Who is a Christian?

Unfortunately, many people do not have a biblical understanding of who a Christian is. Out of mere ignorance, many people think they are Christians, but in truth they are not. When you ask some of them what makes them Christians, they are likely to give you various reasons why they believe they are Christians. But when you examine their reasons in the light of the scriptures, you can easily discern and conclude that they are not Christians at all. 

I write this with heaviness of heart that many who claim to be Christians and are not will be disappointed on that faithful day. Therefore, it is imperative that we heed to the instruction of apostle Paul to us, as he penned down these words: Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves, or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you- unless indeed you fail the test? (2 Corinthians 13; 5). In order not for you to deceive yourself, it will be in your own interest to examine yourself with God's word to truly ascertain whether you know Jesus Christ in truth.

These things do not make you a Christian 

Some people believe they are Christians because they go to church every sunday. It is good to be part of a local church, but being a member of a local church does not qualify you to be a Christian. Others also believe they are Christians, because they believe in God and are good people. They give alms to the poor, visit the sick at the hospital, feed the hungry and provide hospitality to the homeless. I must confess that these are good deeds, but they are still deficient in themselves to make you a Christian. A typical example was Cornelius, a devout and a generous man, one who feared God, but he was still not a Christian until he heard the gospel from the mouth of apostle Peter and believed in his message.

 After he heard and believed the good news about the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and received the indwelling of the Holy Spirit before he became a Christian, see (Acts 10). Abounding in good works and being religious without faith in Jesus Christ does not make you a Christian, even though you may claim to be a Christian. Some also believe they are Christians because they were born in a Christian home, and raised by godly Christian parents. The truth is that, being born to Christian parents does not in anyway make you a Christian. Salvation is personal, the fact that your parents are Christians automatically do not make you a Christian. You cannot be a Christian without a personal relationship with the author of the Christian faith.

Who is a Christian?

But the question still remains that who is a Christian? The name, "Christian" appears three times in the Bible, see (Acts 11; 26, Acts 26; 28, 1Peter 4; 16). A Christian is a person who believes in Jesus Christ and rely on his finished work as the sole basis of his forgiveness and acceptance with God. A Christian is one who has been born again by the regenerative power of the Holy Spirit through faith in Jesus Christ. The moment you exercise saving faith in Christ for salvation, by definition you become his follower, a Christian. 

The biblical meaning of a Christian is a person who is a follower of Jesus Christ. The early disciples were first called Christians in Antioch, because they were followers of Jesus Christ, see (Acts 11; 26). As Christians, we have the Holy Spirit in us, who is the author of our sanctification (2 Thessalonians 2; 13). The holy Spirit enables us to be holy and to walk in good works. Because we are Christians and have the Holy Spirit in us, we can perform good deeds which redounds to the glory of God. All our good works are spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through our Lord Jesus Christ (1Peter 2; 5). Our good works are not the cause for our being Christians, no, but we are Christians through faith in Jesus Christ alone.

How do I become a Christian?

Nicodemus was a religious leader, but he was not saved until after his interlocution with Jesus Christ. Nicodemus became a Christian or a follower of Jesus Christ only when he trusted in him for salvation (John 3). Cornelius was also a man known for his charitable deeds, but he was not yet a follower of Jesus Christ, until he heard the message of the truth, the gospel of his salvation. The only way to be a follower of Jesus Christ is to acknowledge your own sinfulness and cry out to Jesus in faith and you shall be saved (Romans 10: 13). You need to receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, before you can be eligible to become a Christian or his follower. 

The bible says: That if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation (Romans 10: 9-10). Peradventure, if you have no personal relationship with Jesus Christ, then today is the acceptable time, behold, today is the day of your salvation. You need to believe in the death and resurrection of Christ from the depth of your heart for your eternal salvation, lest you will perish forever. After you have believed, you can rest assure that you are now a true Christian, a member of the body of Christ, and a follower of Jesus Christ. 

 A thought to ponder 🤔 

 You cannot be a Christian, without a personal relationship with the author of the Christian faith

We defend and exposit the truth of the gospel 



Comments

  1. AnonymousJanuary 7, 2025 at 6:06 AM

    This is very powerful. God bless you! Looking forward for more.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AnonymousJanuary 7, 2025 at 7:53 AM

      Thank you and God bless you too

      Delete

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