What Does It Mean to be Christian?

Christians are not people who are really good at keeping rules. Christians are not people who have it all figured out. Christians are not people who have it all together. Christians are people who have taken refuge under the wings of Christ. It's what we are. It is that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. It is that God justifies the ungodly. It's not that he's in the business of justifying godly people, because if that were true, there would be no hope for us. It is that even though we are law breakers and still struggle against the corruption of our flesh, we are credited with the perfect holiness, righteousness, and satisfaction of Christ by faith. So what does that mean for us? It means several things. It means that by faith in Christ as he becomes our representative, it is as though we have never sinned. That's big. It is as though I have never committed a sin because Christ was sinless for me. It is also as though I have never been a sinner. It is as though I've never had a corrupt nature. And, perhaps even more astonishingly, it is as though I have done all of the perfectly obedient works that Christ did. Not only did he deal with sin. Not only is my slate clean. He then gives me, gives us, all the righteousness that we'll ever need. And we hide ourselves in the rock who is Christ. We take refuge in him like Moses whom God put in the cleft of the rock when his glory passed by. "Rock of Ages," we sang it earlier, "cleft for me, let me hide myself in thee. Let the water and the blood from thy wounded side which flowed be of sin, the double cure, save from wrath, and make me pure." We take refuge in Christ, the rock of ages. We take refuge in the lamb of God, whose blood covers us, whose blood has washed away our sins, in whose blood we have washed our robes and made them white. On account of the blood of Christ, there is nothing now but love and grace from God to us. No condemnation. There is no fear. We've been given a spirit of adoption, not slavery, that we might call God, "Father." No longer a judge- now our father. Everyday Grace 059