YOU SHALL BE MY WITNESSES

(“What Is A Christian?”) (II)

Acts 26:12-29 (NASU)

²⁸“Agrippa replied to Paul, ‘In a short time you will persuade me to become a Christian.’ ²⁹And Paul said, ‘I would wish to God, that whether in a short or long time, not only you, but also all who hear me this day, might become such as I am, except for these chains.’”

(Acts 26:28-29)

BACKGROUND FOR THE SCRIPTURE LESSON

In Acts chapter twenty-six, Paul is being held prisoner by the Romans, having been arrested because of false charges brought against him by certain Jewish religious leaders, who were angrily opposed to the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ which he preached. Given an opportunity to defend himself before Governor Festus and King Agrippa, Paul recounts his own conversion experience – starting in verse twelve, saying in part:

¹²“While … I was journeying to Damascus … ¹³at midday, O King, I saw on the way a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining all around me and those who were journeying with me. ¹⁴And … I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew dialect, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? …’ ¹⁵And I said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. ¹⁶But get up and stand on your feet; for … I have appeared to you, to appoint you a minister and a witness not only to the things which you have seen, but also to the things in which I will appear to you; ¹⁷rescuing you from the Jewish people and from the Gentiles, to whom I am sending you, ¹⁸to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me.’ ¹⁹So, King Agrippa, I did not prove disobedient to the heavenly vision, ²⁰but kept declaring both to those of Damascus first, and also at Jerusalem and then throughout all the region of Judea, and even to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds appropriate to repentance. ²¹For this reason some Jews seized me in the temple and tried to put me to death. ²²So, having obtained help from God, I stand to this day testifying both to small and great, stating nothing but what the Prophets and Moses said was going to take place; ²³that the Christ was to suffer, and that by reason of His resurrection from the dead He would be the first to proclaim light both to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles. ²⁴While Paul was saying this in his defense, Festus said in a loud voice, ‘Paul, you are out of your mind! Your great learning is driving you mad.’ ²⁵But Paul said, ‘I am not out of my mind, most excellent Festus, but I utter words of sober truth. ²⁶For the king knows about these matters, and I speak to him also with confidence, since I am persuaded that none of these things escape his notice; for this has not been done in a corner. ²⁷King Agrippa, do you believe the Prophets? I know that you do.’ ²⁸Agrippa replied to Paul, ‘In a short time you will persuade me to become a Christian.’ ²⁹And Paul said, ‘I would wish to God, that whether in a short or long time, not only you, but also all who hear me this day, might become such as I am, except for these chains.’”

(A) WHAT A CHRISTIAN IS NOT

(1) Have you ever noticed how confusing the English language can be – especially if it’s taken literally? For example, you’re driving down the street when you see a sign that says, “Garage Sale” – but stop and try to buy that garage, and see what kind of look you get!¹

What about all those signs that say, “Slow Children Playing”? Are these the same children that grow up to be “Slow Men Working”?¹

Then there’s the sign that says, “Clean Restrooms” – wouldn’t you think they’d have employees to take care of that, so you and I wouldn’t have to do it?¹

Many people are afraid of flying. So is it really a good idea for airlines to refer to their customers as, “Departing Passengers” – or their landings as, “the Final Approach” – or call their buildings, “Terminals”?¹

(2) Fortunately most of us are more amused than confused by these words and phrases. However, many people ARE confused by the word “Christian”. By that I mean they think they know what a “Christian” is – but if they were to compare their answer with Scripture, they would discover they are wrong. Even more serious is the number of people who (based on an errant definition) think of themselves as a Christian, when according to the Bible they are not – who assume knowing about Jesus is the same thing as professing faith in Jesus – who suppose all is well between themselves and God, when the truth is, His eternal wrath still abides on them (c.f. John 3:36), because they have never repented of their sins (c.f. I Corinthians 15:17)!

(3) According to one survey, 77% of men and 86% of women in America consider themselves to be “Christians”.² However, there are several reasons why those statistics can’t possibly be accurate – one being that many people who call themselves Christians don’t really know what a Christian is. For example, a person is NOT a Christian just because they are trying to be as good as they can – obviously we expect Christians to be “good” people (at least in some limited sense), but that’s not what makes a person a Christian. NOR does the fact that our parents were Christians automatically mean we are a Christian³ – there are definite advantages to growing up in a Christian home, but that doesn’t make a person a Christian any more than sleeping in a tree house will make you a squirrel. We expect Christians to attend worship and participate in certain religious rites like baptism and communion – but doing these things is NOT what makes a person a Christian.

