Defending God, or Defending myself?

“And you call yourself a Christian!”

The first time someone used that put-down on me, I was shattered. There were 2 reasons it hurt so much.

1) It was a direct below the belt hit on the one thing that I cling to as my identity, which encompasses every aspect of my being. Attacking my status as a follower of Christ is the sharpest barb Satan has in his arsenal, on par with “If you are the Son of God…”

2) The mouth that uttered those words was my father’s, a man that I adored beyond anyone else. It was the ultimate rejection and put down.

Over the next 10 or so years, I have heard him say this about many believers, some of whom I love dearly. All it took was for the believer to make a mistake, act in a way my dad didn’t like, tell a lie or conceal a truth for him to jump on him with the only way he can attack him while maintaining his face and sense of self-worth.

My reaction was always one of anger and deep hurt. I jumped to God’s defense, trying to explain away my shortcomings or defend my actions, as if the circumstances extenuate my actions. I tried to get my dad to understand that it’s not God’s fault I am such a sad example to his glory. I pleaded, groveled, explained and generally left feeling even more defeated and deflated then when I started.

But lately I have been thinking about what that statement really means. Yes, it is said with derision and a sneer, but it carries the following hidden meanings:-

1) Because you are a Christian, I hold you to a higher standard than anyone else.
2) Your profession of faith is the only thing I can attack because there is really nothing else about you that I can possibly be offended by.
3) I want you to remember who you are and Who you represent here on earth, so that, through you, I can experience such a little of the Grace you walk in.
4) I know what the “rules” of Christianity are, but I don’t know who Christ is.

Now when I hear my father or my brothers ask if someone calls himself a Christian, my answer is a simple yes. For being a Christian is not about how good you are. It’s about how good Christ is.

If I was able to be good, keep all the “rules”, never lose my temper, never tell a lie, never swear and never make mistakes of any kind, then, why would I need a Saviour?

Ephesians 2:4-10
4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.


Enemy: Call yourself a Christian?!

Me : Why yes, I do. Because in my moment of weakness, Christ loved me. In my moment of hurt and anger, He comforted me. When I fell and fell again, he shed His blood for me. When my sinful nature arose, He forgave me.

Enemy: Call Nalinee your child?!

Jesus: Why yes, I do. Because when I hung on the cross, it’s her face I saw. When I was striped with the lash, I had her healing in mind. When I shed my blood, I redeemed her unto myself. When she calls on me, I answer her.

I don’t need to defend God against a defeated enemy. And who better to defend me than the King of Heaven?