Recently, a beloved Hollywood actor passed away and my oldest daugher asked, "Mom, was he a Christian?" So I did what all modern moms do when they don't know the answer to a question: I Googled it. I found an article by Christianity Today that sought to answer that question for us. The evidence they offered on this man's life:
He was baptized at a young age.
He gave to the church and served in the church in the past.
He prayed he would land a particular role.
He referenced a Bible verse in a speech made at an award's ceremony.
The slant of the article, in my mind, used these things to indicate that he was, indeed, a Christian. But I was troubled by the article. There was no mention of Jesus, confession of sin, and salvation. This man lived a "good life" and did "good things", even religious things, but is that what makes one a Christian? I contrasted it with an interview I saw with Justin Bieber- that loved/hated pop singer- in which he spoke about his salvation. He confessed to being a sinner, being completely bad and not good at all. He spoke of Jesus saving him. He admitted he was a complete mess and that Jesus met him in that mess.
When I compare what I see of these two lives, I admit I would very reluctantly admit that Justin Bieber lives as a Christian. But when I heard him speak, there was no doubt that he "got it". He knows he is a sinner in need of saving. I'm not saying the other guy with the good life wasn't a Christian- I'm just saying that the evidence given wasn't what the Bible tells us makes a person "saved".
This is our tendency as Christians- to qualify what makes a person Christian or not. It's a tale as old as time- we add to the simplicity of God's Word our own ideas of what it looks like to follow Him. The Pharisees did it and we still do it today.
Currently I see an endless stream of memes, articles, and social media posts that boil down to this: Do not call yourself a Christian if you vote for so-and-so. Some of these things give lists of "Biblical values" like gun rights which cause me to scratch my head. Of course many refer to being pro-life (exclusively meaning anti-abortion), which I would agree is a Biblical standard. However, these sentiments make me cringe and sadden my soul because they propagate the lie that our salvation lies in how we vote. When we associate being Christian to a political candidate, we completely blaspheme the atoning work Jesus did on the cross. Being a Christian means we admit we are sinners and receive the free gift of God's salvation, obtained by his death in our place. From there, as Paul tells the Philippians, we work out our own salvation with fear and trembling. (Philippians 2:12)
This is infinitely "harder" than following religious norms and rules. It is far more challenging to seek the guidance of scripture and allow the Holy Spirit to interpret it and speak to us personally than to follow the guidance of physical men and women with audible voices teaching us exactly how we should live. I'm not saying godly men and women have no role in guiding us- I'm saying that ultimately, we should be seeking the Lord's personal guidance above all through reading His Word and prayer. And applying the stamp of "Christian" and "Not Christian" is not part of the job description of Christ followers. Especially if our criteria is anything but the blood of Jesus.
Please don't turn how others vote into a salvation issue. Please don't equate Jesus with any particular candidate. And don't allow anyone to bully you into voting a particular way because it is "Christian". Do the harder work of laboring in prayer and pouring through God's Word with fear and trembling and vote according to his guidance. Remember that we are all saved by grace, through faith, not by works, lest any man should boast. (Ephesians 2:8)