(B) WHAT A CHRISTIAN IS

(1) I have another message in which I go into more detail regarding what a Christian is NOT.⁹ This morning, however, I want to address what a Christian IS – beginning with the fact that a Christian is someone who has become aware of his own unworthiness in God’s sight.⁴ The level of this awareness at the time of conversion will not be the same for everyone – furthermore, our awareness of how unworthy we are prior to conversion will greatly increase AFTER we are converted, as we become more familiar with what Scripture says about our sins. Nevertheless, by God’s grace, every person who becomes a Christian is aware of certain things.

(a) First, a Christian is someone who has become aware of his own unworthiness in God’s sight due, in part, to the realization he is a sinner by PRACTICE – i.e. that he has broken God’s laws more times than he can count – and deserves to be condemned for what he has done.⁴

A Christian is able to identify with Isaiah who said: “all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment (in God’s sight)” (c.f. Isaiah 64:6) – and with Paul when he said: “I know that nothing good dwells in me” (c.f. Romans 7:18).

A Christian reads the story of the prodigal son – how he wandered away from his father, wasting his life and his resources in sinful living (c.f. Luke 15:11-13), and says: “I’m was just like the prodigal son – I too wandered away from my heavenly Father – I too wasted the life God gave me in sinful, selfish pursuits!”⁴

A Christian reads the declaration made by John, that “Everyone who sins breaks (God’s) law” (c.f. I John 3:4, NIV), and says, “I’ve sinned against God because I’ve broken His laws – I’ve broken all His commandments – hence, I’m a sinner by practice⁵ – I’m a sinner because I have sinned.”

(b) Second, a Christian is someone who has become aware of his own unworthiness in God’s sight, in part, because he has also come to realize (not fully, but at least to some degree) that he is a sinner by NATURE. By God’s grace, he has some measure of understanding that the nature with which he was born, that inner self (if you will), is in total rebellion against God – and were it not for God’s restraining grace, he would be capable of the worst sins imaginable.⁵

A Christian is someone who has come to agree with David, when he said: “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me” (c.f. Psalm 51:5).⁵ He reads David’s words in Psalm Fifty-Eight that “the wicked are estranged from the womb; (and that) they go astray as soon as they are born” (c.f. Psalm 58:3, NKJV), and says: “That’s me!”

A Christian hears Isaiah say: “you have been called a rebel from birth” (c.f. Isaiah 48:8), and knows the prophet was talking about him! He reads Paul’s words in Ephesians chapter two, that prior to our conversion we were all “by nature children of wrath” (c.f. Ephesians 2:3), and knows this was true of him!

In short, a Christian knows that prior to his conversion sinning came as naturally to him as breathing.

(c) Third, a Christian is someone who is not only concerned about his sinful behavior, but also his sinful thoughts and desires.⁵

When he reads Jeremiah’s words, that “the (human) heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked” (c.f. Jeremiah 17:9, NKJV), he knows that’s an accurate description of his own sinful heart.⁵ The same is true when he reads Solomon’s words in Ecclesiastes chapter seven, that, “the hearts of the sons of men are full of evil and insanity is in their hearts throughout their lives” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 9:3).

A Christian is someone who reads how, in the days just before the Flood, the Lord saw that “EVERY intent of the thoughts of (men’s) heart(s) was only evil continually” (c.f. Genesis 6:5) – and knows that was the condition of his own heart prior to his conversion.

A Christian reads Jesus’ description of the unredeemed human heart – how it’s the well from which “evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness” (c.f. Mark 7:21) flow – and knows these kinds of things used to flow from his old sinful heart, and to some degree they still do.

A Christian reads Isaiah chapter one – that “the whole head is sick and the whole heart is faint. From the sole of the foot even to the head there is nothing sound in it, only bruises, welts and raw wounds, not pressed out or bandaged, nor softened with oil” (c.f. Isaiah 1:5-6) – and realizes this is an accurate description of his own wicked heart, prior to repenting of his sin and professing faith in Christ.

(d) A Christian, then, is someone whose mind has been illuminated by the Holy Spirit, thereby enabling him to realize (in some measure) just how unworthy he is in God’s sight – how needy, and yet undeserving, he is of Christ’s sacrifice on his behalf – and how deserving he is of God’s eternal wrath. In short, a Christian is someone who understands (at least in some measure) what Jesus really meant when He said: “It is not those who are well who need a physician, but those who are SICK. I have not come to call the righteous but SINNERS to repentance” (c.f. Luke 5:31-32).

