The world has become increasingly hostile to Jesus followers in recent years, with the West abandoning the faith it was built upon. It’s not at all surprising. After all, Jesus said:

¹⁸ “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. ¹⁹ If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. (John 15:17-19)

I wrote about how fear of man in society over fear of God has the culture increasingly becoming askew, but there’s also a lot of misconceptions about what it means to be a believer. Thus, here’s a little disambiguation, at least from my vantage point:

• As a Christian, I am no better, nor am I more pious than anyone else. It’s more that I submit myself to God, recognizing that I am a sinner in need of salvation.
• I am no more, or less than, the next believer who follows Jesus. But there are Christians in name only who aren’t actually Jesus followers. I will note that.
• In fact, I am wretched. (Romans 7:14-25) I am not worthy of God’s saving grace, but I accept His gift of grace through faith. (Eph. 2:8)
• With that in mind, if someone accuses me of not acting in accordance with Christian principles, whether they’re right or wrong, I am a man, still in my flesh. But as a believer, I am at war with my flesh and against sin.
• I believe that all humans are image-bearers of our Creator. Thus, I hate no one, despite what the world may say of the Biblical principles I adhere to. I love both my neighbor and my enemy. (Matt. 5:43)
• I strive to be but will fail at being the hands and feet of Jesus on earth. I strive to but will fail at reflecting His love. But I will always strive for repentance and pray every day that I will carry out His will here on earth.
• I yearn to look more like Him and less like myself. Especially considering I am a sinner so long as I’m in the flesh. I may put on his cloak of righteousness, but the process of sanctification is life-long, and I will never fully attain it while I’m on this earth.
• No matter what putdowns unbelievers hurl my way, I unequivocally believe in God, and I will never be ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. No amount of hatred or insults will change that.
• I wish for everyone to know the freedom that comes from being a believer and a Jesus follower.
• Being a Christian is not a life of comfort or prosperity. It may have moments of such, but these are not the things I’m chasing (though I will admit He has blessed me greatly).
• I praise Jesus when life is great, and I praise Him when I’m suffering. Following Jesus is not a key to prosperity or earthly wins.
• I love Jesus more than anything else on earth. I yearn for every aspect of my life to be submitted to Him.
• I am not a rube who has been captivated by a cult. My decision to follow Jesus was well thought out, and it was as much a mental decision as an emotional one. We’re called to love God with not just all our heart, but all our strength and all our mind. (Mark 12:30) I believe the Bible is the inerrant Word of God, and the depth of it proves it on its own, but the words within prove to be consistently wise and have never been disproven. (Apologetics bear that out, as do archaeological finds, and such. I studied this as much at the beginning of my rededication to Christ as I did the Bible and found the evidence to be beyond convincing.)
• I recognize that Christians aren’t always as learned or as kind (kindness doesn’t equate to ‘niceness’) as we’re called to be. I can include myself in that category. But, again, I strive to look like Jesus and repent when I know I’m doing something that doesn’t reflect Him or glorify Him.
• I am no longer driven by selfish ambition but instead to magnify and glorify Him.
• I wish for you to know Him as I do, and it’s because I care about you that I wish that. Even as an atheist, Penn Jillette has a very good argument for why believers should always proselytize. But beyond that, we’re called to share the Gospel by Jesus, and I will do that. I don’t share my faith because I dislike you; I do it for the opposite reason.
• This one is very personal, and certainly can’t be said of all (or most) believers, but I don’t care as much about the promise of eternal life as much as I do growing closer to God. That I get to spend eternity with Him is a bonus.
• My faith is not a cudgel to beat you over the head with. It’s a call to repentance (for me as much as you). Just because I follow Jesus, it doesn’t make me any better than anyone else. If anything, my being a Christian is a call to service. (Mark 9:35)
• But I will never affirm anything that the Bible calls a sin because I’m at war with sin. (And that’s any sin, even the ones I commit.) That doesn’t mean I don’t love you. As Jesus often said, ‘Go and sin no more.’

This list is by no means exhaustive. But given how many things that are either hurled my way or that I see other Christians facing, I thought it was worth sharing how I view myself in terms of my faith.

¹⁶ “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷ For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. ¹⁸ Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. ¹⁹ And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. ²⁰ For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. ²¹ But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.” (John 3:16-21)