Let’s face it. Christians get a bad rap in the media these days. And many Christians don’t help that image due to their own less-than-Christian behavior. Sometimes I think, If that’s what Christianity is all about, I don’t want to be one.
It’s a good thing to renew in our minds what a Christian really is and what a Christian should be. Not the cartoon image or the out-of-touch image so often portrayed in television shows. Not the evil image portrayed by the crazies who picket funerals with disgusting signs. Not the extremists that others may paint us to be.
In Psalm 33:1-5 (NIV) we can get a good glimpse of what a Christian should be. Take a look:
1 Sing joyfully to the Lord, you righteous;
it is fitting for the upright to praise him.
2 Praise the Lord with the harp;
make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre.
3 Sing to him a new song;
play skillfully, and shout for joy.
4 For the word of the Lord is right and true;
he is faithful in all he does.
5 The Lord loves righteousness and justice;
the earth is full of his unfailing love.
Let’s extrapolate 10 characteristics of a Christian, or what a Christian should be.
1. A Christian should be joyful.
“Sing joyfully to the Lord . . . “ (v. 1)
As a Christian, we have the most incredible message of grace. We, of all people, should be people of joy. The Bible backs this up: joy is one of the fruits of the Spirit that each Christian should have (Galatians 5:22); the joy of the Lord is our strength (Nehemiah 8:10); we are to rejoice in the Lord always (Philippians 4:4); and there are so many more.
This happiness is not necessarily a feeling, but sometimes is a decision we make based on God’s Word and not dependent on circumstance.
Note: I don’t mean to make light of sadness or depression or difficult circumstances. These are very real things. And sometimes require medical attention and therapy. And they are also common to the human condition. I don’t imagine Jesus was emitting a feeling of joy when He was on the cross. But joy is still the standard to shoot for. And many times I can find rays of joy even in the midst of full-blown depression.
2. A Christian should be righteous.
“Sing joyfully to the Lord, you righteous . . . “ (v. 1)
A Bible teacher explained this many years ago to me: to be righteous is to be in right standing with God. This is not something that I, a sinful man, can achieve in and of myself. Only Christ can make me righteous by His work on the cross.
3. A Christian should be upright.
“ . . . it is fitting for the upright to praise him.” (v. 1)
While being righteous is to be in right standing with God, being upright means to have righteous behavior. That means that what God has made me I portray in good words and deeds. While I cannot earn my salvation, I can work out my salvation in fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12). A Christian should be upright in their behavior and an upstanding person in all areas, full of honesty and integrity.
4. A Christian should be skilled.
“ . . . play skillfully . . . “ (v. 3)
A Christian should be continually learning, continually honing their skills in all areas. Excellence should be their objective in everything. They are not afraid of study and discipline. Christians got skillz!
5. A Christian should be enthusiastic.
“ . . . shout for joy.” (v. 3)
The word enthusiasm comes from a Greek word that means inspired by God. Christians inspired by God should approach life with enthusiasm if they are being led by the Spirit of God. This means we approach our work with all our hearts (Colossians 3:23). Our passion should show.
6. A Christian should be full of song.
“Sing joyfully to the Lord . . . Sing to him a new song . . . “ (vv. 1, 3)
All that joy and enthusiasm leads to singing! A joyful Christian is a singing Christian.
7. A joyful Christian should be full of praise to God.
“Praise the Lord with the harp . . . “ (v. 2)
A Christian’s singing should be full of praise. But we don’t only sing our praise; we speak it as well. And we do so in the presence of others, so that they may be encouraged (Psalm 34:2).
8. A Christian should be creative.
“Sing to him a new song . . . “ (v. 3)
I love the emphasis here on a “new song” which implies that we should be writing new songs. Since our God is the Creator of all and we should be like Him, we should also be creators. Christians should be writing, composing, drawing, painting, creating new things. Not just imitating what the world likes, but truly being creative.
9. A Christian should be full of the Word of the Lord.
“For the word of the Lord is right and true . . . “ (v. 4)
If we know that the Word of the Lord is right and true, we should be filling our minds and hearts with it. It is food for our souls and direction for our lives.
10. A Christian should be faithful, righteous, and just, yet loving, just like our Father.
“ . . . he is faithful in all he does.
5 The Lord loves righteousness and justice;
the earth is full of his unfailing love.” (vv. 4-5)
A Christian should be faithful to God and to others. He should keep his promises made to others, especially his family. He should be faithful to his spouse and children. A Christian should be righteous and live uprightly, as previously mentioned. A Christian should live a just life and treat everyone with the same respect. But most importantly a Christian should be full of love. He should love the unlovable. He should love the ones that no one else seems to love.
I think these encompass a pretty good picture of what a Christian should look like.
What do you think? Anything you would add to this list? Did you get something different out of the passage?