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What is a Christian?

by | Oct 17, 2014 | Doctrine and Theology, Christian Theology

What is a Christian? A Christian is someone who professes belief in and follows the teachings of Jesus.  Jesus is the Christ (Christ means anointed one) and the term “Christian” was first used in Antioch (Acts 11:26).  Though this definition of what it means to be a Christian might seem adequate, in reality, it is not.  When we ask “What is a Christian?” we must also realize that there are false views of who Jesus is.  In fact, Jesus warned us about this when he said, “For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect,” (Matthew 24:24).

But in order to recognize what is wrong, we must first know what is true. According to the Bible, God is a Trinity of three divine persons:  the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  The Son became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:1, 14). Furthermore, if we compare what God said to Moses in Exodus 3:14 (“And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM”) with what Jesus said in John 8:58 (Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am,”), then you quickly see that Jesus was claiming to be God.  In fact, others testified that he was God in flesh as well:

  • John 20:28, “Thomas answered and said to Him, ‘My Lord and my God!'”
  • Col. 2:9, “For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form.”
  • Heb. 1:8, “But of the Son He says, “Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever…”

Alright, so we can see that Jesus is God in flesh and this is one of the essential doctrines of the Christian faith.  However, there are many who claim to be Christians but believe in a false Christ. Mormonism, for example, teaches that God used to be a man on another planet. He brought one of his wives to this world and he and she relations in heaven and produced pre-existent spirit beings. The first one born in the preexistence was Jesus. Therefore, the Jesus of Mormonism is false. Likewise, the Jehovah’s Witnesses teach that there is no Trinity. Therefore, Jesus cannot be God in flesh. This is also false.

The true Jesus, the Jesus of the Bible is God in flesh. We see this from numerous passages above. But not only that, the Jesus, the true Jesus of the Bible, is prayed to (John 14:14; Psalm 116:4 with 1 Cor. 1:2), is called God (John 20:28, Colossians 2:9, Hebrews 1:8), and is worshiped ( Matthew 2:2; 14:33, 28:9; John 9:35-38, Hebrews 1:6). False Christ’s are not prayed to nor are they called God nor are they worshiped.

But this isn’t all.  Jesus was the atoning sacrifice for our sins so that we might escape the righteous judgment of God.  He was crucified, buried, and rose from the dead.  To deny this is to deny an essential of the Christian faith as well as Christ.

So, what is a Christian?  This is accurately answered by saying that a Christian is someone who has trusted in the atoning sacrifice of Christ to remove the guilt of our sins, who also believes in and follows Jesus, who was God in flesh, the second person of the Trinity, who is prayed to, worshiped, and called God.

Apostasy in Christianity

However, in America, apostasy has reared its ugly head in the church.  There are those who do not hold Christ in the highest of regard as God in flesh; and because they fail to do that, they fail to understand the gospel, they fail to become saved, and they fail to understand what it means to be a Christian.  Take the following quote as an example (Note I am not suggesting all Methodist churches are like this):

“Glide Memorial Methodist Church in San Francisco has this Call to Worship in their printed bulletin on Sunday and recited by the leader:  “We are all of us Christians, Jews, liberals, Bolsheviks, anarchists, socialists, Communists, Keynesians, Democrats, Civil Righters, Beatniks, ministers, moderate Republicans, pacifists, teachers, doctors, scientists, professors, Latin Americans, New Africans, Common Marketers, even Mao Tse-Tung. Doubtless. From Lyndon Johnson to Mao Tse-Tung, we are all Christians.”   This church once preached the Gospel and from which, several decades ago, a most powerful evangelistic note was sounded.  Today, many of its services are performed in the mode of the modern dance. Suggestive gyrations are indulged in and the church has become a haven for dope addicts, hippies, homosexuals, and sex-pots.”  (Tan, Paul Lee, Encyclopedia of 7,700 Illustrations, (Garland, Texas: Bible Communications, Inc.) 1996.)

There is nothing wrong with ministering to the lost, but it is all for nothing if a false Christ and false hope of what it means to be a Christian is presented.  So, I ask you, are you a Christian?  Do you follow the true and living God the Son?  Do you trust in Him alone for the forgiveness of your sins?  Examine yourselves as the scripture says and trust in Christ alone for the salvation that is freely offered (Rom. 6:23).

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