What Is A Christian?
Actually, what is a Christian? What makes one a Christian? How can one accurately identify a Christian? These are important questions we want to answer from God's Word in this short article. After we have seen clearly what a Christian is, another article will follow concerning why you and I should be Christians.
The word "Christian" is used extensively in our present age. It is applied to many things; we speak of a "Christian nation," a "Christian people," a Christian school," or "Christian idea." Is this actually the proper usage of the term? If one looks at how the New Testament uses the word "Christian" he will find that it is always used as a noun and never as an adjective. Christian is found three times in the New Testament. In Acts 11:26, "And that the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch." Again it is found in Acts 26:28, "And Agrippa said unto Paul, With but little persuasion thou wouldst fain make me a Christian." And the word is found for the third and last time in I Peter 4:16, "But if a man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God in this name." Yes, the word Christian is a name. But a name for what or whom? For the disciples of the Lord, those who obey Him. This is seen plainly from the above verses. Now, do we have any right to use the term in any other way than that used by the inspired writers of the New Testament?
Now that we have seen that only the followers of Christ and the doers of His will can be called Christians, may we see exactly what a Christian is. First, the redemption of an individual makes him a Christian. Redemption means a "ransom, rescue, release or deliverance." The Christian has been ransomed, rescued, released and delivered from the darkness of sin. As a prisoner released from the confines of his jail-cell, so the Christian has been released from pits of iniquity. But remember that released convict can again commit a crime and be put right back into his jail-cell. So may the child of God fall and go back into sin. 1 Cor. 10:12 and Gal. 5:4 and many other scriptures prove this.
One can read a vivid description of the redemption of the Christian in 1 Peter 1:13-25. In these verses we see that he is a child of obedience. He respects and obeys the voice of God in all walks of life. The Christian puts away his opinions and follows unhesitatingly the commands of Jehovah. The Christian is holy in all manner of living. He lives by a high standard which is the inspired Word of God. He leaves the things of the fleshly world because he has been redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ. The soul of the child of God has been purified and he should keep it free from all the taints of the world.
In the second place, the consecration of an individual identifies him as a Christian. I Peter 2:1-10 explains to what the Christian dedicated. All hypocrisy, guile, envies, and evil-speakings are put away. That is, they are mortified or destroyed from the life of the redeemed. The child of God does not in any way participate or long after these vices. On the positive side — he certainly does long for the spiritual milk of the Word. He hungers and thirsts for the instruction from Jehovah. Anyone who has no desire to grow spiritually, is certainly not Christ-like. The Christian is heard reading and studying the Bible; he is heard praying daily and he is seen walking continually in paths of righteousness. His feet are never found in the place of the sinners.
Our whole life is devoted to the service of God if we are Christians. Everything we do — is with God in our mind and with Him uppermost in our considerations. Every chance or opportunity the Christian has to glorify God, he does exactly that. He refrains, as entirely as humanly possible, from ever casting shame or reproach on the holy name of Jehovah the Almighty.
The Christian is a redeemed and consecrated individual. Why should anyone not want to became and remain a Christian? We can be redeemed and cleansed exactly as they were in the New Testament period. They became Christians then, and we too can do the very same today. But only if we perform the same acts they did then. We cannot do something different today than they did in the first century — and still expect to become Christians as they were. One today should and must do the very same thing as the three thousand did on Pentecost day. Read Acts the second chapter and see how they became children of God and were added to the church. Read how the Eunuch became a child of God, read how Paul became one, and read all of the conversions in the book of Acts, and then become a Christian in the same way they did. Remember, if you do something different than they did — you will be something different than they were!
My friend, if you desire to be a child of God, born anew into the Kingdom of our Saviour — then do exactly as those individuals did in the early days of the church.
If Mr. Rockefeller were to come personally up to you and say, "He that believeth and is baptized will receive from me one-million-dollars," — what would you do? Honestly, what acts would you perform? Would you claim belief was enough and then ask for your $1,000,000? Do you think you would get it? Then, why do this when it comes to the saving of your soul? My friend, why not obey Mark 16:16 and receive the greatest blessing possible — the saving of your soul eternally. This far, far outweighs a million dollars. Remember, only Christians will go to heaven. If you want to go to heaven, then you want to become a Christian.
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