ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
January 14, 2023
What makes for a good Christian? I’ve been pondering the question for a few weeks, and as you can imagine, the answer is rather elusive. Oh sure, I have an answer, but I’m pretty sure a lot of Christians would tweak my response or outright reject it. Each of us is formed and informed by our earliest experiences of faith—good or bad, healthy or unhealthy, life-giving or life-sucking. For those who were shaped by a faith rooted in fear and guilt, the answer to the question of what makes a good Christian is very different than someone whose faith was shaped by a community rooted in the immeasurable mercy and boundless love of God. I’ve been pondering various scriptures, using them as a lens through which to consider the question of what constitutes a good Christian. As a side note, some of my exploration has caused me to question whether it is necessarily a good question to even ask. That aside, I keep on coming back to the Fruit of the Spirit the Apostle Paul wrote about in his Letter to the Galatians: “…the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (5:22-23). As I have noted before, the Fruit of the Spirit is understood as a whole. It is the “fruit” of the Spirit, singular. These are not different fruits from which we choose. So maybe part of the answer is connected to our calling to explore all these different expressions of the faith, not simply the ones that come easily. We nurture these fruits within us so they can be a source of life for others. Maybe I shouldn’t even add the adjective “good” when asking the question, for the phrase “good Christian” implies you can be a lousy, no-good Christian. At some point down the path toward unsatisfactory, we can probably remove the word “Christian.” I don’t necessarily want to be the judge in determining that point, but I’ve got to believe it comes at some point… but that’s for another discussion.
Holy God, apart from you, there is no nourishment for the life-giving fruit for which the world hungers. Let me feed upon the stories of Jesus; let my roots run deeper into the fertile grace on which I live my life; let me find rest in your Spirit. This prayer is one of the means by which I connect with you, O God. Amen.