(2) Next, a Christian is someone who believes Jesus Christ IS GOD come in human flesh, and that as such He is the ONLY Savior of sinners – and the ONLY sacrifice for our sins.⁵

(a) The full humanity of Jesus is affirmed throughout Scripture through the record of His birth (c.f. Luke 2:6-7), life, and death (c.f. John 19:30). Everything we go through, He went through – everything we feel, He felt – every temptation we face, He faced (c.f. Hebrews 2:18). He experienced hunger, thirst, and fatigue (c.f. John 4:6-7) – He felt love (c.f. John 13:23) and anger (c.f. Mark 3:5), joy and disappointment (c.f. John 14:9), pleasure and pain (c.f. Mark 15:15).

To put it simply, a truly objective person cannot read the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ life and come to any other conclusion than that He was a human being in every sense of the word – with two exceptions – the manner in which He was conceived in Mary’s womb (c.f. Luke 1:34-35), and the fact He never sinned (c.f. Hebrews 4:15).

(b) The full deity of Jesus is also affirmed throughout Scripture. The Gospel of John opens by declaring that “the Word was God” (c.f. John 1:1).⁶ The Book of Hebrews says: “He is the radiance of (God’s) glory and the exact representation of His nature” (c.f. Hebrews 1:3). Jesus Himself said: “I and the Father are one” – whereupon the Scripture says unbelieving Jews picked up stones to stone Him to death “for blasphemy … because”, they said, “You being a man, make Yourself out to be God” (c.f. John 10:30-33).

Beyond these things, we can say without equivocation that Jesus’ miracles attest He is God (c.f. John 3:2) – His teaching confirms He is God (c.f. Matthew 7:28-29) – His sinless life verifies He is God (c.f. John 8:46) – His resurrection from the dead testifies that He is God (c.f. John 10:18) – indeed, everything about Him bears witness to the fact that He is God come in human flesh.

(c) A Christian, therefore, is a person who believes Jesus of Nazareth is BOTH God and Man – that in some way he cannot fully understand, the divine nature and human nature have been joined together in Christ. Indeed, it is impossible to be a Christian without believing these things, in part because Scripture says: “every spirit that confesses … Jesus Christ has come IN THE FLESH is from God; and every spirit that does not confess (i.e. that) Jesus (came in the flesh) is not from God” (c.f. I John 4:2-3).

To be a Christian, then, a person must believe Jesus is BOTH fully God and fully man. He doesn’t have to be able to unravel this mystery – but he does have to believe it.

(d) By God’s grace, a Christian also believes this God-Man (i.e. Jesus) is the ONLY Savior of sinners – the ONLY way to the Father – the ONLY door to heaven – the ONLY sacrifice for sins – the ONLY means of salvation. He may not yet understand all the details of it – but this one thing he believes, that “there is salvation in NO ONE ELSE; (because) there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved” (c.f. Acts 4:12). He may not yet understand big theological words like “imputation”, “vicarious”, or “propitiation” – but he does know “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” like himself (c.f. I Timothy 1:15), and initially that’s all he needs to know to be saved!

Along these same lines, a Christian is someone who is NOT relying on anything or anyone other than Jesus Christ for his salvation – he is NOT trusting in his own goodness, because he knows that in God’s sight he doesn’t have any “goodness” – he’s NOT depending on any contribution he might be able to make to his own salvation, because he knows he doesn’t have anything worth contributing – he’s NOT counting on anything in himself, because he knows there’s nothing in him but sin and selfishness.

What he IS relying on is the Person and Work of Jesus Christ, ALONE – in keeping with the Scripture that says: “there is one … mediator … between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all” (c.f. I Timothy 2:5) – and with Jesus’ own words, when He said: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me” (c.f. John 14:6).

(e) To summarize, then, a Christian is someone who has come to believe Jesus Christ is both God and man united in one person⁷ – that this God-Man, Jesus, is the sole and only Savior of sinners like himself – so that apart from Him there is no other means of salvation, no other hope of eternal life, no other way to have his sins forgiven, no other possibility of getting into heaven and staying out of hell.

