This is part two of a blog series in which I intend to investigate, biblically, the marks of a Christian. I want to encourage you to join the conversation in the comments area at the bottom of each post.

The reason I want to take some time with this discussion is simply because I’m a pastor in the Bible Belt which is a culture in which the definition of a Christian is very confused. So may believe that a Christian is simply a person who goes to church or a person raised by people who go to church. (Christians do, and should, go to church but church attendance and worship is a fruit, not a cause.)

I was inspired by some thoughts as I read Oswald Chambers’, My Utmost for His Highest, this morning which led me to make a second defining statement. Here’s what He spoke:

“It is possible to take the forgiveness of sin, the gift of the Holy Ghost, and our sanctification with the simplicity of faith, and to forget at what enormous cost to God it was all made ours.”

This statement caused my mind to go to Philippians 2:5-10 immediately. The cost of God’s ability to forgive us was extremely high. No greater example of Jesus’ sacrifice can be found than Paul’s words, “And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” What sacrifice! God’s holiness, righteousness and justice made it so He could not forgive us for our sin and sinful nature. But, God’s inexpressible love made it so He would take the punishment for our sin on Himself so He could forgive us. Can you imagine begin the perfect, creating God of the universe and placing yourself in the kind of pain, embarrassment and death that Jesus did? Your answer to that question is actually the same as mine; no, none of us can. No one, who sees forgiveness in the light of Philippians 2:8 views it with a the flippant attitude of the modern American church.

Here, then, is my second definition of a Christian:

A Christian is one who understands that forgiveness is easy to accept but it only comes in light of the inexpressible tragedy of the cross.

Forgiveness is easy to accept but it was not easy to bring about. Though Jesus is the God of the universe, I don’t know of any way to make Philippians 2:5-10 easy for Him and I’m sure we should not make it too easy either. As I like to say when I preach, no one truly sees Jesus for who He is and walks away like He’s no big deal. The same is true for forgiveness. It’s a very big deal!

Yet another reminder of something of which I should be so thankful! What a great God  is He who came after us!