Christianity Defined

Over the years, I’ve heard the question, “What is a Christian?” answered in a variety of different ways. I’ve noticed that some people tend to put the emphasis on themselves. Declaring that they’re a good person, so to the best of their understanding, that makes them a Christian. And then some assert that they believe in God. Yet there’s no real commitments or standards to follow, just a strong belief they hold that God exists and is ultimately in control. I can go on an on with these examples, and I’m sure you could too.

And yet, we’re still asking the same question.

Because if we’re honest, something about those answers did not send us away with the assurance we were hoping for. After all, it’s a big question. An important one. A question that cannot be ignored if we care about our future beyond this life.

It also doesn’t help that we live in a culture that praises and pushes, “your truth, your way.” With that mindset a Christian can be whatever you want it to be. Whatever feels good and right to you at the time.

There’s no pushback on your behavior, how you spend your time, the way you talk to people. As long as you can justify what you do and why, it’s all good.

But we both know that if that were true, this question wouldn’t remain and it wouldn’t feel so weighty.

Comfortable answers might pacify us for a short time, but when you really want the truth of a matter, when it really means something to you, you dig a bit deeper. You look past personal opinions and intellectual conversations and you look to the source.

In the beginning…

No, no, not that beginning! Not when God created the world, but rather the beginning of the Church—because there was a beginning. And tucked into that beginning is where we will find the origin of the title “Christian.”

The book of Acts, located in the New Testament in the Bible, is a great book to read to learn more about the early Church and its beginning. That time in history shortly after Jesus’s death, resurrection, and ascension back to the Father in heaven—a time when the disciples who walked with Him, knew Him, and learned from Him were commissioned to go out and continue His work.

And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me; for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1:4-8).

And once the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples, they were empowered to do everything Jesus said they would do. And there began growing the Church.

As the Church grew and the teachings of Jesus Christ spread, the disciples found themselves teaching from region to region. And when they came to Antioch, another “beginning,” took place:

Now those who were scattered after the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyrus, and Antioch, preaching the word to no one but the Jews only. But some of them were men from Cyprus and Cyrene, who when they had come to Antioch, spoke to the Hellenists, preaching the Lord Jesus. And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number believed and turned to the Lord. Then news of these things came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent out Barnabas to go as far as Antioch. When he came and had seen the grace of God, he was glad, and encouraged them all that with purpose of heart they should continue with the Lord. For he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to the Lord. Then Barnabas departed for Tarsus to seek Saul. And when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. So it was that for a whole year they assembled with the church and taught a great many people. And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch. (Acts 11:19-26).

So now we have some truths to work with. We know when the term Christian originated. During a time when the church was new and fresh, and the teachings of Jesus was being preached near and far. We know that the term Christian was attributed to disciples of Jesus Christ. And we know that these disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit.

In short, we already have a workable answer that is rooted in truth. A Christian is a disciple of Jesus Christ, filled with the Holy Spirit. Truthfully, we could stop right here. But let’s dig a little deeper, and through the scriptures, pull out a well-rounded answer to satisfy this questioning, once and for all. Because it’s like I said before, this is a question we can’t afford to leave to the opinions of every passing person. It’s much too important for that!

A Christian Is Someone Who Submits To The Word Of God

Jesus and His disciples submitted to the Word of God. It wasn’t just words they considered, it was words they lived by. In fact, it was Jesus who said we could not live by bread alone. In other words, food is not enough to sustain life.

Ponder that for a minute.

How many of us rely on food as if it is our sole life line? But apparently, you can have all the food you want, and completely miss life. That’s a sobering thought.

Let’s take a look at the fullness of what Jesus was saying.

But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’” (Matthew 4:4).

Jesus said we couldn’t live by bread alone, but went on to say, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. Let’s gain some context.

If you read the chapter from the beginning, you find that Jesus had been fasting for forty days and forty nights. He was hungry to say the least! And wouldn’t you know, here comes Satan, always ready and willing to tempt you to do the opposite of what God wants you to do. So he tempts Jesus by basically telling Him, if you really are the Son of God, turn these stones into bread, and eat.

But Jesus not only rejects his offer, He goes on to educate Satan on where life truly comes from.

Let’s look at something else Jesus had to say about His words.

“It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.” (John 6:63).

Again, we find Jesus declaring that His words, the words of God, are life.

Food has the ability to sustain our body for many years, but God’s Word has the power to give and sustain life in our body, our soul, and our spirit for all eternity. And both Jesus and His disciples understood this truth and submitted to the Word of God.

Then Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you also want to go away?” But Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” (John 6:67-68).

Recognizing and acknowledging that the Bible is the Word of God, the highest source of truth, and the words of eternal life, is imperative to being a Christian. Without having this truth solidified in your heart and mind, you’ll always be susceptible to every “good” argument out there. And you risk missing something none of us can afford to miss—eternal life.

