WHAT IS A CHRISTIAN?
By: Carol Clemans
After going to college when I was young, I worked as an administrative secretary for ten years in our local school district. I realized that people who may acknowledge there is a God, but do not call themselves ‘Christian’ have very clear expectations for others who say they are Christian. I never did say, “I’m a Christian.” But my working peers could tell by how I acted, my words and my interests that I had a strong belief in God.
To be a Christian means to be Christ-like. What does this mean? The definition of God is: GOD IS LOVE! If we claim to be Christian, then others around us are expecting us to be like Christ who was God in the flesh.
At many weddings we hear I Corinthians 13: 4 – 7. The New Living Translation states it this way, “LOVE IS PATIENT AND KIND. LOVE IS NOT JEALOUS OR BOASTFUL OR PROUD OR RUDE. LOVE DOES NOT DEMAND ITS OWN WAY. LOVE IS NOT IRRITABLE, AND IT KEEPS NO RECORD OF WHEN IT HAS BEEN WRONGED. IT IS NEVER GLAD ABOUT INJUSTICE BUT REJOICES WHENEVER THE TRUTH WINS OUT. LOVE NEVER GIVES UP, NEVER LOSES FAITH, IS ALWAYS HOPEFUL, AND ENDURES THROUGH EVERY CIRCUMSTANCE.” This defines what it means to be a Christian!
If you are a believer, then the Fruit of the Spirit should be flowing out of you. Galatians 5th chapter lists the works of the flesh and the Fruit of the Spirit. If you want to be Christ-like and want love, joy and peace, you must have the fruit of patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. What peace and harmony we would have in families, on the job, in churches and communities if Christians would be Christ-like.
If you are a believer and not baptized in the Holy Spirit that can be your ‘Helper’ to do what is Christ-like, go to the Book of Acts and see what happened to the new believers. They were all baptized in the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost. It’s an indescribable experience and life changing. God said in the Old Testament and New Testament, “Be ye holy for I AM Holy.” That’s God’s command and we can do it when we are baptized in His Spirit. My goal in life is for others to see Christ in me.
Tags: Christ, Christian, DEMAND, DOES, ENDURES, GLAD, God, Holy Spirit, HOPEFUL, INJUSTICE, IRRITABLE, KEEPS, life, love, OWN, RECORD, RUDE, the Holy Spirit, WHENEVER, WRONGED
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Here’s a problem, however. Many people behave in a Christ-like manner, but, for whatever reason, don’t pray the sinner’s prayer or participate in baptism. They don’t consider themselves to be “Christian.” According to many “Christians,” these folks, the non-Christians, are condemned to an eternity burning in a lake of fire, but those who are either baptized or confess their faith are promised an eternity in heaven no matter how they behaved on earth. God, please forgive me for being skeptical of this.
While I appreciate Carol’s testimony about what it is to be a Christian, she actually does not give the correct answer. Yes, she does describe what Christian living is in its true form, and we are to be Christ-like, but there are many secular people that reject Christ and claim they live good, wholesome and joyful lives full of love and appreciation for others while making competing claims against the cross of Christ.
In order to be a Christian, one must believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, that He was born of a virgin birth, lived a perfectly sinless life in order to fulfill God’s perfect law, died an atoning death that paid the price for all the sins of all the world and rose triumphantly from the grave on the third day. One believing such things must confess their sins to our Heavenly Father and turn from them in true repentance that produces a changed life that makes it possible for all to see Christ living in them, which is the hope of glory.
While I agree with Carol about her experience of living a life as a disciple of Jesus Christ, and I embrace her as a sister in Christ, Christianity is not all about personal experiences; it is about the faith that unites us with God by His Grace and unites us with each other. This faith is not subjective, nor is it uniquely personal to each person that embraces it, it is the universal faith once delivered to the saints beginning at the preaching of the Apostles and prophets with Jesus Christ as its cornerstone. Creeds and dogmas matter, doctrine is the central unifier of all Christians, and Christianity makes exclusive claims about how mankind is reconciled to God. If we hold our lives up as the standard of what represents our faith we miss the point of lifting Jesus up instead. As Jesus Himself said, “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me (John 12:32).
Often people don’t understand that being christ like also meant fighting the forces of darkness with the word. Clearing out the temple with the money changers was not a modest protest either. It is when we emulate Christ is when we become targets of those who want to accuse us of not beineg what we are. A work in progress.
I thought this was a great article. I too was known for my actions as a christian when I went to D6, however, I have learned that God also puts in places certain avenues to ensure that with man we are helped in our battles to fight the good fight.
If you doubt this then read the constitution. We have the ACLU, OCR, and other agencies to assist with seeing that the efforts of those in truth fight the good fight. Be what Christ meant us to be as a light that shines on a hill and never hidden under a bush.
Please respond to my question.
A christian is a person who lacks logic and rationality.
I’ll just leave this here. 1 Timothy 2:12