Becoming Christ

The question, what would Jesus do, is not a choice of action; instead, it is a step towards being. Choices do need to be made. Actions completed and lives lived. And the difference here is subtle, and maybe a semantic tangent, but the shift from thinking I am a person trying to act like Christ, to I am a new creation in Christ trying to embody Christ is significant. Not just in how a person orients themselves to their new identity in Christ, but also in how a Christian interacts with the world around them.

                Christianity does not need to be explained in fancy slogans, complicated ideologies, or even with doctrinal statements; instead, Christianity can be explained by Christ. Such an identity allows the Christian to hide themselves in Christ. The conversation shifts from what the Christian thinks, believes, does, etc., to the identity of Christ and invites a conversation about who Christ is. The identity of the Christian is, then, not obfuscated by political presumptions, sociological statements, or a controversially branded identification as the conversation shifts from being about the Christian to being about Christ. The Christian can then allow Christ to speak for himself. While one might want to sideline the discussion with questions about how to get to know Christ, historical reliability, philosophical questions, and other roadblocks, the goal would be not to indulge these rabbit trails and instead focus on Christ and let each person draw their own conclusions.  

                The Christian life does involve a degree of duty and responsibility, but in the end the Christian does not need to explain themselves; instead, they can point to Christ. For as the oft used book title states, Christianity is Christ.