Marks of the Christian Life

What does a Christian look like?

In other words: what qualities are Christians characterized by? What kind of speech does a Christian use? How do Christians treat others? How do Christians handle conflict?

Let's take a look at Colossians 3 for some answers to these questions.

Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. {Colossians 3:12-15}

This passage paints a clear and direct picture of the marks of the Christian life.

Let's break this down, shall we?

{ ... holy and beloved ... } This describes our position in Christ as "the elect of God." The remaining qualities in the list are a natural outpouring of this.

{ ... bowels of mercies ... } Those who owe so much to the mercy of the Father are to be merciful to those who need mercy (see Luke 6:36).

{ ... kindness ... } Christians are characterized by a kindness that extends to everyone, not just those who are kind to us.

{ ... humbleness of mind ... } A Christian practices a humble mindset and thought pattern to match a humble demeanor (see Matthew 11:29 and Philippians 2:3).

{ ... meekness ... } Christians patiently bear the anger of others and bridle their own anger towards those who have provoked them.

{ ... longsuffering ... } Continued forbearance and patience towards those who continue to provoke (see I Corinthians 13:4). Since God is longsuffering, Christians are to exercise longsuffering to others in the same fashion.

{ ... forbearing one another ... } We all have something that others need patience to bear with. In the same way, we should patiently bear with others in what is disagreeable to us. In other words, Christians are to be characterized by a mutual patience for the imperfections we all have as sinful, fallen creatures.

{ ... forgiving one another ... even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye ... } Quarrels happen, even among "the elect of God." But it is our duty to forgive each other. A Christian is characterized by a readiness and willingness to forgive, because Christ forgave us.

{ ... put on charity ... } Unconditional love ("charity") is the capstone of the Christian faith, and an overriding principle in a Christian's life.

{ ... let the peace of God rule in your hearts ... } The Christian life is marked by a peaceable disposition, a peaceable spirit that keeps the peace and makes peace. This "peace of God" is working in all of those who are His. We are called to this peace - the privilege of peace with God and the duty of peace with our brothers and sisters as a body in Christ.

{ ... be ye thankful ... } Gratitude towards God and the provisions He has made for us (spiritual, material, etc.) is an important mark of the Christian life because He deserves our gratitude. It also sets the tone for a person's attitude, their disposition toward others and their outlook on life.

Colossians 3:12-15 serves as an excellent checklist for what the Christian life looks like. Each quality is just as important as the other. They all work together to exemplify Christ.

Prayerfully meditate on this checklist and ask the Lord to show you which qualities are lacking in your life. None of us are perfect, so none of us will ever exemplify Christ perfectly. We are not called to be perfect - we are called to strive toward Christ-likeness.

What does a Christian look like?

A Christian looks like Christ.

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Themes from Lamentations

The book of Lamentations describes the results of Babylon's destruction of Jerusalem (c. 587 B.C.). It is composed of five interconnected poems which describe a shift from horrible loss and personal shame to restored hope and prayer for God's renewing power.

The central passage in this book is 3:19-26.

Remembering mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall. My soul hath them still in remembrance, and is humbled in me. This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD. 

This passage affirms that belief in God's mercy and faithfulness is the key to a restored relationship with God. This is true even for those who deserve (and have perhaps already received) God's judgment. Hope is the byword in Lamentations.

Lamentations seems to have been written to be prayed aloud or sung in worship services in a spirit of repentance, asking God's forgiveness, and seeking restoration with Him.

Sadly, Lamentations is an often-neglected book. It presents several key concepts in a creative way during an important time in Israel's history.

These concepts are still applicable today. They include, but are not limited to:


1. It offers beautiful prayers that confess sin, express renewed hope, and declare total dependence on God's grace.

2. It is the only book of the Bible written by someone who endured a manifestation of "the day of the LORD" (see Joel 2:1-2; Amos 5:18; Zephaniah 1:14-16). This "day" is the day God comes to judge sin. It can occur in historical contexts, such as the fall of Jerusalem, or it can occur at the end of time (the final "day of the LORD"). Regardless, such "days" do occur, and warnings in the Bible about such days need to be taken seriously.

3. The book's authorship, setting, contents, and theology underline its value for understanding the nature of pain, sin, and redemption.

4. It affirms that Jerusalem fell
      a. because of the people's sins (1:18)
      b. because they rejected God's word sent through the prophets (2:8; 14, 17)
      c. because their leaders led them astray (4:13)
      d. because they did not heed God's warning (2:17).

