Jesus Unplugged

Do you think that it is possible to be a devout follower of Jesus and not be a Christian?

Before I comment on that question, I have another question.  Is it possible to be a Christian and not be a follower of Jesus?

Regarding the second question, yes I think it is very possible to be a Christian and not follow Jesus. Being a Christian means that you subscribe to some aspect of Christianity. "The history of Christianity concerns the Christian religion, Christendom and the church with its various denominations, from the first century to the present."  (Wikipedia). Nowhere in the definition do we find a reference to Jesus.

Many religions existed at the time of Jesus. Did Jesus intend to start a new religion?  It depends on who you ask.  Most preachers, teachers and scholars would say "yes', Jesus lived, died and rose again to establish Christianity as the world's only true religion.  The verse quoted most often is Matthew 16:8. when Jesus said, "And I tell you that you are Peter and upon this rock I will build my church." Here Jesus used a clever play on words as the Greek for Peter is Petros(rock) and for rock is petra.  Teachers are quick to point out that Jesus said He would build his church on petra and not on Petros. Some  think it was a tongue-in-cheek comment meant to invoke laughter among the disciples that such a great undertaking would have anything to do with Peter.  Peter's propensity for putting his foot in his mouth was well known.

Regarding Christianity being the only true religion, most teachers quote John 14:6. Jesus said, 'I am the way, the truth and the life. No man comes to the Father but my me'

A follower of Jesus in my opinion involves emulating the life of Jesus, which is to say the life of love. "Love your neighbor as yourself." If there is no love there is no Jesus.

I want to relate an experience that I had over thirty years ago to illustrate the point that it is rather easy to be a Christian without being a follower of Jesus.  At the time I did quite a bit of whitewater rafting on the Ocoee and Nantahala Rivers.  When rafting the Ocoee, the more dangerous of the two rivers, it was necessary to participate in a school. After the rafters put on all their gear including life vests, helmets and paddles, they sat for instruction of how to navigate the river safely.  At the Ocoee the rafters sat front to back, about eight to a row,  on benches of cut logs to listen to the instructor.  Since I had rafted quite a few times I really wasn't paying any attention to what he was saying. So there I sat on the back row looking at all these people decked out in their orange equipment, paddles straight up, sitting in nice, neat rows listening to the teacher.  Meanwhile I could hear the river gurgling over the rocks about twenty five feet from where we sat.  A thought was trying to get in my head about what was happening. And then  I had an eureka moment.  "This is church!  I'm in church!  I've heard all this before. He's explaining about the equipment, the river, the rocks, the swirling hydraulics and the danger. But the river is over there and we are sitting here."  It would be possible to come to river rafting school week after week after week and learn everything there is to know about whitewater rafting and never put a boat in the water. I could have a doctorate in whitewater rafting and still be high and dry.

To follow Jesus you've got to put your boat in the river. . You've got to get cold and wet. You've got to take risks. You've got to navigate rapids and boulders. At some point  instruction must become experience.  It's not enough to know about Jesus, you must know Jesus. Which is to know love.

Did Jesus say that only Christians are going to Heaven?  Is that what He meant by "no man comes to the Father but by me" ?  Or was He saying that "just like I am love, my Father is love. The only way to know us is through love. Love is the way. Love is the truth and love is the life. Love is the only way to  know me. There is no other way. I and the Father are One."

So if it's possible to be a Christian and not know Jesus, is it then possible to know Jesus and not be a Christian?  Keep in mind that Jesus was a Jew. The disciples and those who knew Him were Jews. There were no Christians. They were all Jews and Gentiles,  And then the early  Christians had to answer the question, "Can you be a Christian and not be  a Jew?" Jesus told the story of the Samaritan, a non-Jew, who saved a man's life. And He asked the question.  "Who was the neighbor to the man who was assaulted?  Was it the religions leaders who kept on walking or this Samaritan who stopped and helped him?"  Love is as love does.

If it's possible to follow Jesus and not be a Christian and to be a Christian and not follow Jesus, is it possible to be a Christian and follow Jesus? It's not impossible to be a Christian and follow Jesus, but it's not always easy.  Along the path of loving Jesus there are too many ways to get lost in the Christian religion.  Religion by definition is a particular system of faith and worship. Your intention may be to experience "faith and worship", but in reality you never get beyond the "particular system". It is quite a bit different to love your dog or to love your dogma. One will gently lick your face and  hands; the other will lick you to death.

So finally,  'How do I know if I know Jesus?" It's the simple test of love.  WWJD?  What would Jesus do? In each and every circumstance Jesus loved. "Jesus loves the little children, all the little children of the world." "Love is the way, the truth and the life. You will never know Me without love." I once heard a preacher say, "When you come to know Jesus, even your dog should notice the difference."  Amen to that.