The Big Questions About the Christian LifeSample

How Are Christians Meant to Live?

One of the strangest characters in history is Simon Stylites, a Christian monk who thought the right way to live as a Christian was to get as far from the world as possible. He lived for 37 years on a small platform on top of a pillar more than 15 meters high. It’s unlikely Christians should live like that!

I would like to talk about how you might recognize a Christian because that will give us clues about how Christians are meant to live.

Christians look like most other people. Your neighbor could be a follower of Jesus, and you might not know it. However, Christians are meant to be marching to the beat of a different drum from that of our world’s self-centered, materialistic, power-centered values.

The number one commandment Jesus gave was to love God and love your neighbor as yourself. So, Christians are meant to love their neighbors. Jesus’ definition of love is different from the idea of “I’ll be nice to you just in case I need you to be nice to me.” Jesus’ definition is radical. The Christian concept of love means that followers of Jesus are called to live sacrificially, putting the good of others first.

That’s why Christians are meant to be kind and accepting of others, just like Jesus, who was a friend to all. Jesus said his followers welcome others and show kindness to them is actually how they welcome him. Of course, this applies to everyone, but in particular, followers of Jesus are to care for the vulnerable and give a voice to the voiceless, the outcasts and rejected of our world – just as he did.

Followers of Jesus look at money differently. They don’t see it as an end in itself but as a means to an end, to help alleviate the sufferings of others, and to share the Good News about Jesus’ offer of eternal life. Jesus said the main thing that should define a Christian is selfless love.

I want to be very clear. I know I’m describing an ideal, and perhaps what some people have experienced with followers of Jesus isn’t what I’ve been describing. That’s a shame, and the reason for it is that it’s been too easy for Christians to get caught up in selfishness and live by the broken values and systems of this world.

Ultimately, Christians are to be agents of radical change in the world – change for the better. This change needs to start in your heart first, as the love of God softens and transforms it. That way, you can start loving and caring like Christ.

– Eliezer Gonzalez