5. It affirms God's faithful, unending mercy. God is not finished with His people, even when they sin greatly.

6. It affirms that prayers of confession, repentance, and petition are the means for restoring a broken relationship with God. Their honest expressions of pain and their dismay over what God has allowed to happen coincide with the prayers found in the Psalms. They also share the Psalms' emphasis on God's sovereignty as King of creation (Psalm 103:19).

Do you have any thoughts or additional themes from Lamentations that you would like to add? Don't hesitate to leave a comment!

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What is Biblical Forgiveness?

Photo by Myrna Moore

When you have suffered at another's hand, the last thing you want to do is forgive. You pride tells you not to forgive. It tells you that you have the right to be offended.

God is very specific about the Christian's responsibility to forgive. There are no exceptions to this command. We must forgive, whether we feel like it or not; whether we think the the person who offended us deserves our forgiveness or not.

When Jesus was asked, "Master, which is the great commandment in the law?," this was his response:

Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. {Matthew 22: 37-40}

 What is biblical forgiveness? It is a promise that you will not deal with those who have offended you, hurt you, or sinned against you. It is a promise that you will not bring the offense up to them or anyone else ever again.

You are to forgive because God forgave you.

And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. {Ephesians 4:32}

Forgiveness is...

• not an apology. Apologies are what you do/say to explain yourself. "I did that because..." "I said that because..."
• not forgetting. When God forgives your sin, He chooses to remember it no more. Forgiveness is a choice, an act of the will to remember the offense no more.
• not a matter of faith or spirituality. Forgiveness is simply obedience to a direct command of God.
• not a feeling. You don't forgive because you feel like it. You forgive because you are commanded by God to do it.

Christ gave us an example in Scripture of our choice to respond according to our feelings or to respond in obedience to God's commands.

But which of you, having a servant plowing or feeding cattle, will say unto him by and by, when he is come from the field, Go and sit down to meat? And will not rather say unto him, Make ready wherewith I may sup, and gird thyself, and serve me, till I have eaten and drunken; and afterward thou shalt eat and drink? Doth he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I trow not. So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do. {Luke 17:7-10}

The servant in this parable was probably exhausted and hungry from working all day. You might be thinking, "How unfair for the master to require more of him than was expected!" But the servant was required to obey his master, regardless of whether his feelings about how he was being treated were legitimate or not.

Your feelings may be legitimate based on what you have experienced or are experiencing. But your feelings are not to be your master. God is your Master. God commands you to stop living according to your feelings and just obey. Obedience is not the extra mile; it is your duty as a servant.

Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. {Colossians 3:13} 

You are to forgive because God has forgiven you. he has given you mercy and withheld judgment. He wants you to give mercy and allow him, the Righteous Judge, to administer judgment to those who have hurt you. Mercy is no longer hoping in your heart that hurt or evil comes upon those who hurt you. You give up the desire to punish of hurt the one who has hurt you. Mercy and forgiveness walk hand in hand. You never see one without the other.

God has given specific instructions about how Christians are to treat those who have hurt them.

But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you. And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloke forbid not to take thy coat also. Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again. And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise. {Luke 6:27-31}

Jesus, having suffered all the shame, the physical and emotional abuse, the rejection, and the sins of the world, lifted His voice to heaven and prayed, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do." He forgave so that you may be forgiven and, following his example, can also forgive.

When you humble yourself as a servant before the Lord and determine to obey His command to forgive, you witness to the world Christ's forgiveness of sin. Christ died for the sins of those who hurt you in the past, who who are hurting you now and those who will hurt you in the future.

Now, forgiveness does not mean:

• the hurt you experienced was justified.
• the blame rests upon you for the hurt inflicted.
• you are going to confront the offender.
• all memories of the offense and the offender will vanish the moment you forgive.
• there is no pain or sense of loss involved in the forgiving of the offender.
• that the other person was right.
• that the other person controls you.

Yield in obedience to Christ and choose to forgive all of those who have hurt you. This initial act of forgiveness is crucial, but keep in mind that forgiveness is to be continual. As these offenses come up in your mind again - and they will - you must lay them at the foot of the Cross once again, remembering that you have given forgiveness. 

To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you. {C.S. Lewis}

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Quotes by C.S. Lewis

C.S. Lewis (or "Jack," as he liked to be called) is one of my favorite authors and Christian apologists. His writings are some of the most profound works on Christianity that I have read so far in my experience with Christian apologetic literature. His unique ability to describe complex ideas in a simple ways is an inspiration to me.

So, without further ado, I would like to share with you some quotes attributed to him that I have found helpful, thought-provoking, and encouraging. I hope they will minister to your heart, as well.

"A man can no more diminish God's glory by refusing to worship Him than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling 'darkness' on the walls of his cell."

"A young man who wishes to remain a sound atheist cannot be too careful of his reading."

"Aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in. Aim at earth and you will get neither."

"Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important."

"Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point."

"Failures are finger posts on the road to achievement."

"God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing."

"Miracles are a retelling in small letters of the very same story which is written across the whole world in letters too large for some of us to see."

"Nothing that you have not given away will ever really be yours."

"There are two kinds of people: those who say to God, 'Thy will be done,' and those to whom God says, 'All right, then, have it your way.'" 

"We are what we believe we are."

"You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream."

 "You don't have a soul. You are a soul. You have a body."

"To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket, safe, dark, motionless, airless, it will change. It will not be broken; it will be come unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. To love is to be vulnerable."

"I pray because I can't help myself. I pray because I'm helpless. I pray because the need flows out of me all the time - waking and sleeping. It doesn't change God - it changes me." 

"Love is not an affectionate feeling, but a steady wish for the loved person's ultimate good as far as it can be obtained."

"Atheism turns out to be too simple. If the whole universe has no meaning, we should never have found out that it has no meaning..."

"To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you."

"Pain insists upon being attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our consciences, but shouts in our pains. It is his megaphone to rouse a dead world."

"There are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind."

"What draws people to be friends is that they see the same truth. They share it."

"I know now, Lord, why you utter no answer. You are yourself the answer. Before your face questions die away. What other answer would suffice?" 

"God allows us to experience the low points in life in order to teach us lessons that we could learn no other way."

"Though our feelings come and go, God's love for us does not."

"It is not your business to succeed, but to do right; when you have done so, the rest lies with God."

"To walk out of His will is to walk into nowhere."

"When you are arguing against God, you are arguing against the very power that makes you able to argue at all."

"God loves us, not because we're lovable, because He is love. Not because He needs to receive, because He delights to give."

"Faith in Christ is the only thing to save you from despair."

"When we lose one blessing, another is often most unexpectedly given in its place."

"If God forgives us, we must forgive ourselves. Otherwise it is like setting up ourselves as a higher tribunal than Him."

"If we only have the will to walk, then God is pleased with our stumbles."

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What God Says About "Getting Even"

When someone is hurt - physically, emotionally, or otherwise - the initial (and natural) response is often anger. Hurt can cause fear, sadness, hopelessness, depression, feelings of isolation, and/or a deep loneliness. All of these emotions are fertile ground for anger. We often respond to this anger by wanting to hurt those who hurt us. After all, it's only fair that  they get what they deserve by getting the same treatment...right?  


Let's dive into God's Word and see what He has to say about wanting to get even.


Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth: lest the LORD see it, and it displease him, and he turn away his wrath from him. Fret not thyself because of evil men, neither be thou envious of the wicked; for there shall be no reward to the evil man; the candle of the wicked shall be put out. {Proverbs 24:17-20}


...it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you; {2 Thessalonians 1:6}

Okay, so we know how we're not to respond...but how are we to respond to those who hurt us?

But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh the sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. {Matthew 5:44-46} 


Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not. {Romans 12:14}


Recompense no man evil for evil. {Romans 12:17a}


Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, said the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome with evil, but overcome evil with good. {Romans 12:19-21}


And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. {Ephesians 4:32}


Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. {Colossians 3:13}


What does God say about us if we choose to stay angry anyway and seek to "get even"?

He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now. He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him. But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes. {I John 9-11}


Anger cannot be hidden or denied. It must be responded to, or it will consume you. God commands you to get rid of it. You must bring it out of the darkness of denial and into the light of admission and repentance.

Signs of an angry spirit:

• A critical or sarcastic attitude
• Holding a grudge or keeping a list of hurts
• Being extremely negative on a regular basis
• An unforgiving disposition

Do any of these describe you? Would others describe you in a similar way?

Quiet your heart and ask the Lord to show you any areas of your life where you are holding on to anger. Are you willing to acknowledge your anger, your desire to "get even," as sin? 

Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. {Psalm 139:23-24}

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