Articles
“What Is A Christian?”
By Don Case
When a man or woman is united with Christ, he or she forms one word -- Christian. A Christian is the combination of Christ and you. The sinner receives the Savior, and the Savior receives the sinner. A Christian is a "Christ man" or a "Christ Woman." A Christian is one who has been born again, a spiritual rebirth. It is also someone who has been baptized for the remission of sins. Through repentance the Christian starts a new life in Christ and is added to the church, with their lives guided by the word of God.
What A Christian Is Not...
Today, the word Christian has been seriously corrupted. It has been misused, misapplied, and misunderstood. Many people call themselves Christians who have no right to that claim. The concept of Christianity has become so distorted that millions do not know the difference between true spiritual salvation and mere public belief. When one receives Jesus in faith, he has the right or scriptural authority to be a child of God (John 1:12). When we receive Christ and have faith in Him, we know He is the Son of God. We know that he voluntarily died for our sins so that we might be free from spiritual death and have everlasting life.
Religious people today say they believe in God, Jesus and believe in the Bible but often their lives do not correspond with what they claim to believe. Any faith that does not result in a changed life is not a saving faith, it is a deceiving faith. Often people claim to have become a Christian but if there is no difference, no distinction in their lie, they may still belong to the world.
We pray that each of us will live up to all that the name Christian implies.
And Speaking of the Name, "Christian"
Did you know that there are only three times the word "Christian" is used in the Bible?
It was first introduced in Acts 11:26 as a way of describing some of the early disciples who were meeting in Antioch.
The second time is also in Acts when King Agrippa, in reponse to Paul's preaching, says that he was almost persuaded to become a Christian (Acts 26:28).
Finally, Peter uses the word to instruct early followers of Christ about suffering. Peter communicated the Holy Spirit's message that if a person was going to suffer in this life, it's best he suffer for doing right (being a Christian) than for doing wrong (1 Peter 4:16).
