What Is a Christian?

What is a Christian?

One recent survey indicates that there are approximately 2 billion Christians in the world today. Yet, despite these supposed large numbers, society seems to be spiraling downward into a moral and ethical morass. This should lead us all to ask the question, “What is a Christian?” The Bible contains God’s definition and description of a Christian. What exactly does it say? How does God define the term Christian? Would He agree that there are really 2 billion Christians in the world? Or are many of those 2 billion going to be surprised and gravely disappointed on judgment day as Jesus said (see Matthew 7:13-14, 21-23).

Who is God?

“Who is God,” is the first thing that you must understand in order to be a Christian. The Bible is the revelation of God to mankind. It is the purpose of the Bible to reveal God to us. Knowing the God Whom it reveals is its own definition of a Christian. “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. ” (John 17:3). Every major religion of the world has a different conception of Who God is and what He is like. Although it is popular today to speak of God in terms that make any personal conception of God equally valid, there is only one God. As we read in John 17:3, an accurate knowledge of who God is determines our eternal destiny.

The Bible says that because of the wonder of His created world every man knows in his heart of hearts that there is a God. “Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath showed it unto them. “For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: ” (Romans 1:19-20). Those that deny this are not only called fools (Psalm 14:1) but are suppressing the truth that they know to be true in their conscience (see Romans 1:18).

To be a Christian you must first understand and confess the fact that God is the Creator and Sustainer of the universe. Everything was created for His pleasure, not for ours. We are just creatures. He is God. “For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory forever. Amen.” (Romans 11:36). He is the origin of everything, He is the power behind everything, and His glory is the ultimate purpose for everything. But this God who is powerful enough to create the world out of nothing and hold the entire thing together—from a solar system to the smallest atom—is also a personal God. In fact, mankind was created for the express purpose of relating to God, their Creator.

It is also true that God is Holy. This is the aspect of God that separates Himself from mankind. The Bible calls Him, “who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honor and power everlasting.” (1 Timothy 6:15-16). What does it mean to be holy? The word can mean set apart, pure, sanctified, consecrated, perfect, complete, righteous, sinless. All of these ideas are included in this word holy. Holiness is the preeminent characteristic of the nature of God that separates Him from mankind. “Who is able to stand before this holy LORD God?” (1 Samuel 6:20)?

Because of His holiness God hates sin. “Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous" (Psalm 1:5). "The foolish shall not stand in thy sight: thou hatest all workers of iniquity" (Psalm 5:5). Because God is perfectly holy and perfectly just He must punish sin. "The LORD is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: the LORD hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet" (Nahum 1:3).

While God’s holiness is what separates Him from us, what is it that keeps us at such a distance from Him? That is the next question.

What is sin?

God created us in His own image and likeness. Because of this fact, mankind was created with the wonderful ability of being able to know and communicate directly with God and to have a personal relationship with Him without the stain of sin. Unfortunately, this image and the abilities and privileges that came with it were destroyed when sin entered into the human race through the rebellion of Adam and Eve. Their sinless nature immediately became sinful, and that nature has been passed down to every person since.

Because of this sin nature our sinful thoughts, desires, attitudes and actions come out of us naturally, often without our even trying. Man is born with this natural inclination toward sin, selfishness and rebellion toward God. “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.” (Romans 3:10-12). “There is no fear of God before their eyes” (Romans 3:18).

What is sin? Sin is anything that is done, in our thoughts, attitudes or actions that is contrary to the righteous character of God. Everyone does that. No one is sinless. “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).

This sin makes the sinner worthy of death and God’s punishment. “For the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). “the soul that sinneth, it shall die.” (Ezekiel 18:4). “Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.” (James 1:15).

Our condition in sin is profound. We cannot avoid it. As a result of it we are all guilty. Unfortunately, God’s holy character makes Him unapproachable on our own. And even worse, it demands that He punish sin. Mankind apart from God is really in a helpless state. “Having no hope and without God in the world” (Ephesians 2:12). Fortunately for us, God didn’t leave us to ourselves. He sent Jesus.

Who is Jesus?

He is God. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1).

He became a man. “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us” (John 1:14a; cf. Philippians 2:6-7).

He is Lord of all. “Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:9-11).

He is utterly pure and sinless. “And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin.” (1 John 3:5).

Why is all this important? The importance of these facts has everything to do with what He has done for us.

What has He done?

