Taking It Like A Christian

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There is one common phrase that has been used and misused throughout the English speaking world. That phrase is: "take it like a man." This phrase often connotes being tough. A man may say to another man "take it like a man" to refer to taking some sort of physical abuse or not whimpering when he is in serious pain. A wife may say to her husband the proactive equivalence of that phrase, namely "be a man" when she wants him to do something that she believes (or is culturally believed) to be the duty that is dedicated to the male half of the human species; for one such example: being the protector of the home by chasing away the burglar with his wife's hairdryer (which was the first object he grabbed when he was startled awake, at the sounds of rumbling at 3 AM).

Conversely a man may chastise another man for being a lazy-bones by not getting up off his rear end and getting a job to provide for his family. It is because this is the case that the phrases "take it like a man!" or "be a man!" are very overly cited. They are often said in the movies and in television shows; in novels we read fictional characters saying them to one another and perhaps you may even have heard them in the privacy of your own home.

However how many times have you heard these two phrases being spoken: "be a Christian!" or "take it like a Christian." Probably never, as 1) they are simply not phrases we use, 2) if they were used they would only refer to anyone who follows the Christian religion and 3) figuring out what they might mean would be hours of discussion because they are wrought with nuances.

Be a Christian!

However if someone was ever chastised by another with one or both of these phrases how should they be interpreted? Being a Christian in the sense of salvation means to be one who truly and actively believes in their heart that Jesus is LORD and that God raised him from the dead (Romans 10:9). However let's hone in on that nuance of 'active belief'. What does it mean to be an active Christian? It means to be a slave who is in love with his master (cf. Titus 1:1-4). A slave is one who knows he is not free to do his own will and submit his entire being to his master. A Christian is one who knows his place in God's world and submits his entire being for the will of God.[i] However the Christian also does so with a heart of willingness; so to suggest that if God gave him an 'out' he would not take it, as he wants to serve Him, because he loves Him. And so the Christian is one who doesn't just say the right things but who also excitedly does the right things; whatever God wills him or her to do they do with glee.

Take it like a Christian

However being a man or a woman after God's heart (cf. 1 Samuel 13:14) doesn't negate the fact that the Christian is still a sinner whose natural inclination is to do what is ungodly (cf. Romans 8:7). There is a commonality between many people who are caught doing something wrong and a dog who is caught doing something wrong. Almost all dog owners have, at one time or another, seen their dog pitifully walk up to them with their tales between their legs and their heads hung low for doing their business on the carpet. The dog knows that they disobeyed their owners house rules and now they are going to get a consequence, and they are scared! In the same way, all people, have the same natural reaction. They do something wrong and they want to do what they believe needs to be done so avoid being punished, and Christians are no exception.

When we do something wrong, the world teaches us to run and hide; and or bury the evidence; and or to concoct a story that is convincing enough to be believed by the authorities (e.g. the police or one's parents); and or to play by Adam's playbook and find an escape-goat (cf. Genesis 3:12) and cast blame onto another. This however is not what Scripture teaches about dealing with consequences for doing something genuinely wrong, or sinful. Scripture advocates for the practice of proudly and willingly taking the consequences for ones actions.[ii] This doesn't mean that the Christian should be proud that they sinned against God and thus they should be proud to suffer the consequences for sin; rather how they take the consequences for their sin will be a multi-facet testimony. Let's look at one example of how this is played out:

King David took pride in the vast power of his army and trusted in his army rather in God, (2 Samuel 1-9). However he eventually came to his senses and remembered that God's abilities greatly supersedes in a combined power of the number 1,300,000 soldiers. As a result he realized that he sinned against God and he prayed earnestly:

“...I beg you, take away the guilt of your servant. I have done a very foolish thing.” - 2 Samuel 24:10

David's love for God caused him to desire not be found guilty and so God saw to it that he pay for his crime, thus making him innocent in His eyes once again.[iii] God gave him 3 options to choose as a consequence for his sin: 1) a famine in the land 2) loosing battles or 3) plagues, (2 Samuel 24:13). David choose option #3 with the hopes that God will show mercy. However by doing that he also knew that God's will may turn out deadly, and this was in fact how it turned out as thousands of people died (2 Samuel 24:15). However this wasn't the end of David's punishment. David suffered as a king, and now it was time for him to suffer as an individual man of God for his crime against his God. As it was the custom for his people David sacrificed an animal for the forgiveness of his own sins, however when an animal was offered to him for free David refused the handout and insisting on paying for it, because he didn't want to "...sacrifice to the Lord ... God burnt offerings that cost [him] nothing.” - 2 Samuel 24:24. David knew that he must be the one who pays for the consequences for his actions.

This illustrates three things: 1) A true follower of God wants justice, even when they are the criminal deserving of punishment for evil. A true Christian will take their discipline from God like a Christian should. 2) A true follower of God wants God's righteousness to be broadcasted, even if it means that they suffer God's wrath and 3) a true follower of God wants everyone to know that he's on God's side. Although suffering a consequence for sin is not pleasant taking it "like a Christian (follower of God)" is a testimony in itself. It proves to the world that the Christian is no more or less a sinner than the greatest and Godless sinner and it shows God's righteousness and love for the sinner.

So being a Christian is being a slave who is in active love for his master, who is God, even if this means taking a well deserved punishment for breaking the master's rules. The Christian is to represent God's righteousness and justice and love for his creation; and sometimes this is done by the act of suffering for personal acts of sinful stupidity.

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[0] - "Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn 079" by Rembrandt - The Yorck Project: 10.000 Meisterwerke der Malerei. DVD-ROM, 2002. ISBN 3936122202. Distributed by DIRECTMEDIA Publishing GmbH.. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rembrandt_Harmensz._van_Rijn_079.jpg#/media/File:Rembrandt_Harmensz._van_Rijn_079.jpg - accessed May 24, 2015 

[i] Does this mean that someone who is a non-Christian is 'free'? Is there liberation in being a non-Christian? No. Everyone is captive, so the question is, who is your captor? If you are your own captor and you use your own judgement, then you are held captive by death; and that is where all who are not in Christ will end up, (cf. Romans 8:1, 6a). However for those who are Christ's captives life is the natural outcome, (cf. Romans 8:6b). So who are you submitting to, death or life?

[ii] I do not mean to suggest that there are no non-Christians who are advocates for the philosophy of fessing-up and dealing with the consequences. I only mean that its the natural instinct to evade the authorities and try to avoid getting caught.

[iii] This is parallel to a criminal who successfully completed their prison term; they are no longer in debt to society for the crime that they committed because they had paid the debt in full; or they were released early thus they were shown mercy for the crime they did; either way they in the eyes of the law paid for their 'sin' as it were.