What is a Christian?
What is a Christian?
Jesus said, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” John 3:16,17
A Christian is a follower of Jesus, who is called the Christ, that is, the Holy One of God sent to save the world. Christians believe that Jesus Christ is God in the flesh; that the God who created the heavens and the earth humbled himself and took on the form of a mere mortal. (See Philippians 2:5-11) What is Infinite became finite, what is Spirit became flesh and bone; that which transcends time and space was born to a virgin peasant girl named Mary at a specific time in a specific place.
Jesus Christ is the mystical union of God and man: 100% God, yet at the same time being 100% man.
We believe that God went to this mind boggling and outrageous extreme because He loves people that much. God loves you so much that in Jesus Christ He would go to the cross for you: He would endure the humiliation of a mock trial and the indignity and pain of being tortured and finally he would lie there on a piece of wood and allow nails to be driven into his feet and hands. He loves you so much he would even die for you. God doesn’t desire that you or anyone else should be punished for failing to live up to his standards and his goodness. But He also knows that we humans aren’t able to live perfect lives. We make mistakes. We make bad choices. We sin. Justice would demand that we pay the penalty of our sin; if we break a human law we are answerable to a human court; if we break a divine law we are answerable to a heavenly court. But by becoming a man in Jesus Christ, God took upon himself all the sin of the whole world; all that ever was before He came; all that was while He was here in the flesh; and all that ever will be. He took all of the mistakes and wrong doings of humanity upon himself and paid the penalty for all of them on the cross. The punishment for sin is death, but because Jesus died in our place we are free from the eternal punishment that would rightly be ours. We are free. We are forgiven. We are saved. The price has been paid for us. A Christian is one who daily receives this free gift of salvation by faith in Jesus Christ. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son…”
But Jesus Christ didn’t just die for us; He was raised from the dead three days later. Why? Because the story doesn’t end with death. It never ends. Instead, it begins again and again with New Life. Christians believe that because God raised Jesus from the dead, we too, as his followers, will also be raised to New Life. The new life is the life we lead when we realize that the curse of sin has been lifted from our lives. That we no longer have to keep on repeating the same bad behaviors, that we don’t have to keep on making wrong choices, that change for the good is now a very real possibility.
The foundation of this new life is Jesus himself. Jesus didn’t just live and then die and then get raised again to go away. No! He didn’t come and make his point and then walk out. He is still with us and he continues to live in the hearts of those who follow him. We call this continuing spiritual presence of Jesus in our lives the Holy Spirit. We cannot see him or touch him, his presence has been transformed from a physical one to a spiritual one. In such a way it is possible for him to be in all places with all his people at once. In such a way he is with us always as he promised. Being a Christian means that you are never alone. It means that you will never be condemned. It means that you have been given a new life to live, new and abundant life is yours for the taking. “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”
So how do we live this new life that Jesus has given us?
Jesus says, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:34,35
As a Christian you will never be without purpose or direction. As a result of the tremendous love that God showed to us by giving us salvation and new life, we are to pour out our lives into others as God poured himself out for us. The foundation of our new “Christ-life” is love.
When the love of God comes upon you and you experience the forgiveness and renewal that a relationship with Jesus Christ can bring, a desire is born within you to share that love with everyone. It’s like falling love: You want to shout out the name of your beloved and tell the whole world about what has happened to you.
Love can be shown in the simplest gesture. It may be a smile that brightens someone day or it could be helping someone in need. But love is more than what we say or do. The kind of love that Jesus is talking about is more than actions, it is an attitude. Jesus, the Son of God, did not come to be served, but to serve. We are to love all those whom we meet with an attitude like Christ’s: an attitude of love that is willing to lay down all rights and claims and self interest for the sake of someone else. The Bible tells us that our attitude should be the same as Jesus: “Christ was truly God. But he did not try to remain equal with God. He gave up everything and became a slave, when he became like one of us. Christ was humble. He obeyed God and even died on a cross.” (Philippians 3:6-8, CEV) The love that Jesus tells us to have is a self giving love, a love that is sacrificial; a love that is obedient; a love that does not insist on putting our needs first, but the well being of other people.
How can I become a Christian?
Jesus’ invitation to “Follow me,” is an open invitation to come and fall in love with him, the One who first loved you. It is an invitation to come and give yourself fully and without restraint; to fall head over heals in love with the God who created you, who saves you, and who continues to walk beside you. Jesus Christ is God’s Valentine to you - “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son…”
Christians are people in love with Jesus Christ. We seek to follow him, to become more like him by the help of the Holy Spirit, and to be witnesses of his saving work in our lives by learning from him how to love other people as he loves us.
To become a Christian merely follow Jesus Christ. Since it is not easy for us to do this on our own, it helps if we ask him to come into our hearts, forgive us of our sins, and give us the new life that he promises. Many have found this prayer or a prayer similar to it helpful in committing their lives to follow Jesus Christ:
Lord Jesus Christ,
I am so sorry for the things that I have done wrong in my life. (Take a few moments to ask forgiveness for the things that are on your heart or come immediately to mind). Please forgive me. I promise that I will turn away from everything that I know is wrong and I will do my best to follow you.
Thank you that you died on the cross for me and so that I could be forgiven and set free. Thank you that you give me a new life, a life that is free from my past wrong doing, a new life that can be lived with you. I now receive that gift.
Please come into my life by your Holy Spirit and lead me and guide me forever.
Thank you, my Lord Jesus. Amen.