The Authentic Christian

Many people think that the mark of an authentic Christian is doctrinal purity; if a person's beliefs are biblical and doctrinally orthodox, then he is a Christian. People who equate orthodoxy with authenticity find it hard to even consider the possibility that, despite the correctness of all their doctrinal positions, they may have missed the deepest reality of the authentic Christian life.  Ray Stedman

I was thinking this morning about what it means to be an authentic Christian.  If we want to be an authentic Christian we must first start with trust in God.  I am guilty of not trusting God enough.  I read a story about a man who pushed a wheelbarrow across a tight wire stretched over Niagara Falls.  People watching this great feat could say they trusted he could do it, but it would be a whole different matter for those watching to volunteer to crawl into the wheelbarrow.  To many times we are not willing to crawl into the wheelbarrow. 

One of my favorite verses describes how we are to trust God.  In Proverbs 3:5-6, Solomon said to “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; and lean not on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him, and he will direct your paths.” 

The second part of this is that we need to be trustworthy.  If I want to be an authentic Christian I must be trustworthy to others, or in other words, trustworthy to God’s people.

If I want to be an authentic Christian I must be transparent.  How many times have you been deceived by someone who claimed to be a Christian?  When we are evasive or deceptive, we are no longer an authentic Christian.  Then there are those who live in denial; they have issues in their lives and relationships but won’t acknowledge their part in it, so they live in denial and blame others for their issues. 

To be transparent means that we are willing to admit our faults, confess our sins, and admit to others and God when we are wrong.  Transparency means we are willing to humble ourselves to others and in doing so; we show them how to be an authentic Christian.

 

How many of us hide from God?  If I am an authentic Christian, the first thing I will realize is that God knows all my faults, sins and the wrongs I have committed.  When I think I can hide all the bad stuff from God, I am not an authentic Christian.  If we confess our sins we will find forgiveness for them. 

Being an authentic Christian means we can have joy in life again.  When we are authentic we let go of the pride that causes us to stumble over and over again.  God will bless our lives when we become authentic Christians.  

  

  

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, I have failed over and over again at being an authentic Christian.  You show me over and over again that I can trust You. If I understand Your ways and follow them, I can become an authentic Christian.  Keep my mind focused on the qualities that reflect what it means to be an authentic Christian.  I praise You for your love and guidance. 

Scripture: This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.  1 John 1:5-10