What It Means to Be a Christian

Being a Christian is not merely identifying yourself with a religious affiliation or accepting specific values. Being a Christian means you have understood, believed, and submitted to what the Bible says about God, mankind, and salvation. This includes the following truths found in the Bible.

God Is Sovereign Creator
Man was created by a personal God to love, serve, and enjoy never-ending fellowship with Him. The Bible tells us that it was Jesus Himself who created all things (John 1:3; Colossians 1:16). As Creator, He also owns and rules everything (Psalm 103:19). This means that Jesus has all authority over our lives (Matthew 28:18) and we owe Him complete faithfulness, obedience, and worship.

God Is Holy
God is completely and perfectly holy (Isaiah 6:3); therefore He cannot commit or approve of evil (James 1:13). God requires holiness of us as well. First Peter 1:16 says, You shall be holy, for I am holy.

Mankind Is Sinful
The Bible says that everyone is guilty of sin: “There is no man who does not sin” (1 Kings 8:46). While we are capable of performing acts of human kindness, we are utterly incapable of understanding, loving, or pleasing God on our own (Romans 3:10-12).

Sin Demands a Penalty
God’s holiness and justice demand that all sin be punished by eternal death (Ezekiel 18:4; Romans 6:23). Simply changing our patterns of behavior cannot solve our sin problem or eliminate its consequences.

Jesus Is Lord and Savior
Romans 10:9 says, “If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved.”

God’s justice requires death for sin, but His love has provided a Savior who paid the penalty and died for sinners (1 Peter 3:18). Christ’s death satisfied the demands of God’s justice, and Christ’s perfect life satisfied the demands of God’s holiness (2 Corinthians 5:21), thereby enabling Him to forgive and save those who place their faith in Him (Romans 3:26). Those who believe, who trust wholly in Christ’s blood to save them from the wrath of God, are united to Christ (Romans 6:4). Believers are united to Christ in His death and resurrection meaning that God considers the sinner’s payment satisfied in Christ on the Cross. They are covered by Christ’s righteous life and are able to stand before God in perfect righteousness. All who believe will one day be brought into His presence to dwell for all eternity in perfect fellowship and joy (1 John 3:2).

Saving Faith
True faith is always accompanied by repentance from sin. Repentance is agreeing with God that you are sinful, confessing your sins to Him, and making a conscious choice to turn from sin (Luke 13:3, 5; 1 Thessalonians 1:9), pursue Christ (Matthew 11: 28-30; John 17:3), and obey Him (1 John 2:3). Believe certain facts about Christ is not enough. Satan and his demons believe in the true God (James 2:19), but they don’t love and obey Him. True saving faith always produces obedience (Ephesians 2:10).

Your Response

You respond to these truths either by rejecting your only hope of salvation and freedom in Christ Jesus or by confessing them as true and embracing them wholeheartedly. There is no middle ground. You cannot remain neutral. You are a lawbreaker who deserves punishment. There is only one way to be saved from eternal conscious torment in Hell:

Cry out to God for mercy as a sinner.

Believe in Jesus Christ as your only Savior.

Repent of your sin and submit to Jesus as Lord and Master of your life.

You have two roads ahead. One road leads to death, the other leads to life. Choose life.

Consequences

Your response has eternal consequences. If you reject your only Savior, Jesus Christ, He will one day judge you and repay you for all of your wicked deeds (Acts 17:31). The greatest of these is that you have rejected His offer of grace and mercy in salvation. He will judge you and condemn you to eternal fire (Luke 16:23). You will suffer in anguish and darkness for all eternity.

But, you can choose life. Those who repent and believe, receiving Jesus as Lord and Savior, receive eternal life (John 1:12). You can be reconciled to God and brought into right relationship with Him immediately. You will be adopted into God’s family instantly (Romans 8:15). You will be cleansed from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). The Holy Spirit will live in you and give you freedom from sin and freedom to obey God’s law (Ephesians 1:13-14). You will walk in fellowship with the Creator of the universe as one of His children (John 17:3). When you die, or when Christ returns (whichever comes first), you will dwell in eternal blessedness and fellowship with Him. There will be no more pain, no more crying, no more death. There will only be eternal joy, day after day, forever (Revelation 21:3-5).

If you would like to know more about the gospel or about salvation, please contact us.