(3) Third, a Christian is someone who has actually repented of his sins and professed faith in Jesus Christ.⁷ In other words, by God’s enabling grace, he didn’t stop at believing the things we’ve been talking about in some intellectual or theoretical fashion – rather, he’s ACTED on what he has come to believe – i.e. he’s taken the next step, which involves ACTUALLY repenting of his sins, and ACTUALLY placing his trust in Jesus Christ alone for his salvation.

(a) In Scripture, “repentance” always has to do with change – changing one’s mind, changing one’s behavior, or both. The prophet Jeremiah described how unwilling some people are to change their behavior, when he said: “they (have) refused to take correction. They have made their faces harder than rock; they have refused to repent” (c.f. Jeremiah 5:3). The prophet Isaiah described the kind of change that take place when people do repent, saying in part: “Let the wicked (man) forsake his (wicked) way(s) and (let) the unrighteous man (forsake) his (unrighteous) thoughts” (c.f. Isaiah 55:7a). Even in this morning’s Scripture lesson, Paul spoke of the changes true repentance brings, when told King Agrippa how faithful he had been to declare to both Jews and Gentiles that, “they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds appropriate to repentance” (c.f. Acts 26:20).

(b) So far as becoming a Christian is concerned, true repentance involves at least three things. Most people don’t fully understand these things at the time of their conversion – nevertheless, if any are missing it’s not biblical repentance – which in turn means it’s not the kind of repentance that results in a person becoming a Christian.

[1] First, true repentance means we are genuinely sorry for our sin.⁷ Biblical sorrow, however, is not the same thing as being sorry we got caught – nor is it the same thing as being sorry for any consequences or punishment we may have to face on account of what we’ve done. Instead, biblical sorrow has to do with being sorry for having offended a holy and righteous God – it involves grieving over the fact we have displeased our Heavenly Father – it’s the kind of sorrow that comes from knowing our sins have insulted our King to the point of justifiable outrage.

A Christian, then, is someone who has been graciously enabled to identify (in some measure) with David, who, after committing adultery and murder, expressed genuine sorrow for what he had done, saying in part: “Against You (Lord), You only, have (I) sinned and done what is evil in Your sight, so that You are justified when You speak and blameless when You judge” (c.f. Psalm 51:4).

[2] Second, true repentance means we are genuinely sorry for who and what we are.⁷ What we are, or course, is a sinful human being, from head to toe – in heart, mind and emotions – in thoughts and actions – in words and deeds – by nature and by practice. Furthermore, the person who is truly repentant knows they deserve whatever punishment God deems appropriate for the crimes they’ve committed against Him by breaking His laws.

A Christian, then, is someone who can see himself for who and what he really is – not fully, but at least accurately. By God’s grace he is able to identify with Isaiah when he said: “Woe is me, for … I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips” (c.f. Isaiah 6:5) – and with the publican in the temple who prayed: “God, be merciful to me, the sinner!” (c.f. Luke 18:13) – and with Peter, who once fell at Jesus’ feet, and cried out: “Go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man” (c.f. Luke 5:8).

[3] Third, true repentance also involves forsaking our sin.⁸ This doesn’t happen instantly – nor do we ever become perfect in this life – BUT, real changes do take place. Hence, a Christian is not the same person he was before – like the Apostle Paul, he thinks differently and acts differently – indeed, for him the Scripture has come true that says: “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come” (c.f. II Corinthians 5:17). Along these same lines, he knows that as a Christian he is to be about the daily business of “lay(ing) aside the old self, (which is corrupted and enslaved to) the lusts of deceit … (while also) put(ting) on the new self, which (reflects) the likeness of (Christ)” (c.f. Ephesians 4:22-24).

(c) Repentance is only one side of the coin, however – the other side is that a Christian is someone who has also professed faith in Christ – or come to believe in the Lord Jesus, as we sometimes say⁸ – especially since the Scripture says: “whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life” (c.f. John 3:16) – and again: “He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” (c.f. John 3:18) – and once more: “He who believes in the Son has eternal life” (c.f. John 3:36).

[1] In Scripture, the person who believes in Christ has come to trust in or rely upon Him alone for their salvation. To put it another way, believing in Christ involves reliance, dependence, or commitment – and may be illustrated by a patient who actually puts his life in a surgeon’s hands by checking into the hospital and undergoing a needed operation⁸ – or an airline passenger who literally puts his life in a pilot’s hands by getting on board the plane and taking off.

