What is a "Christian"?

To begin to answer this question we first of all need to dispel some popular misunderstandings of what makes a person a Christian.

Being born in the United Kingdom doesn’t make you a Christian – neither does being born in an aircraft hangar makes you an aeroplane!

Doing charitable work, good deeds doesn’t make you a Christian - It is good to help one

another but that doesn’t make you a Christian.

Going to church every week doesn’t make you a Christian – I go to the Supermarket every week but it doesn’t mean I’m a tin of baked beans!

Believing in God doesn’t make you a Christian – many say they believe in God but their belief doesn’t affect the way they live their lives.

So then if none of these thing makes a person a Christian what does?

The Christian faith is not about blindly obeying a set or rules and regulations, but about living out our lives in a relationship with the living Lord Jesus Christ.

But how do we enter into a relationship with Him?

First of all we need to acknowledge our sinfulness before God. This is difficult for us to do because deep down we all think that we are basically good people and that as long as we try to do our best then that will be good enough. But God in the Bible tells us what He requires of us "Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect." Matthew 5:48.

You see the pass mark to get us into a right relationship with God and therefore be assured of heaven when we die is 100%, and yet none of us would claim to be perfect would we? Even if we get 99% we have still failed, no matter how good we might think we are, we are not good enough, we have missed the target and therefore we all come under the judgement of God. "For there is no distinction, since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God;" Romans 3:23

The result of our sinfulness is death. Death in this context means more than just the physical death that awaits all of us, death here also means estrangement and separation from God now in this present life and in the life to come. "The wages of sin is death" Romans 6:23

So much for the bad news here comes the Good News.

The Good News (The Christian Gospel) is that in Jesus Christ God has given us the opportunity

to enter into a relationship with him here and now that will continue beyond the grave.

The Bible tells us that

"God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us" Romans 5:8.

The Bible teaches us that God entered into the world in the form of a little baby named Jesus.

This is what Christians celebrate at Christmas, God coming to dwell amongst men. Jesus grew

up to be a man like any other man except that he was without sin, he was the perfect man

"For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathise with our weaknesses, but we

have one (Jesus Christ) who has been tempted in every way, just as we are–

yet was without sin." Hebrew 4:15

Yet why did Jesus, who is God in the flesh, come to live a perfect life on the earth as a man and to suffer a most cruel and painful death? The Bible tells us that He came to die upon a cross and take our punishment upon his shoulders, so that we might never have to know the punishment of God but that we might receive his forgiveness and love. "He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed." Isaiah 53:5

It is this painful death of Jesus Christ upon the cross that Christians remember and celebrate on Good Friday. But his death was not the end of the story, for Jesus Christ was raised to life on the third day never to die again and as a result He now demands a response from each of us.

We can either dismiss His claims to be God and to continue to live out our lives without Him. He gives us freedom of choice to do this..... however it means that we will also spend eternity without Him and this is what the Bible describes as Hell.

Or we can believe what the Bible tells us about Him and acknowledge our sinfulness before Him and accept that He died in our place and enter into a relationship with Him here and now that continues through the grave into eternity.

God would never cast anyone aside to suffer eternal punishment, for it is we ourselves who make that decision if we refuse to accept what Christ has done for us on the cross. Christ has done all that is necessary for our salvation, all we have to do is reach out in faith and receive it.

Below is a prayer you might like to use if you would like to know the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Saviour

Lord Jesus Christ

I acknowledge before You that I have sinned in thought, word and deed.

There are things that I have done that I wish I hadn’t done

And things that I know I should have done, but have left undone.

I have hurt other people and I have hurt You.

Please forgive me.

I believe that you died to take the punishment that I deserve

so that I might be forgiven and enter into a new relationship with You.

Fill me with your life giving Holy Spirit

and help me to serve you as my Lord and Saviour for the rest of my life.

Thank Jesus, Amen

If you have prayed this prayer please tell us or your local Christian church about your decision to follow Jesus Christ.

We will be pleased to encourage you in your new relationship with Jesus Christ.  Perhaps you might like to attend an Alpha Course, here at St Mary’s, Eaton Socon. This course is also available in many churches up and down the country and throughout the world. Please contact us for further information.