Learning to follow Christ is not a matter of following a certain set of rules. One of the great signs that someone is following Christ is a confusion as to his own motivations. He is being shaken free from a primitive, worldly model of understanding. He is being shaken free from the world altogether.

This is another implication of the reality that faith is a response, not an attitude or recognition. It’s a response of one’s being at a level deeper than thought or self-awareness. Everyone is a Christian long before they take a vow or pledge an allegiance. Those activities are fruits and flowers; what they emerge from is faith.

That’s why we should never applaud ourselves for having ‘come to Christ.’ Jesus said, “You didn’t choose me, I chose you.”