November 11, 2016

The True Christian

"A true Christian is not a mere baptized man or woman.
He is something more.  He is not a person who only goes,
as a matter of form, to a church or chapel on Sundays,
and lives all the rest of the week as if there was no God.

Formality is not Christianity.
Ignorant lip worship is not true religion.

The Scripture speaketh expressly: 'They are not all Israel
which are of Israel' (Romans 9:6).  The practical lesson of those
words is clear and plain.  All are not true Christians
who are members of the visible church of Christ.

The true Christian is one whose religion is in his heart and life.
It is felt by himself in his heart.  It is seen by others in his conduct and life.
He feels his sinfulness, guilt and badness, and repents.
He sees Jesus Christ to be that divine Saviour whom his soul needs,
and commits himself to Him.

He puts off the old man with his corrupt and carnal habits,
and puts on the new man.  He lives a new and holy life,
fighting habitually against the world, the flesh and the devil.
Christ Himself is the corner-stone of his Christianity.


Ask him what he trusts for the forgiveness of his many sins,
and he will tell you, in the death of Christ.
Ask him in what righteousness he hopes to stand innocent at the
judgement day, and he will tell you it is the righteousness of Christ.

Ask him by what pattern he tries to frame his life, and he will tell you
that it is the example of Christ.

But, beside all this, there is one thing in a true Christian which is
eminently peculiar to him.  That thing is love to Christ.
Knowledge, faith, hope, reverence, obedience are all marked features
in a true Christian's character.  But his picture would be very
imperfect if you omitted his 'love' to his divine Master.

He not only knows, trusts and obeys.
He goes further than this -- he loves...

...Great as the danger is of him 'that believeth not',
the danger of him 'that loveth not' is equally great.
Not believing and not loving are both steps to everlasting ruin... 


...A man may lack clear head knowledge, and yet be saved.
He may fail in courage, and be overcome by the fear of man, like Peter.
He may fall tremendously, like David, and yet rise again.
But, if a man does not love Christ, he is not in the way of life.
The curse is yet upon him.  He is on the broad road that leadeth to destruction...

...If a man truly loves Christ, all is right;
if not, all is wrong...

...A true Christian loves Christ for all He has done for him.  
He has suffered in his stead, and died for him on the cross.
He has redeemed him from the guilt, the power and the consequences
of sin by His blood.  He has called him by His Spirit to self-knowledge,
repentance, faith, hope and holiness.

He has forgiven his many sins and blotted them out.

He has freed him from the captivity of the world, the flesh and the devil.
He has taken him from the brink of hell, placed him in the narrow way,
and set his face towards heaven.  He has given him light instead of darkness,
peace of conscience instead of uneasiness, hope instead of uncertainty,
life instead of death.  

Can you wonder that the true Christian loves Christ?

And he loves Him besides, for all that He is still doing.
He feels that He is daily washing away his many shortcomings and infirmities,
and pleading his soul's cause before God.  He is daily supplying all the needs
of his soul, and providing him with an hourly provision of mercy and grace.


He is daily leading him by His Spirit to a city of habitation,
bearing with him when he is weak and ignorant, raising him up 
when he stumbles and falls, protecting him against his many enemies,
preparing an eternal home for him in heaven.

Can you wonder that the true Christian loves Christ?...

...where there is real justifying faith in Christ,
there will always be heart love to Christ.  He that is really forgiven
is the man who will really love (Luke 7:47).
If a man has no love to Christ, you may be sure he has no faith."

**Quoted from "Holiness" by J. C. Ryle pages 234-237

With Love,
Camille

**Images in this post courtesy of Calvin ~ thank you my love. xoxo
(Image #1 ~ Anglesey, Wales; #2 ~ Mojave Desert, CA; #3 ~ Fairmont, BC)

9 comments:

Stephanie said...

My sweet Camille, what a post! Truly! I couldn't help but say "Amen" and shake my head in agreement as I read these words. J. C. Ryle...what a man of faith! My husband often quotes him and many times...okay, every time...he quotes something I am convicted and challenged in my faith. Thank you for this amazing post.

