what is a 'good' Christian?

'...we have confidence before God and recieve from him anything that we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him. And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them.' 1 John 3:21-24

At the tram stop by the university on Monday, I had a brief conversation with two guys. The conversation started out with the usual- them saying something in Dutch and me replying that I only speak English! This gets the conversation going as they want to know where I'm from and why I'm in the Netherlands. When I explained that I'm here to work with Christian university students, the first thing that was said in reply was 'oh so are you a good Christian girl?' This question is so loaded and got the discussion going about what a 'good' Christian is. Unfortunately my tram came not long into the conversation and they made sure I got on it!

The bible verses that I've added above are just one of the passages that tell us about what the heart of being a 'good' Christian is. The most popular idea of being a 'good' Christian is someone who follows the rules set by the Church and God. In a way this is true, but it's not about following the rules. It's about love. The above passage talks about obeying God's commands and doing what pleases him. This is commonly thought of as the Law or the ten commandments. The passage goes on to tell us which commands please God: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another. Where's the 'no adultery' and the 'honour your parents'? When we think about the ten commandments and other 'rules' set out in the bible, they can really be placed under these two commands. Let me try to explain.

Believing in the name of Jesus Christ means believing in what the bible has said about him. This means believing in his life, death, resurrection and rule now as king. It means believing he was sent by God (his Father) to take on the punishment we deserve for our rebellion against God. It means believing that we have recieved grace, mercy and love from God through Jesus. That's not a simple thing to do, but is what pleases God. Believing in these things pleases God, because in believing these things it means we are in him and he in us- just as he originally intended!

Loving one another means putting the other person's needs above your own. This relates to many of the ten commandments. Loving your parents means that you'll honour their wishes and ideas. Loving someone who you want to have an adulterous relationship with means loving them (and their spouse) enough to not put them in that situation- putting their needs before your own. Loving one another means that you value them enough to be honest with them and not to lie. I think you get my drift.

There are other commands/laws in the bible, but it is these two that are the things to strive for- the things to practice. It is in obeying these commands that we will live in him and he will live in us. So maybe you're thinking about how this relates back to the conversation I had with the two guys at the tram stop? Would you answer the question of 'what makes a good Christian?' differently now? Is it all about following the rules? or is it about believing in Jesus and loving others?