Snapshots
Biblical Truth
OF
“Christian”, what does this title represent today? Are we a “Christian” just because we say we are? In our society we confer the title “Doctor” to those having a level of education and skill worthy of that respect and honor. What about a Christian? What qualifies a person to be considered a genuine, authentic “Christian”?
In Bible days, the term “Christian” was reserved for a specific group of believers who were dedicated followers of Jesus Christ – people who followed closely his teaching. The New Testament Book of Acts (Acts 11:26) tells us that the early believers located in Antioch were the first to be called Christians. Many of these early Christians were put to death simply because of their faith in Jesus Christ. Today, in some countries, it is still dangerous to be called a Christian.
Christianity is a term we use rather loosely here in America. We refer to our nation as a Christian nation yet many of our actions are far from being Christ like and they are far from reflecting the true love of Christ. For many, the term Christian is simply adopted by the process of elimination. I am not atheist, I am not Muslim, I am not Jew, I am not ….. ; Therefore, I must be a Christian.
We are not a Christian just because we say we are. We are a Christian because, by faith, we:
1) Accept God's salvation plan by inviting Jesus Christ to be our Lord and Saviour.
2) Invite God into our personal space.
3) Confess our sins and mistakes to God.
4) Humbly ask for God's forgiveness.
5) Commit our lives to following the teachings of Christ.
The result of this is that we become a brand new person inside. We become a true child of God. Now we have a new purpose for life and a new hope for tomorrow. We gain a new attitude, a new way of looking at life, a new way of looking at ourselves. Our lives are now directed and governed by the Holy Scriptures and we are set apart from the world, by God himself, as His very own blessed children.
Becoming a child of God and inheriting God's blessings does not mean that our lives will suddenly be free of all problems and only smooth sailing ahead. Sorry! That life wouldn't require much faith, would it? What it does mean is that we have God, our creator, walking along side through each trial and struggle we face in our walk of faith. It also means that we have eternity ahead to fellowship with God - totally forgiven.
The Bible is abundantly clear that salvation (becoming a Christian) is not obtained by works alone. We can not work for it, we can not purchase it, nor can we obtain it through great acts of kindness or humanitarian effort. Salvation is a free gift from God, available for the asking, by faith. However, the Bible does teach us that works are important. Our faith is shown to be genuine by the evidence of good works in our lives. What does this evidence look like in real life? The linked pages to the right point to illustrations found in Scripture.
You Call Yourself Christian
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