"...A true Christian loves Christ for all He has done for him. He has suffered in his stead, and died for him on the cross. He has redeemed him from the guilt, the power and the consequences of sin by His blood. He has called him by His Spirit to self-knowledge, repentance, faith, hope and holiness."

Love and hugs to you, dear friend!

P.S. -If you or Emma is looking for a phenomenal book to read than I highly recommend "Waves of Mercy" by Lynn Austin. It is a remarkable story...I cried 5 times while reading it {{smiles}} Trust me, you won't be disappointed.

Jill said...

Love this so much Camille.... so many claim to be a Christian yet their actions speak louder than words. With all the turmoil today... I enjoyed reading this so much and Calvin is an amazing photographer! These photos bring me peace..... Thank you both for sharing! Have a wonderful weekend!

Blessings,
Jill

Grandmabeckyl.blogspot said...

This goes with the sermon this a.m. We are in Him...and we hold Him above all others in our life. We live for Jesus and share His salvation with others, who in turn share with other people. We do His work, where He bids us to go. Amazing love for Him and He in turn loves His children. Our joy is in the Lord and that's what has been keeping me of good heart these days of unrest in our country. We gave up going to Portland twice this weekend due to all the protests downtown. God be with the police that are protecting the city. Thanks so much for sharing your love of Christ, Camille. Hugs and blessings, Becky

Down On The Farm said...

I believe this to be one of the best "sermons' on what truly being a Christian means that I have ever heard. Christians are not perfect, but we strive to be. We are not righteous in our own works, we are righteous because the blood of Jesus covers us. As many have said, grace is free, but not cheap. Many many people are holding tight to the belief that if they believe in God, they've been baptized and they haven't committed any "really big" sins, that the gates of heaven will swing open wide at the time of their death. I fear they are wrong. We can never be perfect on this earth, our "works" don't save us. But those who truly love the Lord, and seek to serve Him, aren't looking to see how much sin they can commit and still make heaven. They love the Lord, they love His Word, they love His people. Thank you thank you for such a beautiful post. What a blessing it is to me today. I am so thankful that my hope is in Jesus. Blessings to you sweet Camille. Sending prayers this morning.

Summer said...

I agree so much about religion being your heart and life ♥

Stacie, A Firefighter's Wife said...

Tell Calvin I LOVE his pics. They were stunning!

Give my love to your family!

Camille said...

Stephanie ~ Yes, convicting and challenging....those are the right words to describe J. C. Ryle's writing! How good and gracious the Lord is to give us these wonderful resources to lead us closer to Him! Thank you for the book recommendation....I've saved it in my Amazon account. Hugs to you! :)

Jill ~ It is so very true...many claim to belong to the Lord, but, don't show signs of it in their day to day lives. We all must take a serious looks at where we stand before the Great King of heaven and earth. One day, we will stand before Him....may we all be found to be trusting in His completed work and His perfect righteousness on that day. Thank you for your kind encouragement to our Calvin. Hugs to you! :)

Becky ~ How much we need Him! How precious He is!! It is such a blessing to rest our hearts in His perfect and sovereign plan....where would we be without our Saviour?? Hugs to you! :)

Robbin ~ Your words are so true and express a very sad reality in the state of the church these days. Oh, that the Lord would keep us from complacency and lead us ever nearer to Him! We trust in His perfect righteousness...but, that doesn't mean we ought to see how much we can sin! We are not saved BY our good works....but, we are saved UNTO good works....may the Lord help us to live in such a way that brings Him honour and glory. Hugs! :)

Summer ~ It is the only true religion....through the Lord Jesus Christ alone. Thank you for stopping by! Hugs to you. :)

Stacie ~ Hugs to you, my friend! Thank you for your kind encouragement to Calvin....I will tell him. And, yes....I will give my family your love....sending our love to you! :)

With Love,
Camille

Cheesemakin' Mamma said...

Two greatest commandments: Love God and love your neighbor. So nice that it is truly that simple! Tell Calvin great photography as usual 😍

Camille said...

Jackie ~ Thank you for stopping by...you are a blessing to my heart. Hugs to you! :) With Love, Camille