Our Calling as Christians

A few days ago, we visited Mr. Ding’s church in Pingxiang and joined the congregation for study and fellowship. Their humility, love, and wholehearted service moved me deeply.

On the way home, I spoke with Rao, a fellow Christian, about our calling. How are we to live out the love of Christ?

We can know Scripture well, attend church regularly, and serve in the congregation, yet lash out when we feel offended. We can put our own interests first or defend our pride when we owe someone an apology. Do our lives reflect the character of Christ?

A Calling That Begins with Grace

Our calling as Christians begins with the grace God has given us in Jesus Christ.

Christ died for sinners and rose again so that those who trust in him may be forgiven and reconciled to God. That grace also shapes the lives we go on to lead. How does a forgiven person face their own faults? How does someone who has received God’s love learn to love others?

Paul writes:

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

—1 Corinthians 10:31

Even eating and drinking belong within a life of faith. In the surrounding passage, Paul urges believers to consider the good of others. To seek God’s glory is to let his teaching correct our desires and judgments, and to care about the effect our choices have on other people. That includes how we treat our families and fulfill our responsibilities, especially when our own interests are at stake.

Jesus also sends his disciples to “make disciples of all nations.” He tells them to baptize in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and to teach people to obey everything he has commanded. He gives them this promise:

And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.

—Matthew 28:20

This commission involves sharing the gospel and helping people come to know and follow Christ. The church bears that responsibility together, with every Christian called to participate.

We have received hope through the gospel, and we want others to know it too. The way we treat our families, do our work, and care for the people around us can bear witness to Christ’s love. We rely on his presence as we seek to carry out what he has entrusted to us.

Turning from Sin and Staying Watchful

In Christ, we have begun a new life with God. Old habits and selfish desires can still be hard to change.

Paul tells believers to put off the old self, which is being corrupted by desires that deceive them, and to have their thinking renewed. He urges them to “put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:22–24).

This renewal involves turning away from sin and learning to live according to God’s will.

Often, we know we are wrong and still do not want to change.

After an argument, we may know we have said something hurtful, yet keep dwelling on what the other person did to us. We want to show why our anger was reasonable. Even after years in church, we can grow used to our bad temper and end the matter with “That’s just how I am.”

Sometimes what we call a matter of temperament also involves sin. Anger may conceal a pride that refuses to yield, while self-justification may help us avoid responsibility. Sin can hide in explanations that sound entirely reasonable to us.

Repentance means confessing our sin honestly to God and turning away from it. When we have hurt someone, we should apologize sincerely and do what we can to repair the harm. If the same wrong keeps recurring, we need to ask why it keeps happening and change the habits that lead us back to it.

Change takes time. A person can sincerely repent and still fail again. We are called to keep struggling against sin, and our shared weakness must not become an excuse to continue in it. God’s grace allows us to return to him after we fall and gives us strength to keep changing.

Writing to Christians who are suffering, Peter tells them, “Be alert and of sober mind.” He describes the devil as a lion on the prowl, searching for someone to devour. He urges believers to resist him by standing firm in their faith, remembering that Christians throughout the world are enduring similar suffering (1 Peter 5:8–9).

Peter’s call to stand firm in suffering also prompts us to be alert to sin and temptation in our own lives. We need to recognize pride, greed, envy, and other selfish desires as they arise, and learn to resist them rather than let them govern what we say and do.

Peter then points these believers to the God who has called them to eternal glory in Christ. After they have suffered for a little while, God “will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast” (1 Peter 5:10).

This promise gives us reason to trust God in the midst of suffering. We also turn to him as we face sin and temptation, seeking his help through prayer and Scripture and accepting the correction and support of fellow believers. We keep learning to obey him, including in the parts of our lives that have been slow to change.

Learning to Love the People Around Us

Jesus says:

My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.

—John 15:12

Jesus showed his disciples what love meant through his own life. He loved them in their weakness and ultimately gave his life for them. We learn to love by coming to know and receive the love he has shown us.

We still have much to learn about loving others.

At a church gathering, we may be deeply moved and eager to love one another. Back at home, we discover how quickly our patience can run out. We may do a great deal for our families and still become angry over a remark we do not like. In that moment, it is easy to forget how tired or hurt the other person might be. We want to be understood, but do not always pause to understand them.

Such experiences show how readily we place our own feelings and needs at the center. Are we willing to follow Christ’s example by setting aside our pride and self-interest for another person’s good?

Jesus showed mercy to sinners and called them to repentance. There are times when loving someone requires us to speak honestly about wrongdoing or harm. Our motives need the same scrutiny. Do we want to help the other person, or are we using what is true to protect our pride?

The way we share the gospel calls for the same honesty with ourselves. We hope others will come to know Christ, but our concern for them cannot depend on whether they accept the gospel. We are called to share it faithfully and to show Christ’s love in the way we live. We depend on the Holy Spirit to change hearts.

Lord, help us recognize our sin and weakness. Give us the courage to repent and the willingness to love. Teach us to deny ourselves and follow Christ in our everyday lives, bearing faithful witness to your grace. Amen.

Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New International Version® (NIV®). Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide.