What is a Christian?

by Ryan DavisonComPostsPosted on Comments are Disabled

Key Points

  • A Christian is someone who believes in and follows Jesus Christ.
  • Becoming a Christian is not about good deeds or rituals; it’s about faith and belief in Jesus’s sacrifice for your sins.
  • This belief restores your relationship with God and grants eternal life.
  • The Bible defines this as a free gift of grace, not something you can earn.

What is a Christian?

The title of “Christian” is often misunderstood. Some see it as a cultural label, others as a set of religious rules. The truest meaning, however, comes from the Greek word Christianos, which means “follower of Christ.” This makes Jesus Christ the ultimate authority on what a Christian is. He came as a light into the world so that everyone who believes in Him would not remain in darkness (John 12:46).

How to Become a Christian

Jesus laid out the path to becoming a Christian with striking clarity. It’s not about being a good person, as Jesus himself said there are none who are good. It’s also not about attending specific churches or being educated in certain schools. The path is a simple yet profound act of belief.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” (John 3:16-18).

Did you catch that? Whoever believes in Jesus is saved from judgment and has eternal life with him. This is the foundational truth.

  • You must believe that our sinful nature has separated us from God.
  • You must believe that Jesus died to pay the debt of your sins and rose from the grave to defeat death itself.

To be clear, there’s nothing you can do to make yourself right with God. No good deeds, no penance, no high morality will suffice. Jesus Christ made things right between you and God through his death and resurrection out of love, for free, with no requirement other than truly believing it in your heart.

The Christian Life

Once you have believed in Christ, a new life begins. The Bible explains that when you believe, you are indwelled with His Spirit, which gives you the ability to resist sin. This is why when you read about morality and rules for living in the Bible, it’s always in reference to those who have already believed in Christ. Without true belief in Jesus, it’s impossible to live the life of a Christ follower. This is the relationship we were created for and the true meaning of life so many people search for.

FAQ

Q: Do I have to go to a specific church to become a Christian? A: No, becoming a Christian is a personal act of belief in Jesus Christ. Church attendance is a way to grow in your faith, but it is not a requirement to become a Christian.

Q: Does being a Christian mean I will be perfect? A: No. Christians are not perfect; they are simply forgiven. The Christian life is a journey of growth and sanctification, not a state of sinless perfection.

Try Digging a Little Deeper

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The next time you’re looking for a photo, a video, or someone’s opinion online, try going to page 8 of the results. We miss so much good information because we think Google gets the first page right all the time. Try digging a little deeper and you might be surprised what you come up with.

You Just Can’t Win

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Today I was checking out at the grocery store and the clerk said the credit card scanner was going to ask me if I wanted to round up to the nearest dollar to help fight children’s hunger. But the card reader never asked.  It just said thank you, please remove your card.

Then the clerk saw that my receipt wasn’t rounded up and she gave me a scowl as if to say “what a jerk! You probably want children to die!” You can’t win these days.

Nothing to Say

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Lately, I’ve been working on a few photography projects that have been taking up most of my extra time. This has been great but it does keep me from concentrating on this blog. Once I’m done with work and photography related things, I usually am too tired to put anything down here.

I’ll get back to it at some point but for a few more days at least, I’ll probably only be posting short form or pictures. It could be worse.

It Came From the Gutter

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I’m not sure what this is but it was in the gutter in an industrial park. It looks to me like some sort of evil experiment gone wrong. Now the black slime has escaped its confines and is looking for a way to become mobile and take over the world. Or something.

First Sprouts of Spring

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Every year I try to grow at least a little bit of my food. Sometimes it’s just one or two things in pots and sometimes it’s a full blown garden. Last year I built a raised bed garden and went a little wild growing winter squash. This year, I’ve steered clear of squash and am focusing on some early cool weather vegetables like snap peas, radishes and brocolli.

The other day I saw the first sprouts of the year popping up through the soil. I’m sure a couple of months from now I’ll be grumbling about having to water and weed every day. But until then, I’ll be enjoying seeing the new life coming up and anticipating it growing into something I can use. Oh, and I’ll also be futilely trying to keep my dog from walking through the bed.

Tactile Warning Devices

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This is a tactile warning device, also-known-as truncated domes. Truncated domes are a much better description since they actually are domes with their tops cut flat. They are meant to be a warning to anyone stepping on them or rolling over them that they are about to enter a street or parking lot.

However, the word tactile means a sense of touch. Unless you are down on your hands and knees, running your hands across the truncated domes, you’re actually feeling them (through your feet or bottom), not touching them. So the phrase “tactile warning device” is not entirely accurate. I just thought you ought to know.

42

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Last week I celebrated my 42nd birthday. If you’re familiar with the work of Douglas Adams, you’ll recognize that my age is actually the answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe, and everything. The answer may not be entirely accurate but it does help inspire an upbeat attitude about being this particular age.

I’m way past the age where I expect to get birthday presents from anyone except myself. But, like anyone else, I still enjoy it when others recognize the fact that God has allowed the earth to shuttle me around the sun one more time by giving me something, no matter how trivial.

My family did not disappoint me in this. My youngest son who is 11 at the time of this post, drew me an amazing picture of a bird landing on a branch. I think he is getting better all the time but this picture shows that he is already pretty good!

My oldest son (15) got in on the action as well. He gave me a coupon good for a birthday gift to be made any time I want it. The funny thing is, he couldn’t bring himself to make one then on my birthday! He’s getting good at punting things. Next, I expect him to work on his delegation skills and outsource making my gift to fiverr when I call in the IOU.

My wife is always consistent when it comes to my birthday. She knows I’m fine not receiving gifts but she always manages to find something anyway to make me feel special. This year she presented me with two books that I keep borrowing over and over from the library. If I borrow something two or three times, that’s a pretty good indication that I could benefit from owning it.

The first book is The Painted Art Journal: 24 projects for creating your visual narrative by Jeanne Oliver. It’s a great book on mixed media and creating personal stories through art journaling.

The other book is Geninnes’s art: birds in watercolor, collage, and ink: a field guide to art techniques and observing in the wild by Geninne Zlatkis. Geninne is an amazing artist and I love her bird paintings. This book is great because it breaks down the process Geninne uses to develop her work. It’s very inspiring especially since I already like drawing and painting birds. Hopefully, this book can help me take my art to a higher level.

So all-in-all it was a pretty successful birthday haul. But presents aside, I had a great time spending the beginning of my next year of life with the people I love.