--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: if we believe that being a Christian is…" description: "\"“if we believe that being a Christian is about more than just works, and if we believe that who we are as children of God matters, then we have to star..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a0/emily-c-heath-30588_children_if-we-believe-that-being-a-christian-is_1067611.jpg" --- # if we believe that being a Christian is about more than… ![“if we believe that being a Christian is about more than just works, and if we believe that who we are as children of God matters, then we have to start by grounding our actions and identity in something greater than ourselves. That’s the work of discipleship. And that work, that growth, means we…” quote by Emily C. Heath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a0/emily-c-heath-30588_children_if-we-believe-that-being-a-christian-is_1067611.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a0/emily-c-heath-30588_children_if-we-believe-that-being-a-christian-is_1067611.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a0/emily-c-heath-30588_children_if-we-believe-that-being-a-christian-is_1067611.jpg) > ““if we believe that being a Christian is about more than just works, and if we believe that who we are as children of God matters, then we have to start by grounding our actions and identity in something greater than ourselves. That’s the work of discipleship. And that work, that growth, means we must be ready to learn and to be changed.”” [Emily C. Heath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-c-heath/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. True discipleship grounds identity in something larger than self, requiring ongoing learning and transformation. **In simple terms:** Faith should shape identity and actions. Key Takeaway Seek growth through humility and service. Themes faith identity growth Mood inspirational thoughtful Type spiritual motivational When to use this quote - church leadership - personal prayer - community service - ethical decisions Key Concepts spiritual discipline self‑improvement Questions to Reflect On - What does “greater than ourselves” mean to you? - How can you practice this daily? A Different Perspective Not all traditions emphasize identity over works. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Believe Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe-children/) [Believe Christian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe-christian-285711/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Christian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christian/) [Discipleship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discipleship/) [Discipleship Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discipleship-work-2571805/) [Work Discipleship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work-discipleship-2642676/) ## Related quotes > [Our Lord's conception of discipleship is not that we work for God, but that God works through us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/our-lord-s-conception-of-discipleship-is-not-that-we-work-for-god-but/) [Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/) > [I believe that every Christian ought to be joined to some visible church; that is his plain duty, according to the Scriptures. God’s people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/i-believe-that-every-christian-ought-to-be-joined-to-some-visible/) [Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/) > [I just believe as a Christian, we are to show love; we are to show compassion to people, not to point the finger, not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-graham/i-just-believe-as-a-christian-we-are-to-show-love-we-are-to-show/) [Franklin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-graham/) > [When I go out in the morning and see these men standing in their queues and look into their pinched faces, then I believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-hitler/when-i-go-out-in-the-morning-and-see-these-men-standing-in-their/) [Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-hitler/) > [I believe that my own Christian faith does indeed make universal claims.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-radcliffe/i-believe-that-my-own-christian-faith-does-indeed-make-universal/) [Timothy Radcliffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-radcliffe/) > [We worry so much about what people think of us and so we often don't stand up for what we believe in. And some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadie-robertson/we-worry-so-much-about-what-people-think-of-us-and-so-we-often-don-t/) [Sadie Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadie-robertson/) > [I am proud to be a Christian. I believe not only as a Christian, but as a scientist as well. A wireless device can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guglielmo-marconi/i-am-proud-to-be-a-christian-i-believe-not-only-as-a-christian-but-as/) [Guglielmo Marconi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guglielmo-marconi/) > [“That man smokes a pipe, and that man drinks liquor—but I do believe he is a Christian!