Even so, a Christian is someone who has put his eternal future and his hope of salvation in Jesus’ hands, by calling on Him to forgive his sins (c.f. Psalm 32:5), save him from the wrath of God to come (c.f. John 3:36), give him the free gift of eternal life (c.f. Romans 6:23), and have a place waiting for him in heaven when this life on earth comes to an end (c.f. John 14:2-3).

[2] One author has illustrated the commitment factor involved in saving faith like this. Imagine that a fire breaks out in a home where a young boy is asleep on the top floor. His parents wake up, get all the other children safely out, but somehow miss him. Once they realize he’s still inside the burning house, the father tries to go back in – but the flames are too much to get through. Meanwhile, the boy wakes up, realizes what’s going on, runs to the bedroom window and opens it. Looking down, he sees the concrete pavement three stories below. If he stays where he is, he will die – if he jumps he will probably die. His situation looks hopeless – until he sees his father, who holds out his arms and shouts, “Jump, and I’ll catch you!” The boy knows his father is strong enough to catch him – but just knowing that won’t save him. He knows his father loves him and is willing to catch him – but knowing that won’t save him. He knows his father wants him to jump, and promises to catch him – but knowing those things won’t save him either. Unless he trusts his father enough to actually jump he will most certainly perish.¹⁰

In a similar fashion, a person can know all about Jesus intellectually and still not be a Christian – because a Christian is someone who has gone beyond the intellectual, to actually put their trust in Christ alone for their salvation. Hence, when the Philippian jailer asked Paul: “what must I do to be saved?” the apostle answered: “Believe in the Lord Jesus” (c.f. Acts 16:30-31) – while in another place he said: “if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved” (c.f. Romans 10:9).¹⁰

[3] It’s important to add at this point that a Christian is also someone who realizes (albeit imperfectly) that Jesus Christ is the One who saves him – not his faith, or even his repentance. That these acts, while necessary, do not merit God’s favor⁷ – nor do they earn him the title of Christian. He may not yet fully understand how repentance and faith are gifts of God’s grace (c.f. Ephesians 2:8-9) – but he does recognize them as the means by which his sins are forgiven and the gift of eternal life becomes his. As his knowledge of God’s word grows and he matures in the faith, he will come to realize more and more what hymn-writer Augustus Toplady was talking about when he penned these words:

“Not the labors of my hands

can fulfill Thy law’s demands;

Could my zeal no respite know,

could my tears forever flow,

All for sin could not atone;

Thou must save, and Thou alone.”¹¹

(d) A Christian, then, is someone who has actually repented of their sins and believed in the Lord Jesus Christ.⁷ They haven’t just thought about it – they’ve actually done it! They don’t just know about these things in some intellectual or academic kind of way – they’ve actually done them! Nor have they done them in a superficial or insincere way – rather, they’ve done them the way Scripture prescribes.

(e) The question is, (of course) have you repented of your sins? – in the biblical sense? Have you professed faith in Christ? – in the sense that you are trusting Him alone for your salvation? These are the means whereby a person is saved by the Person of Jesus Christ and His work on the cross – and thereby becomes a Christian!

(4) I urge you, then, to do what the Scripture exhorts all of us to do – namely, to “test (ourselves) to see if (we) are in the faith” (c.f. II Corinthians 13:5). Test your definition of what a Christian is against what the Bible says – don’t take my word for it, find out for yourself – be like the Bereans in Acts chapter seventeen, who “examined the Scriptures daily to see whether or not the things Paul was teaching them were true” (c.f. Acts 17:11). If your definition of what a Christian is cannot stand the test of Scripture, then you need to flee to Jesus Christ in repentance and faith – remembering the promise He made, saying: “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out” (c.f. John 6:37). In other words, if you will come to Him in repentance and faith, He will not turn you away – He will save you, thereby making you a Christian in the true sense of that wonderful word!

BIBLIOGRAPHY

¹www.moreaboutjesus.org/maj/01intro.htm.

²www.quietwaters.org/what%20is%20a%christian.htm.

³Mack: The Bible’s Answer to the Question: What is a

Christian?; p. 1.

⁴IBID; p. 5.

⁵IBID; p. 6.

⁶IBID; p. 7.

⁷IBID; p. 10.

⁸IBID; p. 11.

⁹http://www.wpcpca.org/Archive/02-13-05-am.html

http://www.wpcpca.org/Archive/01-06-08-am.html

¹⁰Mack: Ibid; p. 12

¹¹Trinity Hymnal: Rock of Ages, Cleft for Me; #499.