We are helpless sinners. And because God is holy and righteous and just, He cannot justly allow our sin to go unpunished. However, because our sin was against an eternal and infinite God, it is also an eternal and infinite offense. Because it is an eternal and infinite offense it must be punished eternally and infinitely.

That means that we have to pay an infinite punishment ourselves by spending eternity in hell, or we have to find some other eternal and infinite payment for our sin.

Because Jesus Christ was God, He is eternal and infinite.
Because Jesus Christ was man, He can pay the penalty for man’s sin.
Because Jesus Christ was sinless, He doesn’t have to pay a penalty for His own sin.
Because He doesn’t have to pay His own penalty God has made it possible for Him to pay ours.

“For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” (2 Corinthians 5:21). Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.” (1 Peter 2:24). “And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin.” (1 John 3:5).

No one else has, or ever will, meet the requirement of being a perfect man that has no debt of sin to pay. No one else has, or ever will, meet the requirement of being eternal and infinite so that they could pay an eternal and infinite debt. Jesus was the one innocent man who could pay the penalty for all guilty men because He is both God and man. “For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:” (1 Peter 3:18). And to prove that God was satisfied with His payment for sin, He rose from the dead, proving that the penalty of eternal death had been conquered forever.

Guilty people in our legal system often get off free. Our legal system is not always just. In God’s legal system no one can get off free. God is always completely just, which means sins must always be punished. In the death of Christ, as a substitute for us, God satisfies both His holiness and His justice (see Romans 3:23-26). How can this payment for our sin be applied to our account? That is the next question.

What does God require of us?

He requires first of all that we believe all that has been laid out here already.

We are sinners in the sight of God.
God is holy and must punish sin in order to be just.
We could not pay the infinite penalty that we owe for our own sin.
Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, paid that penalty for us.
He rose again, proving He was God, and that God the Father was satisfied with His payment for our sin.

Many well meaning people will tell you that all you must do to be a Christian is acknowledge that those facts are true. I would challenge you to answer this question: Which of those facts does the devil not believe? The answer should be obvious. He believes them all! And yet it is certainly true that the devil is not a Christian.

Here is what the devil will not do though.

The devil will not ever turn from his sin and turn to serve the living and true God. That kind of repentance is what the apostles called on all men to do. “And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead. ” (Acts 17:30-31). And that total turning from the old way of life to a life of service to God is what characterized the early Christians. “For they themselves show of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God; ” (1 Thessalonians 1:9).

Being a Christian not only means believing the facts about Jesus Christ’s death for sinners. Being a Christian also means being a loyal, dedicated and consecrated follower of that Christ who died for your sins. He cannot be Jesus Christ your sacrifice, unless you know Him and own Him as He truly is—Jesus Christ the Lord of Lords (see again John 17:3; Romans 10:9, 13).

What God requires of all of us is to not only believe those truths about Jesus but also to entrust to Him our entire life—body, soul and strength. Confessing Jesus as Lord does not just mean believe who He was or what He did or even why He did it. The devil believes all that, yet certainly could not be called a Christian. To confess Jesus as Lord means that nothing is held as more important than your commitment to Him. Jesus said, “If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:26-27). “For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it. For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Mark 8:35-37)?

What is a Christian?

A Christian is not just someone who believes the facts, unless the devil is a Christian too. A Christian is someone who believes the facts and recognizes that if those facts are true then his entire life, his entire existence, his every breath needs to be dedicated and set apart to the glory and honor of God. Certainly He is worthy of that loyalty and commitment given the price that He has paid on your behalf.

It boils down to whether or not God is the God of your life, or whether you live like YOU are the God of your life.

Now that we understand what a Christian is, it is little wonder that those who have turned to God can be spoken of in such dramatic terms as these. “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17). What does God require of us? A belief in all that God has done on our behalf and a wholehearted commitment to love, serve and obey Him. That could be adequately termed “repentant faith.” That is what God requires of us.

“Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us; we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.” (2 Corinthians 5:20). “For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succored thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2). All of your sins can be washed away; you can be made right with God; you can have the hope of eternal life; you can have the desires of your heart changed through the new birth and regeneration of the life of God. And it is all granted to us freely as a gift from God if we come to Him in repentant faith.

“Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:

Isa 55:7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.” (Isaiah 55:6-7).

Craig N. Johnson

[All Scripture quotations are from the King James Bible.]