"Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one
another, as God in Christ forgave you." -
Ephesians 4:32
If you know me at all, I have long pondered what it means
to ‘act Christian.’ I have been working on this answer for years now. And it’s
not just an academic quest; I have genuinely wanted to learn how to act
Christian on a most personal level. I’ve
probably grown more into the answer over the past eight years than I had in my
previous 26 years as a Christian. I still don’t totally know what ‘acting
Christian’ means, but when I do figure it out, I’ll write a book about it.
In the meantime, this simple passage from the apostle
Paul gives us a few generous clues on how to act Christian. He says basically this: be kind, be
tenderhearted, and forgive as Christ has forgiven us.
Simple. Huh.
Well not really, because all of those go against human
nature; and especially now that we live in an age where arguing and tearing
each other down (frequently via the medium of the internet) has become the norm. Our human nature has been flaring up with
increasing gusto.
Yet.
We are called to go against our nature. And adopt Christ’s nature.
It’s not easy.
It’s a tall order. It’s a transformation. And it takes time.
And it can happen. The same power that resurrected Jesus
on Easter is available for us to tap into for transformation. The question is, as trusters and believers in
Christ, are we willing to tap into that power?
And act Christian?
For each of us, time will tell. It’s a choice. Be kind, be tenderhearted, and forgive as
Christ has forgiven us.
Or be human.
I know what I choose.
Maybe by His power, I’ll get there.
And write that book.
