Being a "Real" Christian

I am reading and studying Hebrews 11 and 12 in preparation for my sermon this weekend on that passage. For those of you who are not aware, this is thought to be a rhetorical argument to a group of Christians who are struggling with backsliding and complacency. The author of the text makes the argument for continued work and dedication by reciting the history of the faith as a means of encouraging further struggles against adversity and complacency. In particular various martyrs and leaders of the Hebrew faith are exemplified and raised up as people to be admire, individuals almost "too good" for this world. As I prepare to preach this text I worry about part of the message it seems to imply. It seems to glorify suffering on behalf of our faith. These were "real" people of faith because they suffered and died for what they believed. Those of us who live in the post-Christendom society of the United States could only wish we had such opportunity to prove how true our faith is.

There is a part of me that really does wish that Christianity was persecuted. I mean, if only it was a hard to be a Christian then we would only have the "real" Christians. If only things were like they were "back in the day" before Christian became part of the status quo. I think this is appealing to me because it makes Christianity more of an elite group. Suddenly being a Christian "means" something. The appeal becomes not what we believe, but that we are willing to die for what we believe. I see a danger, at least for myself in the morbid glamour of such a belief. Suddenly what becomes important is not what you believe but instead how your beliefs are viewed.

It is not suffering that makes us a "real" Christian. The message of Hebrews is not the only way to avoid backsliding is to have something you are willing to die for. The message of Hebrews, the way to be a real Christian, is to hold onto what you believe in. This may mean dying for your faith, but it also may mean living for your faith. being a real Christian is about believing in God, in Jesus, in the Holy Spirit, and living our lives in service to those beliefs. If that means practicing our faith underground like some Christians in China today, so be it, if it means attending worship every Sunday like everyone else in our community, so be it, but it means letting our believes be seen in our actions, just as those who ran the race before us, who got us this far.