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<< return to Happy Fish main site What is a Christian? Table of contents: Preliminary
Notes - First draft, March 8, 2002 by David Wang. Please excuse the grammatical
errors and general roughness of this first draft. I hope to smooth things
out in future drafts so that it can be more understandable, and I hope
to complete the "To be continued" sections in this article.
As I grow as a Christian, hopefully I can also revise any possibly confusing
issues regarding the points and content of this article, since I hope
to grow in my understanding and experience of what a Christian is as
I continue to live out the Christian life. However, I hope that the
basics are included in this document to fulfill the purposes of this
article.
Introduction, Background, and Context The question "What is a Christian?" came in our Alpha Course small group discussion on 3/1/02, when during the question brainstorming time, someone suggested the inquiry of whether Mormons are Christians. I then suggested that we consider the question "What is a Christian?" so that we can better discern whether other groups can be categorized as Christians. One of my current passions is for myself and others to understand what it means to be a Christian, as well as the trademarks of being a Christian. I believe that after we (I am speaking to those of us who are Christians) have a biblical and foundational response as to what these are, we can better respond to a lot of the issues are thrown at us, such as issues of other religions and ideologies. I believe that after we have knowledge of this foundation and apply this knowledge in our lives, we can be better prepared to "give an answer to everyone who asks [us] to give the reason for the hope that [we] have," and to "do this with gentleness and respect" (1 Peter 3:15). An analogy to this concept is a story that I have heard regarding the law enforcement against counterfeit money. I have been told that the law enforcement agents focus hard on the real currency in order to do a better job of detecting counterfeit currency. Of course, I am not advocating for Christians to life in a bubble without ever understanding the viewpoints or beliefs of others, for as the analogy goes, I'm sure that the law enforcement agents also are aware of the various types of counterfeit money. However, I am making the claim that we as Christians should attempt to know our faith well through the study and application of the Holy Scriptures, and that in the process of doing so, we will be better equipped to tackle and confront other issues which challenge our faith. Thus, the question "What is a Christian?" is meant to be answered in the similar context of "What does it mean to be a Christian?" and "What are the trademarks of a Christian?" I hope to provide some academic and theological points to help point us to Jesus Christ as the reason for our faith. I hope that these questions also lead you to ask: "Am I a Christian?" If you are already Christian, I hope that this article can be of encouragement to you and help you to answer, "Yes I am, on the basis and authority of God's Holy Scriptures and His presence in my life." If you are not a Christian, I hope that my sharing can help point you toward an all-fulfilling and life-changing relationship with Jesus Christ.
Short Answer to the Title Question Here is my short answer to the question posed in the title of this article: According to the NIV Study Bible (Zondervan Publishing House, see notes from Acts 11:26), the word "Christian" means "belonging to Christ." I have also heard from various Christian educators that "Christian" means "little Christ" or "follower of Christ". The only occurrences of the word "Christian" in the Bible are in Acts 11:26, Acts 26:28, and 1 Peter 4:16. However, other words are used in the Bible which convey the same meaning of "belonging to Christ", such as "Disciple", "Brother", "Saint", "Believer", "Follower of the Way", and "Friend". (Use a concordance or http://bible.gospelcom.net to find the references in the Bible to these words.) I believe that if we further break down the definition of a Christian as one who "belongs to Christ" or is a "follower of Christ" this implies many things, which I believe are all blessings when seen in the proper perspective. I hope to touch on the basics of these implications here.
Some Implications/Blessings of Being a Christian Being a Christian means to confess and live out Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of your life. For Jesus Christ to be your Savior, it means that you admit that you are a sinner: "We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all." - Isaiah 53:6 "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." - Romans 3:23 As a Christian, you also realize that the only way to be saved from your eternal condemnation and separation from God is to believe that Jesus paid the price of the forgiveness of your sins by being a sinless sacrifice for your sins. God sending his Son Jesus Christ as a sinless person is the only way to appease God's wrath and to get from eternal condemnation and separation from God to a right, pleasing, and eternal relationship with God. This relationship with God is the fellowship that God intend for us to have with him: "For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost." - Jesus speaking, Luke 19:10 "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." - Jesus speaking, Mark 10:45 "For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him." - Jesus speaking, John 3:3 "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." - Romans 5:8 "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." - Romans 6:23 "We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." - 2 Corinthians 5:20-21 "He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed." - 1 Peter 2:24 "For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit." - 1 Peter 3:18 "This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins." - 1 John 4:9-10 Thus, as a Christian, you and I should realize that we are sinners.
There is nowhere that one can run to escape God's wrath. The trees won't
hide you, and the rocks won't hide you. Your nice Sunday clothes, neat
haircut, or sparkling-clean teeth can't hide you from the sinful state
of your soul: "Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time
my mother conceived me" (Psalm 51:5). Your well-kept car or many
friends and family can't hide me from knowing that you will stand before
a holy God one day, either as a person who has humbly turned to Christ
for forgiveness, or as one who has been too prideful to accept this
free gift from God: "Man is destined to die once, and after that
to face judgment" (Hebrews 9:27). Your ethical business practices,
law-abiding income tax reporting, and morally-upright charitable giving
to the poor cannot act as payment to God for your sin, because such
acts do not remedy the fact that at the core of who you are, you are
still a sinner: "All of us have become like one who is unclean,
and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like
a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away" (Isaiah 65:6).
