Ask a Pastor Column

Q: What does a good Christian look like? How do they act?  How do I become one?

  A: This is a wonderful question and one that I hope every sincere Christian asks themselves frequently. For the purpose of this article, I think I can boil the answer down to two basic ideas: to be a good Christian means growing in Christian character (Colossians 2:6-7; Colossians 3:12-15) within a Christian Community (Hebrews 10:25; Ephesians 4:13).

     The word “Christian” literally means a little Christ (a model or imitation of Jesus). It it’s simplest sense, being a Christian means absorbing Christlikeness and reflecting it to others (II Corinthians 3:18). This isn’t a once-for-all transformation, it is a gradual process whereby we become more and more like Jesus (Colossians 3:1-5). We develop Christian character by exposing ourselves to Christ through intentional Bible study (Psalm 1:1-4; Colossians 2:16) and prayer (Ephesians 6:18; I Timothy 2:1-3), and to mature Christians through fellowship (Acts 2:42-47; Philippians 3:17). Since we all tend to become like the people we spend time around, spending time around God and godly people helps us become more like Him (Galatians 5:16; II Corinthians 3:18). The more we invest in this process, the faster the transformation takes place (Galatians 6:8-9).

Part of growing as a Christian is coming to realize our unique strengths and weaknesses. Each one of us is a puzzle piece, meant to fit with others in order to discover a greater whole (yes this is even true of pastors) (Romans 12:4-5; Ephesians 4:11-16). It is amazing to watch God raise up Christians with a wide array of gifts to serve in a local church. Some teach, some lead, some help with music, some serve by cleaning the church, some serve through financial generosity; everyone has special gifts that they bring and each one fits into a local church in a different way (Romans 12:6-8; I Peter 4:10-11). Together we accomplish things that no one of us could ever do on our own.

The neat thing about this goal is that we can completely fulfill this standard today. All God expects of a good Christian is that we commit ourselves to the process of growth. No matter what we’ve done in the past we can choose today to invest time with God and with our connection to a local church. If we do this, God is pleased to help us along our Christian journey and bless us with growth as we take each new step with Him.

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