A Christian Is Someone Who Believes Jesus Is Who He Says He Is

I shared the words of Peter before, when Jesus asked His twelve disciples if they wanted to turn away from Him. But I didn’t share all of what Peter responded to Him:

But Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (John 6:68-69).

Peter was declaring that he and the other disciples weren’t following Jesus just because they thought He was a good teacher. They were following Him because they believed He is who He says He is.

Let’s stop and look at a few examples, Jesus’ disciples and others would have heard Him saying about Himself:

1. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16).
2. Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” (John 4:13-14).
3. The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ). “When He comes, He will tell us all things.” Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He.” (John 4:25-26).
4. “That all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.” (John 5:23).
5. “For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world…I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.” (John 6:33, 35).
6. Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.” (John 8:58).
7. Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when He had found him, He said to him, “Do you believe in the Son of God?” He answered and said, “Who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him?” And Jesus said to him, “You have both seen Him and it is He who is talking with you.” (John 9:35-37).
8. “I and my Father are one.” (John 10:30).
9. Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6).

Just to highlight a few, to be a Christian is to believe that Jesus is the Son of God, that He and the Father are one, and that He is the only door to everlasting life.

Was He a prophet as many people reduced Him to being? Yes. Was He a teacher, which is as far as some will acknowledge He was? Yes. But He was and is far more than any prophet or teacher could ever be. He was, is, and always will be, God.

A Christian Is Someone Who Acknowledges Their Need For A Savior

If it’s one thing we love calling other people (and ourselves), it’s “good”: “Oh, so-and-so is such a good person for doing this.” And “Oh, I can’t believe so-and-so would do that; what a good person they are.”

Maybe you’ve never said it in that exact way, but just think about how often you refer to someone as good. More often than not, we deem other people (or ourselves) good based off of what they’ve done, or how they’ve behaved.

But not God.

In Matthew chapter 7, we find Jesus teaching the importance of asking and seeking God. He was teaching that God is a good Father who delights in giving to those who ask and seek Him. In verse 11, He used the listeners as an example:

“If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!”

Incase you might be thinking, well maybe that just applied to the people sitting there before Him. Maybe they were evil. But that doesn’t mean all people are evil. How do we know if what He said was intended for us today?

Fortunately, Romans 3:23 leaves no room for doubt that Jesus’s words weren’t just for that day, but for every generation before and after. The Apostle Paul, the writer of Romans, makes it abundantly clear that sin, which is evil, is universal. Something every human who has ever been born into the world is guilty of, except for Jesus.

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God… (Romans 3:23).

None of us are good people on our own.

If you are guilty of one sin, you are guilty of them all (James 2:10). And all sin bears the penalty of eternal hell, without a Redeemer.

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23).

Yes, the wages of sin is death. But thankfully, we have a Redeemer in Christ Jesus!

A Christian, recognizes that they are a sinner in need of a Savior. That they could never be good enough to get to heaven on their own. That it is in their best interest to receive God’s free gift of salvation; a gift they cannot earn, it can only be received. Let’s look at how the Message Bible translates this truth:

Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It’s God’s gift from start to finish! We don’t play the major role. If we did, we’d probably go around bragging that we’d done this whole thing! No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving. (Ephesians 2:8-9).

No one has the power to save themselves, but Jesus’ death on the cross for our sins pays the penalty for all who put their faith in Him and receive His free gift of salvation.

A Christian Is Someone Who Repents Of Their Sins

To put it simply, to repent of your sins is to make a conscious, consistent decision to turn away from the way you have been living and to turn to the way God instructs us to live through His Word. It’s a choice to follow Jesus and His teachings above our feelings, above our opinions, above our traditions, and above the ways of other people.

A Christian surrenders their life to God and His way of doing things. And it is there that they find mercy:

He who covers his sins will not prosper, But whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy. (Proverbs 28:13).

The way of the world is to hide your sins for as long as you can or make excuses for them. But God’s way is to confess them and turn away from them. One leads to death. One leads to life. A Christian is someone who chooses life.

Now that we have defined what a Christian is, it’s time to ask yourself: Are you a Christian? Are you submitted to the Word of God? Do you believe Jesus is who He says He is? Do you recognize your need for a Savior? Have you repented of your sins? In other words, are you a disciple of Jesus Christ, and filled with the Holy Spirit?

If you’ve never accepted God’s free gift, and received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, I invite you to use our guided Prayer For Salvation, to begin a relationship with Jesus today.

Because the fact is, the culture may define a Christian many different ways. Individuals may identify themselves as Christians, even though they live and believe contrary to what has just been outlined. But you now know the truth, directly from the source. And The only question that still remains is: What will you do with the truth?