In a small group I belong to, the question was asked: “What does it mean to be a Christian?”

There were several comments made, all interesting and generally descriptive of the Christian experience. There was acceptance of the Apostle’s Creed (which by the way wasn’t the Apostle’s creed but that’s another story), keeping the commandments, baptism, fellowship in a faith community, love, etc.

I offer you what I offered the group: What is the key, foundational, difference between a single person and a person who is married?

To me, the key, foundational, difference is that the married person is in an intimate, trusting, exclusive relationship with another person. All the other aspects of what it means to be married come from that one specific choice.

Many times over, our creator invites us into a covenantal relationship that is described in terms of marriage. There are all sorts of things that happen once we accept God’s proposal, things that some call being Christian, but they all come from the one foundation: an intimate, trusting, exclusive relationship with the one who has loved us from the beginning.

So what do you think?