Hello,
Is Donald Trump a Christian?
Maybe a better question for me to ask is, “Am I a Christian?”
If being a Christian means being a “little Christ”, and that is what
Christian means, would it be said of me that I am one? Well, it doesn’t take a very in depth
look at my life to cause question.
I can’t say that I am very apt to say of those who are hurting me,
“Father, forgive them for they know not what they are doing.” I can’t say that when push comes to
shove I am not very apt to, “deny myself.” I can’t say that when things get tough I am apt to proceed
with the depth of courage that should flow from, “I am with you always.” I suspect that there are many times
that Jesus looks at me and says to me as he did to Peter, “Get behind me Satan. Your mind is not on divine things, but
on human things.”
Sure, the reflection of Christ makes it to the surface of my life
sometimes….maybe even quite a bit of the time, but the question of my
Christianity can still easily called into question depending upon where the
line is drawn on being Christ-like enough. Of course, I would tend to draw that line beneath the
evidence of my life. But for those
of whom their suffering is still beyond my attention, those whose sins are
still beyond my forgiveness, and those whose fears do not touch my heart….I bet
that they, and rightly so, would probably draw a line above what I have done or
what I will ever do. One look at
my life puts my Christianity in question.
Many of you know that I have three sons, all three of whom bear my name,
and all three of whom – no matter what they do – will always be looked upon by
me as Nuernbergers. They are “my
guys”, and I tell them so every time that I end my phone calls with them,
“You’re my guy. Love ya.” There is absolutely no question in my
mind that they are Nuernbergers, through and through – not by virtue of what
they do, but by virtue of who they are.
So, for me, the question of my Christianity is not answered primarily by
what I do, but by who I am. And
who am I? I am one for whom God
sent his Son, Jesus, to die. I am
one who was splashed with a divinely saturated claim, “I give you my name. You are mine.” I am one who is so treasured that the
one who calls me by name would leave 99 to find me and lay down his life when
the wolf comes prowling to save me.
I am the one finds a seat saved for me at the table of the Lord. I am the one who has heard the promise
of an eternal room in God’s eternal mansion, a room prepared for me, and a room
to which I will be escorted by Jesus, himself. That is who I am.
Sounds “Christian” to me.
And here’s my hope. I hope
that as Christ enfolds my hardened heart in his hands his grace with soften it
and shape it into one that beats as his.
I hope that as Christ continues to speak his cross-born promise in my
ears, that my mind will merge with the mind of Christ. I hope that as Christ keeps calling me
to where he is at work among the suffering, that my hands will bear the
callousses that cover his nail scarred hands. My hope is that as Christ lives with me, and I live with
Christ, the evidence of who God has made me to be will be found more readily in
my life.
Is Donald Trump a Christian?
Am I a Christian? Are you a
Christian? The answer, I believe,
is found in whom God has named each to be…..bearers of his name. And I confidently trust that God will
never give up completely investing himself in each until the evidence of his
claim is seen in each life.
Have a great week.
God’s grace and peace, (ggap)
Pastor Jerry Nuernberger
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