that we are obedient children, newborn babes, living stones, and strangers in this world. Are you living in obedience and desiring more of God daily? Are you striving to live in unity with all believers so that we can effectively advance God’s kingdom?
