I saw this meme several weeks ago and have become obsessed with the message. What does it mean? How would it apply concerning my life? Would I stand convicted? Is there evidence that I’m leading a Christian life? I let it marinate for a couple days. I talked to my Mom about it, I wrote journal entries about it, texted Erin about it, asked my husband about it, but the question continued to plague me.
The concept of court terrifies me. In the late 90s, I had to testify as a witness in a drug trial. Maybe that is what started the terror. In 2014, I represented myself in evicting a tenant from my rental property. Maybe that pressure continued the terror. The thought of being the one on trial…the defendant…that truly terrifies me.
Is it the idea of being a defendant that is so scary to me? Or is it the concept of someone judging me as a Christian? In reality, neither of these concepts is as scary as the underlying answer to the initial question. The truth is I am most terrified that there would not be enough evidence to convict me as a Christian.
On the surface, I should not be afraid. My head tells me that this is an irrational fear. The Bible teaches us that once we accept Christ as our personal savior, we are saved. We will be with Him in Heaven. The fear that my life does not contain enough evidence of Christianity comes from human nature. Specifically, my personal human nature, as there is plenty of evidence of non-Christian activities in my own life…
-I cuss. Routinely. Daily. I especially do this in regards to other drivers. Sometimes it’s in frustration. Sometimes it’s because I believe the swear word is the perfect word.
-I talk about others. This is also in regards to other drivers, but it happens often in other scenarios too.
-I yell. But we have already discussed that in a previous post.
-I don’t have a bunch of Bible verses memorized. In fact, I even struggle with remembering where to find the Proverb “Iron Sharpens Iron, so one person will sharpen another,” which is the whole premise of this blog and the philosophy between Erin and I. For the record, it’s Proverbs 27:17.
-I have tattoos. Where are the purists “your body is a temple” folks?
-I don’t always tithe 10% to the church. We give 10% of our income monthly, but occasionally it’s to other charities or churches. It’s rarely more than 10% a month.
These are just a couple of the items that have come up as I have pondered this Christian court of conviction. What is the commonality? This list only contains things I do wrong. Not listed here are things I do right. There’s no mention of listening to Christian music daily, reading the Bible with my son, praying at each meal, conducting Bible studies, or having a prayer journal. Those are things I do each day. And while they may be “right,” I don’t believe this is what the meme was getting at in terms of evidence of living a Christian life.
It’s not enough to pray, or listen to music, or stop cussing, or tithe 10% to the church. While those things are all good and right, they are not enough. That brings us back to our question, “what then, is enough evidence to convict a person of being a Christian?”
After several weeks of pondering, I have settled on one answer. It’s enough to say, “I am a Christian. I do love Christ. He is my Savior. I can’t wait to see the glory of the Kingdom.” Keep in mind; this does not give us carte blanche to go crazy committing sins everywhere, thinking that the declaration alone gets us off the hook. That type of thinking would be enough to support a defendant showing up to court and simply saying, “I didn’t do it.”
The reason I settled on this answer became easy when I put in it into the perspective of God’s court versus Man’s court. I want God to know that I’m a Christian, and while I am flawed and sometimes sin, I desperately want to try harder each day to please Him.
With that in mind, does it even matter if there were enough evidence to convict me in a court designed by man?
~Emily
“If you were accused of being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?”
Iron Porch 