Thus, as sinners, you and I realize that we are have a debt before that
we cannot possibly repay with anything of our own resources, and are
therefore bankrupt before God, with empty pockets and filthy nakedness. "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast." - Ephesians 2:8-9 As Christians, we know that the other beautiful and amazing thing is that if we accept and act out the following verses, we will be declared right before God - also known as "justification": "That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." - Romans 10:9 "For, 'Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.'" - Romans 10:13 See also Luke 15:11-31, which some have called the "Parable of the Lost Son", or the "Parable of the Loving Father." This story illustrates the love, grace, mercy, forgiveness, and acceptance from God our Father. I've heard it said that faith's only function is to simply take/receive what grace has to offer. That is, I am not saved due to any works that I do on my own part. And, my faith is also not a work of my own; my faith is simply accepting the grace and forgiveness of sins that God freely offers. As a Christian, you and I are thankful that through this profession of faith, we now have a right relationship with God, and we can have fellowship with God the way that He intended for to have.
But That's Not the Whole Story! (Further Implications: Repentance) So God accepts us despite of our sinfulness, dirtiness, and (in man's eyes, our) worthlessness. And His Word tells us that we are His children: "How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!" (1 John 3:1). See also Ephesians chapters 1-3 for a discourse on who we are as children of God, and the spiritual blessing, riches, and inheritance we have because of Christ. However, the life of the Christian does not end there. We are not to stay in our state of sinfulness. A true Christian also lives with Jesus Christ as Lord of his/her life. That is, being a Christian is more that a confession or proclamation of faith; the genuine and authentic Christian life will be lived out with repentance and fruit. A mandatory element of salvation is repentance, where we turn away from the things in our lives which we know are wrong, and surrender to God to have Him change us so that we become what He desires, which is a reflection of His image and His glory: "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." - Peter speaking, Acts 2:38 "Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord." - Peter speaking, Acts 3:19 "Jesus declared, 'I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.'" - John 3:3 "Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him." - Jesus speaking, John 14:21 In the "Parable of the Lost Son" of Luke 15:11-31, I highly doubt that God (who is portrayed by the father in the parable) would be pleased if the son (us) continued his/our life of rebellion and worldly living. God wants to live in our life - and as we invite him in ("Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me" - Jesus speaking, Revelation 3:20), He makes us more like Him.
The Journey Still Doesn't End There! (Sanctification) We should joyously surrender our lives and paths to Him, because we trust that He is wiser than us, and knows what is best for us better than we do. However, this surrender can be painful at times, and we can still rebel. That is why this gradual change of us being set apart for Him and becoming more reflective of His image and glory (also called sanctification) is a lifelong process. We should be thankful that God is a patient God who works with us! "He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." - Philippians 1:6 "May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." - 1 Thessalonians 5:23 I have a tendency to think that this mindset is that the "justification" part of the Christian life is the great, happy part, and that the "sanctification" part is the gloomy, "bad news," because I "unwillingly have to" give up my sin. Indeed, God does call me to die to sin: "Count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus" (Romans 6:11; see all of Romans ch. 6-7). But I need to realize that Christ has clothed me with His righteousness now, and that I should no longer desire to hold on to those things which offer temporary and false joys: "For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace" (Romans 6:14). Again, I need to trust and find joy in the fact that His ways are better and wiser than my feeble plans. I should rejoice that I am redeemed and "set free from sin" (Romans 6:18)! I heard a preacher say that the cry of ethics is "be what you are not"; that is, always try and try to be "good" by pulling up your bootstraps and trying to attain a level of goodness which you know is really not you, because if you are to be perfectly honest with yourself, deep down you know you are still a sinner and cannot obtain rightness with God in anything that you do. Thus, the cry of Christianity is "become what you are." That is: "Be holy, because I am holy." - 1 Peter 1:16 "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy." - 1 Peter 2:9-10 I believe that this concept and process of sanctification is what brother
Po-wen Ching referred to when he stated in the Alpha Course small group
discussion that "salvation not by "What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. 16If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. - James 2:14-17 "As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead." - James 2:26 Our works are an indication that our faith is genuine, and should be a natural outpouring of our belonging to Christ and our desire to follow Christ. Martin Luther, one of the leaders of the Protestant Reformation, stated that a man is justified (declared righteous before God) by faith alone, but not by a faith that is alone (paraphrase from NIV Study Bible, notes from James 2:14-16). Or, another paraphrase of this is: "It is by faith alone that we are saved, but the faith that saves is not alone."
See Romans ch. 6-7, which states that as Christians, we still have
a sinful nature, and are in a constant battle against sin in our process
of being made more holy… That is, as Christians, we are simultaneously
sinners and saints.
A true Christian should also bear fruit: John 15…
Conclusion I need God… Romans 8:32: He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all - how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Also: Mk 12: 28-29: One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?" "The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this:
'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your
God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind
and with all your strength.' The second is this: 'Love your neighbor
as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these." "Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me." - Psalm 51:12 I hope that this article has helped you to either turn to the Lord in humble thanksgiving for being reminded of who you are as a Christian, or if you are not yet a Christian, that it has helped you realize the blessings and implications of what it means to be a Christian. Thank God for His Word so that we can know of His plan for us! I pray that my words are what the only wise God would proclaim, and not what my feeble mind would attempt to proclaim. In the words of the child of God and psalmist David, I pray the same prayer as he: "May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer." (Ps 19:14) "Let everything that has breath praise the LORD." - Ps 150:6 "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." - Psalm 119:105
"Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful." - Joshua 1:8 "Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither." - Psalm 1:1-3 "Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who finds great delight in his commands. His children will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed." - Psalm 112:1-2
Other Helpful Resources for Clarification, Follow-up, and Meditation
"Once Again" by Matt Redman
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