Christian living / Peters Writings

What Is A Christian?

Mihaela Echols31 Comments

 

Christian.

What does that word even mean?

Do we know who we are in Christ?

 The Bible makes a clear distinction. Either friends with God and an enemy of the world or friends with the world and an enemy of God.

James 4:1-4

“What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members? You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel.You do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures. You adulteresses, do you not know that friendships with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God” 

So again we should ask ourselves…

What is a Christian?

What should our lives reflect?

Where is a Christian’s ultimate meaning, joy, purpose, and significance found?

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 When I think of the meaning of Christian I think of for what it is; someone who is genuine, loving, believing, and active in their faith. This person has a relationship with Christ that is real and when you think about that person, those thoughts are the first to come into your head. So therefore that person believes in the Bible and it’s truths. They would then have to come to the conclusion of the God-head three in one, new birth, sanctification, and many other realities found in the Bible. Some people within the Christian community would say they are “radicalists” but I think Christ would beg to differ. The Holy Spirit through Paul writes to us.

Romans 12:1-2

“Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”

Christ’s ministry from the time he started out preaching the Gospel did not conform himself to the world but to save it. He acted in accordance with God’s will and presented his body as a holy sacrifice, acceptable to God. In fact he was the perfect sacrifice for the world. Christ never boasted in his own deity and used it to for his own gain. 

John 10:37-38

“If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do them, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, so that you may know and understand that the Father is in Me, and I in the Father”

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His whole life was a reflection of a perfect spotless sacrifice for the whole world. No more debt in our hands for our sins that we can not do enough good deeds for. Although we will never be perfect we should strive to be perfect. Christ is perfect and we should strive to be like him daily. What does that look like? Picking up our cross living a spirit filled life dedicated to Christ to the best of our ability and letting God lead us.

Romans 8:9-15

“However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. If Christ is in you , though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness. (This is the change I am hinting at) But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh- for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live.(This was what I was referencing early when I said ‘picking up your cross daily’) For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.

 

At the end of the day Christ must be the ultimate source of meaning, fulfillment, joy, etc. because if He is not am we are probably finding that in work, family, ministry or any other number of things in our lives. But that is not what Christ wants. Although, those all are good things, they fall short of the perfect being who will never fail you or stop loving you. When you give your life to Christ the mounting change of who you are from flesh to spirit is nothing short of a miracle. That would lead us as Christians to serve Christ and worship him through Spirit not serving our fleshly desires.

1st Peter 1:14-19

“As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written,”You shall be holy, for I am holy.” If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth; knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or god from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.”

 

By: Peter Echols

The Mouth Of This Lion

Romans Reality

31 thoughts on “What Is A Christian?”

  1. We talked about loving God being the greatest commandment in church today. This goes along with that perfectly. We have to be plugged into God as our power source and everything else falls into place.

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  2. Amen. So many today throw the term Christian around flippantly these days. At least in the US. It’s essentially been reduced to believing that there is a God, but it doesn’t change how people live. It is interesting to note that the term Christian wasn’t originally something Christ followers called themselves, but others saw the difference in them and called them that. Thanks for sharing!

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  3. I think maybe “Christian” has come to mean “has a general belief in God” more than laying down my life for him on a daily basis. The bible tells us so many will cry, “Lord, Lord” and he’ll say he never knew them. I think in our day it’s easy to picture because sadly, we are so conformed to the world.

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  4. Great post! What is a Christian? I am. I believe Jesus died for our sins. I have accepted him as my Savior. I believe it’s great to go to church but Jesus is everywhere. I can have a little talk with him anytime.

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  5. Wow! I think God is trying to tell me something this week. Yesterday the sermon at my church was on Romans 2 and how our works demonstrate our faith. Later in the day as I was meditating on the sermon, I thought of how our good deeds are motivated by our love for God. Last week in my Bible study, we talked about exactly that from 1 John 5, and then today I read your post! Thanks for the reminder. 🙂

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  6. thanks for this! We all need to remember that as a Christian we are to be like Christ, to reflect HIS love, not our own agendas. We often forget that and out of anger, hurt and simply being human we forget to be like Christ

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  7. I’ve heard this question quite a bit from Christians lately. Who are we? How are we reflecting Christ? Are our lives reflecting grace? I’ve heard several people say they have been calling themselves Christ followers now.

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  8. When I stop to think of those who seem most like Jesus to me, those who are joyful always come to mine. Even when cancer hits, a spouse dies, or they have financial reverses, the joy remains. So different from “happy.”

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  17. For some reason, I think some people do not understand the meaning of the name Christian. It means to be Christ like, which is what you described here. I enjoyed readying your post!

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  18. “Some people within the Christian community would say they are “radicalists” but I think Christ would beg to differ.” Absolutely! Our modern idea of being “sold out” to Christ is vastly different than the context of a first century Believer. Encouraging to see a post that appreciates good doctrine. 😉

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  19. We always need a little reminder of who we are. Despite who we think we are in Christ, we are who He says we are. Thanks for this reminder.

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  20. My concern is not what a Christian is I have a hard time with defined roles but of how I can glorify God and show Christ in me. Living up to a man’s perspective of the Bible is not why God put me here. He put me here to serve Him and lead Him to Christ my Savior from who I have been redeemed. That is a Christian to me.

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  21. This is a very interesting and thought provoking article. The wonderful thing about our lives in Christ is that there are always new depths to learn about Him. I like how you point out that Christ is the our ultimate joy and satisfaction in life… not the things of the world.

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