What is a Christian? This information is mainly for those unfamiliar with or confused about Christianity. However, there are some points that demand thoughtful consideration to all who read this. It may be different from what you expect, but our comments are based on God’s Word, the Holy Bible – King James Version. “Christian” is derived from Christ and Jesus Christ is the central figure of the entire Bible. The New Testament concerns His followers, (Christians) then and now which makes up His church. The first four books record His virgin birth, His teachings, miracles, sacrificial death and resurrection. The Old Testament portion of the Bible prophesied of His coming and many of His activities that came to pass hundreds of years later. Much of Israel’s history, their religious rites of sacrifices and ordinances were “types and shadows” illustrating truths for the later Christian era. There are several words that are synonymous with Christian, but the actual word Christian is only mentioned three times in the Bible: (1) Acts 26:28, where King Agrippa is almost persuaded to become a Christian due to the apostle Paul’s testimony of a changed life and his discourse on repentance and the forgiveness of sins, etc. (A Christian is one whose life has been changed and has received forgiveness of sins through repentance). (2) I Peter 4:16, Peter implies a Christian is one who may have to suffer and bear reproach for the name of Christ. (3) Acts 11:26, “The disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.” The word disciple means more than the original twelve (Acts 6:1,7). Jesus taught that whosoever forsaketh not all cannot be his disciple (Luke 14:33). In other words, a Christian is one in which Christ is first place above all other affections. Christians Called Saints An often used synonym for Christians in the Bible is the word “saint”. We are not referring to canonization or honoring someone dead. The living Christians were addressed as saints in letters written to the congregations of the church of God at Corinth, Ephesus, Philippi, Colosse and Rome. The dictionary defines “saint” as a holy person, pure in heart and upright in life. Christians and non-Christians Contrasted Christians, are also called “children of God” and in I John 3:10 we see the contrast between Christians and non-Christians. “In this the children of God are manifest [made known] and the children of the devil, whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.” Therefore, Christians live righteously. Shocking as it may seem to some, Christians live without committing sin. In Verses 6-9, it says in part: Vs 6 “Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not...”,Vs 7 “...he that doeth righteousness is righteous...,” Vs 8, “He that committetb sin is of the devil,” Vs 9, “Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin”. This is the true definition and difference between the Christian and the sinner; a sinner sins, a Christian does not. Brief Definition of Sin Sin is not temptation nor mistakes. Sin is disobedience; willful transgression against God’s laws (I John 3:4). It is doing what we know to be morally wrong or not doing what we know is right. “...to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin” (James 4:17). Willful ignorance is not excusable, as God knows the intent of our heart (Hebrews 4:12). Some of His laws are written on our heart, so even those who do not have access to the Bible are responsible to obey these laws (Romans 2:12-15). The Miracle of Salvation The reason Christians do not sin is because of the miracle of salvation. They have been “converted” from a sinner to a saint. They have been “redeemed,” justified,” “saved,” “born again,” “made a new creature,” - all these are terms for salvation. Salvation is not only the forgiveness of sin, it is also power over it. Salvation enables one to “live righteously in this present world” (Titus 2:12) and “all the days of our life” (Luke 1:75). Jesus came to save from sin (Matt. 1:21). This is real deliverance - deliverance from all kinds of sinful habits. He said in John 8:34, “...whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.” In the sixth chapter of Romans we can read of the Christian’s deliverance from the bondage of sin. Romans 6:17, “...ye were the servants of sin.” Verse 22, “But now being made free from sin and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness and the end everlasting life.” This same salvation adds one to God’s church (Acts 2:47). When one is born again he is born into the family of God, which is the church of God. He need not join anything. We are taught to assemble ourselves together (Hebrews 10:25), but there is no scripture for church joining. Church joining yokes one up with the denominational religious system with different names and teachings, which is contrary to Bible unity (I Corinthians 1:10). We are not saying there are not Christians in the denominations, but that the system of dividing Christians is unscriptural. All this division with everybody claiming to be a Christian is why many are confused about Christianity. We are happy to tell you that God still has congregations of the church of God, separate from denominations throughout the world that are living out what the Bible teaches. How to Become a Christian Just as the word Christian has been misused, so has salvation and its terms, “saved,” “born again,” etc. To become a Christian, to really be saved involves more than holding up the hand and saying, “I accept Jesus as my personal savior.” The first step is an awakening and acknowledgment of our true relationship with God. Whether religious or not, sin is the issue. Sin separates us from God (Isaiah 59:2). We cannot receive anything from God unless we are honest with ourselves and humble enough to admit we are lost. “Godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation” (II Corinthians 7:10). We must be sorry enough for our sins that we are willing to forsake our sinful lifestyle. “Let everyone that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity” (II Tim. 2:19). When one will pray with the attitude of getting out of the sin business, he need only to exercise faith in the shed blood of Christ to receive salvation. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (I John 1:9). The Miracle of Sanctification Then as the new babe in Christ grows in grace, he will discover through the Word of God, that God has another miracle for him. The miracle of sanctification, or the baptism with the Holy Ghost. We are not referring to “speaking in tongues.” That subject is covered in other publications. Our only point here is that Bible tongues are real human languages used to promote the gospel. Sanctification is a second cleansing that purifies the heart of the Christian (Acts 15:9) from the carnal nature. When Adam and Eve sinned, they passed on to all of us a carnal or sinful nature (Romans 5:12,) which is why all have sinned. An exception to this is Christ, who was born of a virgin and by-passed a human father. Children are innocent and not charged with sin until they are old enough to know better. “...the Spirit of Truth...dwelleth with you [in justification] and shall be in you” [in sanctification] (John 14:17). This second cleansing and infilling of the Holy Ghost also supplies the Christian with more spiritual power (Acts 1:8). This Holy Ghost power will help the Christian to live holy consistently. The evidence of the Holy Ghost is a holy life. If you are a Christian seeking more truth, like many of us were, we welcome your inquiries and comments. It is God’s will that “all men be saved and come unto the knowledge of the truth” (I Tim. 2:4). If you are not a Christian we hope we have given you enough information to want to become one. To be fair with your soul we must make two final points: (1) Salvation cannot be obtained through any other religion. “Neither is there salvation in any other, for there is none other name [than Jesus Christ] under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). (2) Salvation adds our name to the book of life. There is a penalty for neglecting or rejecting salvation. “And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire” (Revelation 20:15). Compiled by: Bill Roberts and Brian Schroeder Posted by Bill Roberts
Posted on: Sun, 12 Oct 2014 02:23:50 +0000
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