Which comes first for a Christian disciple: believing or belonging?

I believe that belonging is the starting point. Jesus calls his disciples to follow him long before he asks them about who they believe him to be.

In today’s passage, Jesus tells those wanting to know who he is that “you do not believe, because you do not belong.” They are not among his sheep. They are not part of his flock.

Becoming one of the flock involves three stages. First, the sheep “hear my voice.” There is some kind of call. Then, “I know them.” The sheep are known by Christ, even if they do not realize who Jesus is. Finally, “They follow me.” This calling provokes a response and a desire to belong.

Are these three elements embedded in our church programs? Do our worship, our pastoral care, our discipling, our mission, our evangelism enable people to hear the voice of God, to realize that God knows them, and then to follow Jesus?

Jesus goes on to say, “I give them eternal life,” and this sums up the message of the entire passage. Our belonging and believing are gifts from God. We hear God’s voice before we respond. We are known before we know. We follow because we have been given a path and a Shepherd to guide us on our way.

We belong to Christ and to Christ’s flock—the Christian community—locally and globally, on earth and in heaven.