Definition of being a Christian

Most Bible dictionaries define "Christian" as an adherent or follower of Christ. A Christian is a believer of Jesus Christ the Messiah. However the term Christian is a Gentile designation for believers because the word "Christ", upon wich the term was constructed, suggests recognition of the Messiah, which no unbelieving Jew (who denied that Jesus is the Chrsit) was prepared to do. Consequently the Jews called fthe followers of Christ as the "Nazarenes" (Acts 24:5).

The word "Christian" occurs only three times, all in the New Testament. It was first given to disciples at Antioch, where Barnabas and Paul visited:

"And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch" (Acts 11:26, NKJV).

The other two times are:

1. "Then Agrippa said to Paul. 'You almost persuade me to become a Christian'" (Acts 26:28).

2. Peter exhorted, "Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter" (1 Peter 4:16).

Someone correctly said, "A Christian is not one who does certain things for God, but one for whom God has done certain things. He is not so much one who conforms to a certain outward manner of life as he is one who has received the gift of eternal life. He is not one who depends upon a hopelessly imperfect state but rather one who has reached a perfect standing before God as being in Christ".

Therefore we need to look at "Christian" from two perspectives - one, from man's perspective and two, more importantly, from God's perspective.

Being a "Christian" - from man's perspective

Before the early disciples of Christ were called Christians they called themselves "believers" (Acts 5:14), "brothers" or "brethren" (Acts 6:3; 10:23), or "saints" (Acts 9:13; 9:32; 9:41). These names, together with other names, continued to be used in the epistles of Paul and Peter and in the Church today. These are, "believers" (1 Tim. 4:12), "saints" (Romans 1:7), "the elect" (Col. 3:12; 2 Tim. 2:10), and "servants (slaves) to God or to Christ" (Rom. 6:22; 1 Peter 2:16; Phil. 1:1).

In modern times the name Christian has been somewhat emptied of its true meaning as a follower of Christ. He is more of a follower of a Christian denomination than a follower of Christ after the Protestant Reformation. He is linked with the denomination where he belonged - Lutheran, Anglican, Baptist, Brethren, Methodist, Pentecostal, Full Gospel and you name it. Some even called a Christian as comeone who worships in a Church building. To some today, Christian even means little more than just a "Western" religion.

Being a "Christian" - from God's perspective

God looks at the "Christian" in a much higher divine standard. God expects a Christian, as someone saved by grace, someone who received the gift of righteousness and the gift of eternal life, to live the Kingdom life and be changed by it - a Christian being a member of the household of God and His Christ.

Christians are expected to walk in the light because:

"He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins" (Col. 1:13, 14, NKJV).

Christians are chosen people of God:

"But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy" (1 Peter 2:9, NKJV, emphasis added).

Biblical Truth concerning true Christians

The following is a list of five passages of New Testament Scripture concerning the mark of a true Christian. The list is by no menas complete but is considered sufficient for the purpose of this message.

1. A true Christian is a disciple of Christ who does the will of God

When Jesus was with his disciples, He replied the one who told Him His mother and brothers were looking for Him:

"Here are My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My borther and sister and mother" (Matthew 12:49, emphasis added).

If you are a brother of Jesus or a brother of any true Christian you are yourself a Christian. If you are someone who Jesus would not name as a brother you are not a Christian. This is but simple logic.

Here Jesus laid down two conditions for being a Christian:

I. You must be His disciple. If you are not a disciple of Christ you are not a Christian. But the contemporary Church assumes Church members are Christians and tries to make disciples out of them who might not be Christians in the first place. A water-baptized Christian might not be disciple of Christ.

II. You must do the will of God. This is a really tough one. Not many self proclaimed Christians are doing the will of God. In the contemporary Church you can hardly find even a Pastor doing the will of God! A Pastor who pleases men is not doing the will of God. A Pastor who compromises the truth of God's Word in his preaching, teaching and counselling is not doing the will of God. Why? Jesus never, never pleased any man and He never, never compromised the truth of God's Word! He did the will of God at all times when He was with His disciples. God's will is in His Word and the entire Bible is His Word. Anyone who does any thing contrary to what the Bible says is not a true Christian.

