What Does It Mean To Be A Christian?

A special night at Listooder as we invited Kyle Boyd to answer a vitally important, yet commonly asked question: What does it mean to be a Christian? Kyle began by defining a Christian as a follower of Jesus Christ, one who obeys the commands of Christ and seeks to do His will. Breaking it down even further, he highlighted four key words that demonstrate what it is to be a Christian.

GOD

'Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of His glory' - Isaiah 6:3 

For those who are not saved, it is difficult to comprehend who God is, or even what God is. God is our maker, He is the One who formed us, the One who designed us and the One who knows us inside out. He is holy, perfect in every way and created us in His own image and in His likeness.

US

'For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God' - Romans 3:23

Mankind was created perfect, in the form of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. In that garden they were given one command, that they were not to eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Of every other tree they could freely eat, but not of this one. But the devil, the evil one, the enemy of God, deceived them and convinced them to eat of this tree. Sin came into the world for the first time, and death, the punishment for sin, was the judgement passed by God to Adam and Eve. This judgement however, was not merely handed out to the first man and the first woman, it was passed down from them to every generation that would follow after them. Sin itself, in entering the world for the first time, entered into the heart of man for the first time. Every child born from that point would be born a sinner, for 'all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God'. Man has been separated from God, a separation that is deserved and a separation that is lasting. We can do nothing to remove that separation, and so judgement is passed upon all men, the judgement of hell.

CHRIST

'I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me' - John 14:6

God is love. Despite our sinful state, despite our continuous rebellion against Him, the creator of the universe had a plan, a plan of Salvation. It is not the will of God that any boy, girl, man or woman would suffer the eternal punishment of hell. Yet with the separation that exists, and the darkness of sin in our hearts, how can we ever be drawn back to the God of heaven? That is why Christ came. The Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was sent from heaven to be born as a little child, to live the life of a normal man. To be tenpted, to be tried, to be abused and to be mocked. Yet He lived without sin. Christ became the only man who had ever lived without sinning. Christ became the only one who could rightly take the place of another, suffering on behalf of the sins of others by dying the death of a sinner on the cross of Calvary. Christ was punished and died, not for his sins, but for yours. The God of heaven laid on Him the sins of all the world. Christ had taken our place before God. But not only did He take our place, dying instead of us, but He then rose from the dead, three days later, demonstrating that He had defeated death, defeated sin and was now alive forevermore.

YOU

'For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life' - John 3:16

So is it enough to know that Jesus Christ has taken our punishment for sins? Is it enough to know that God has already punished Christ for the sins that I have done? No. We must take Christ as our own. Yes, the Lord has had victory of death, yes He has the power over all sin, but have you come to Him to obtain this salvation for yourself? Salvation is a gift, freely offered by the Lord Jesus Christ, who sacrificed Himself on the cross for us. That gift is offered to each one of us. It is a gift that we must accept individually, or face God as our Judge. The Lord Jesus Christ, Himself, offers this gift to you now, today.

In closing, Kyle reminded us of the importance of this decision. The Spirit of God may be calling you, striving to bring you into the safety of the arms of Christ. But God's Spirit will not always strive. The call may end, and the opportunity will be over. While the Lord is dealing with you now, convicting you of your sin, come to Him. Accept His goft of Salvation, and be sure of your place in heaven.

'Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation' - 2 Corinthians 6:2