What do I write here?

Seriously, how does one write about the basis of his existence?

What I mean is this; all of these pages I've written at this site are in some way or another about parts of my life; interests, hobbies, opinions--things that help make me what and who I am. Christianity doesn't do that.

Christianity isn't part of my life, it is my life. It doesn't help make me who I am, it is who I am. And how do you write about that? How do you write about the very essence of who you are?

For you see, that's what it means to be a Christian. To be a Christian isn't to adopt new methods of behavior and thinking. It isn't even to fundamentally change--because to merely change, I think, implies that you build upon the foundation that came before, or at least you leave it standing. No, Christianity is neither of these. To be a Chrisitian is to be reborn. To be a Christian is not just to be set upon the right path. It is to have the old path you were on wiped away, in God's eyes. It is to be declared righteous and restored to God's good favor, to be counted not just as His creation, but as His child. And so, when I say these other things about which I write are merely parts of my life, what I mean is, these other things about which I write are merely parts of my life in Christ.

You can't ask me the question, "How is Jesus Christ part of your life," because what you're asking is "How is life a part of your life?"

I realize this may need some explaining. Here's an illustration: I have a good friend who is particularly gifted at sharing the Gospel. He can befriend total strangers and then in the course of the conversation get to the point where he is explaining the truth and implications of Christ's resurrection, and yet not seem presumptuous, overly dogmatic, or heavy-handed. The Gospel will always be offensive to those who don't believe, but my friend has a way of presenting it in such a natural and sincere manner that it doesn't reek of insincerity when, say, I try to explain it to someone. Now at one time, my friend had an opportunity to explain the Gospel to some unregenerate relatives of his. He answered some of their questions and clarified some of the points he made, and then at one point they asked him, "Do you think about this all the time?"

And the answer, for every Chrisitian, is, "Yes."

Now, when I say I think about the Gospel all the time, I don't mean that I'm constantly turning God's plan of salvation over in my mind, trying to pounce upon the some poor unsuspecting soul in order to "win them to Christ." What I mean is as a Christian, the Gospel becomes the basis upon which I think and act. Every thought, every move, every decision I make is evaluated in light of God's word and His promises and instruction. It goes far beyond those idiotic "WWJD" bracelets. It is not contemplation of what Jesus would do, but what He has done. And what He has done is pay a fearful penalty and die a horrible death for my sin, and then be raised again to life so that I might be redeemed and live free. This knowledge becomes the air I breathe, the food I eat, the very light in which I perceive all else. God's grace to me is the basis for my understanding of everything around me.

So do you see what I mean when I say Christ isn't part of my life, He is my life? And then do you see my difficulty in attempting explain something so mysterious and yet so fundamental? This, then, is what I mean when I say I am a Christian: I beleive that there is only one, true, holy God, and He is as He has revealed Himself in the Bible. I believe that I am a poor, wretched sinner, in whom dwells no good thing, who deserves only punishment for my sin because it offends the holy God. And I believe that God in the person of Christ came to earth, took upon Himself the form of a man, lived a holy and blameless life, and then suffered the punishment of sin in my place. And finally, I believe that this selfsame Christ was raised from the dead; that even now he is alive and reigns in Heaven, that even now He beckons in the form of the convicting work of His Holy Spirit that sinful men would repent and believe that he is the one true way to salvation.

On this belief I have staked my life.

The Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals

Modern Reformation

Credenda Agenda

The Center for Reformed Theology and Apologetics

Watchman Fellowship