2. A true Christian departs from iniquity

Paul said, "Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: 'The Lord knows those who are His,' and 'Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity'" (2 Tim. 2:19).

The Lord knows who the true Christians are and He puts His seal on them. Everyone who names the name the Christ must depart from iniquity; that is, he must be above reproach and be blameless. Sometimes we name the name of Christ without actually knowing it. We usually complete our prayer by saying - "In Jesus' Name we prayed". If we do not depart from iniquity our prayer might not even be heard, let alone being answered!

The psalmist said, "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear. But certainly God has heard me; He has attended to the voice of my prayer" (Ps. 66:18, 19).

3. A true Christian is led by the Spirit of God

Paul said, "For as many are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs - heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if we indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together" (Romans 8:14, 16, 17).

To be led by the Spirit of God, a Christian not only needs to be baptized in the Holy Spirit but also be constantly filled with the Holy Spirit in his Christian walk. The Holy Spirit in him will then bear witness that he is God's child and his destiny is to be glorified together with Jesus. And if he continues to walk in the Spirit he will not fulfill the lust of the flesh.

"Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh" (Gal. 5:16).

4. A true Christian has no perverted desire

Paul said, "And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires" (Gal. 5:24).

Fleshly passions and desires are perverted desires as explained in my earlier message - Partakers of the Divine Nature".

A true Christian has applied the cross to his life as Paul had applied the cross to his life:

"I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me" (Gal. 2:20).

5. A true Christian hears God's voice and follows Him

Jesus said, "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand" (John 10:27, 28, NKJV).

Jesus Himself told us very clearly and briefly who are the true Christians and what is the basic requirement for being a Christian. What He said was very precise and very practical. All He wanted from His people is to hear His voice and to do what he says. Therefore, it is very clear that a believer who does not hear the voice of the Lord and does not do what He says cannot be classified as a Christian! The believer can go to Church every Sunday or Saturday, sing a few hymns, listen to a sermon but it makes no difference to Jesus. A believer who refuses to hear His voice and does not do what the Lord says, he does not belong to His fold, he is not His sheep!

Jesus also said, if you are truely His sheep no one will be able to snatch you out of His hand. You have probably heard of "sheep stealing" in the Local Church. A Pastor of a Local Church accuses the Pastor of another Local Church for sheep stealing when a Church member from his Church joins another Church. But Jesus said, the only sheep stealer is the Devil!

Summary

The above list of Scriptural passages gives us a good ideal of God's perspective of being a true Christian. In summary, a true Christian is a disciple of Christ who does the will of God. He has been crucifed with Christ by applying the cross in his life. He has been set free from the bondages of sin and iniquities and at all times led by the Spirit of God in his walk with God. He hears the voice of God and follows Jesus, the Good Shepherd.

God has given His people a tall order. You will notice that according to the New Testament Scripture only Paul, Peter, John and James were couted as "true Christians". Most of us have fallen short of God's requirements.

The Good News

The good news is - all Christians, "true" or otherwise, are deliverd from condemnation! The question most belivers would like to ask is - are all Christians, including those who have fallen short of God's requirement of being a true Christians, saved? I have given my comments in my earlier messages - "Judgment of True Christians" and "Christians do Sin".

According the the Scripture the judgment of Christians will not be a judgment of condemnation. This assurance came from Jesus Himself:

"He who believes in Him is not condemned, but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God" (John 3:18).

Later on Jesus gave the same assurance:

"Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life" (John 5:24).

Notice that Jesus gave a three-fold assurance to every believer who accepts by faith His Word:

1. Every believer has everlasting life.

2. He has passed from spiritual death into eternal life.

3. He will never come into judgment for condemnation.

Paul gave the same assurance of freedom from condemnation (Romans 8:1).

Judgment of Christians is for the purpose of assessing their rewards:

Paul said to Christians, "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad" (2 Cor. 5:10, emphasis added).

In other words, the things which will be brought up for judgment will be "the things done in the body" - when believers are still alive on earth. These are the acts, ministries, service, attitude, character and behavior of every believer during his life on earth. All these are classified into two categories - good or bad.