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-worthen/that-man-smokes-a-pipe-and-that-man-drinks-liquor-but-i-do-believe-he/) [Molly Worthen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-worthen/) > [Most people believe that the Christian commandments are intentionally a little too severe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soren-kierkegaard/most-people-believe-that-the-christian-commandments-are-intentionally/) [Soren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soren-kierkegaard/) > [Do not think me mad. It is not to make money that I believe a Christian should live. The noblest thing a man can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-livingstone/do-not-think-me-mad-it-is-not-to-make-money-that-i-believe-a/) [David Livingstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-livingstone/) > [I deeply believe in many Christian values: love people; do the right thing; know that there's good in everyone, that God's looking out for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-woodson/i-deeply-believe-in-many-christian-values-love-people-do-the-right/) [Jacqueline Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-woodson/) > [I believe in Christian charity, but I don't believe in Christian tolerance... When we become so tolerate that we lead people into mental fog…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-believe-in-christian-charity-but-i-don-t-believe-in-christian/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [I believe every Christian should be involved in politics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bright/i-believe-every-christian-should-be-involved-in-politics/) [Bill Bright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bright/) > [ The only obligation I recognize is to say what I believe to be true \[ \] and to say it with kindness. I believe… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/the-only-obligation-i-recognize-is-to-say-what-i-believe-to-be-true/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) > [I was brought up to believe that the Christian God wasn't a scared and compromising public servant, but the creator of the whole merciless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sinclair-lewis/i-was-brought-up-to-believe-that-the-christian-god-wasn-t-a-scared/) [Sinclair Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sinclair-lewis/) ## More by Emily C. Heath > [“for the next week we endured what can only be described as verbal abuse from anti-equality Christians. Truly, not all of those opposing marriage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-c-heath/for-the-next-week-we-endured-what-can-only-be-described-as-verbal/) [Emily C. Heath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-c-heath/) > [“for purposes of discussion, let’s just say it is time for the mainline church to start looking for the “next big thing” that will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-c-heath/for-purposes-of-discussion-let-s-just-say-it-is-time-for-the-mainline/) [Emily C. Heath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-c-heath/) > [“if you have something capable of lighting up your whole house, why would you ever want to hide that light? The only logical thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-c-heath/if-you-have-something-capable-of-lighting-up-your-whole-house-why/) [Emily C. Heath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-c-heath/) > [“Carved in stone on the front of Old South Church in Boston is this inscription from the book of Revelation: “Behold, I Set Before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-c-heath/carved-in-stone-on-the-front-of-old-south-church-in-boston-is-this/) [Emily C. Heath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-c-heath/) > [“Fifty years ago there were no Little League games on Sunday mornings, and the stores stayed closed. But while we like to complain about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-c-heath/fifty-years-ago-there-were-no-little-league-games-on-sunday-mornings/) [Emily C. Heath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-c-heath/) > [“the United Church of Christ, has gone from more than two million members in 1957 (the year two denominations merged to form the current…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-c-heath/the-united-church-of-christ-has-gone-from-more-than-two-million/) [Emily C. Heath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-c-heath/) > [“when they’ve taken some time and then told me about their thoughts, at the core of nearly every answer is this: a sense that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-c-heath/when-they-ve-taken-some-time-and-then-told-me-about-their-thoughts-at/) [Emily C. Heath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-c-heath/) > [“we spend a lot of our time navel gazing. We talk about church decline, and whether or not to sell our buildings, and what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-c-heath/we-spend-a-lot-of-our-time-navel-gazing-we-talk-about-church-decline/) [Emily C. Heath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-c-heath/) > [“the suspicion of science is not based in actual Christian belief. My congregation full of educators and scientists disproves that. But the bumper sticker…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-c-heath/the-suspicion-of-science-is-not-based-in-actual-christian-belief-my/) [Emily C. Heath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-c-heath/) > [“It is charity only in the sense of the original meaning of the word, the one that comes from charis, or grace. And for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-c-heath/it-is-charity-only-in-the-sense-of-the-original-meaning-of-the-word/) [Emily C. Heath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-c-heath/) > [“why are Christians generally regarded as such a dour bunch? I’ll confess that even I have thought of Christians that way. And when I’m…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-c-heath/why-are-christians-generally-regarded-as-such-a-dour-bunch-i-ll/) [Emily C. Heath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-c-heath/) > [“We must reacquaint ourselves with the Scriptures, learning to read them in life-giving ways. Truly, many of us have been deeply hurt by those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-c-heath/we-must-reacquaint-ourselves-with-the-scriptures-learning-to-read/) [Emily C. Heath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-c-heath/) > [“what both Jesus and Paul were saying is this: If you want to have a bountiful harvest, you have to plant. And if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-c-heath/what-both-jesus-and-paul-were-saying-is-this-if-you-want-to-have-a/) [Emily C. Heath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-c-heath/) > [“churches and denominations must be in the business of actively helping to create disciples. Disciples, people who are actively being transformed by the grace…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-c-heath/churches-and-denominations-must-be-in-the-business-of-actively/) [Emily C. Heath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-c-heath/) > [“people who come through your doors and stay are there not because they have to be, but because they want to be. And that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-c-heath/people-who-come-through-your-doors-and-stay-are-there-not-because/) [Emily C. Heath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-c-heath/) [Explore all 17 Emily C. Heath quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-c-heath/) ## More Children quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [Behind every successful child is an adult who believed in him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/behind-every-successful-child-is-an-adult-who-believed-in-him/) [Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/) > [I believe in freedom to do what you want if you aren't hurting others, but pictures of obese protesters giving their children big gulps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-defranco/i-believe-in-freedom-to-do-what-you-want-if-you-aren-t-hurting-others/) [Philip DeFranco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-defranco/) > [If the audience likes your work, if they like you, they don't think whether you are married or have children or not. I made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimple-kapadia/if-the-audience-likes-your-work-if-they-like-you-they-don-t-think/) [Dimple Kapadia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dimple-kapadia/) > [It doesnt seem to me strange that children should like the macabre, the sensational, and the forbidden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-hecht/it-doesnt-seem-to-me-strange-that-children-should-like-the-macabre/) [Anthony Hecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-hecht/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Gratitude isn't just a feeling, it's an action. Expressing gratitude by writing in a journal, taking a photo, or shooting a video creates a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-kaplan/gratitude-isn-t-just-a-feeling-it-s-an-action-expressing-gratitude-by/) [Janice Kaplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-kaplan/) > [My embarrassing confession is that my father is a 'Camelot: The Musical' obsessive. So as a child, when we were going to visit relatives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-chibnall/my-embarrassing-confession-is-that-my-father-is-a-camelot-the-musical/) [Chris Chibnall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-chibnall/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [My school was one of the most beautiful places a child can grow up in. You are surrounded by nature - cats, dogs, birds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amala-akkineni/my-school-was-one-of-the-most-beautiful-places-a-child-can-grow-up-in/) [Amala Akkineni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amala-akkineni/) > [A lesser complaint: hair extensions. There are moments on 'All My Children' when half the women actors, young and old, seem to be afflicted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/a-lesser-complaint-hair-extensions-there-are-moments-on-all-my/) [Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/) > [As a child, I had a lot of older gay men taking care of me. There's a trust there. I feel like little girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-cho/as-a-child-i-had-a-lot-of-older-gay-men-taking-care-of-me-there-s-a/) [Margaret Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-cho/) > [If my child had prejudice in his head, I'd be ashamed. I would see it as my failure as a parent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-my-child-had-prejudice-in-his-head-i-d-be-ashamed-i-would-see-it/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [“Children's lives are always beginning and adults' lives are always ending. Or is it the opposite? Your childhood is always ending and your adult…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-espach/children-s-lives-are-always-beginning-and-adults-lives-are-always/) [Alison Espach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-espach/) > [As a child I was very involved with sports and I knew at age 9 that I wanted to be an Olympic champion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-jones/as-a-child-i-was-very-involved-with-sports-and-i-knew-at-age-9-that-i/) [Marion Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-jones/) [Browse all 62,396 Children quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“if we believe that being a Christian is about more than just works, and if we believe that who we are as children of God matters, then we have to start by grounding our actions and identity in something greater than ourselves. That’s the work of discipleship. 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