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The Gospel of Jesus What does it mean to be a Christian? The answers you get to that question depend on the persons asked. Some people believe that belonging to a Christian church makes you a Christian. Others believer that baptism or confirmation is what makes one a Christian. Still others believe that being religious and morally clean is enough to allow one to wear the name Christian. But wait! Not everyone who claims to be a Christian is one! How can I say that? Because Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses and Roman Catholics claim to be Christians. But, according to the Bible, they aren’t! So what does it mean, then, to be a Christian? To answer that question, let’s look at the word Christian itself. This word literally means “The Christ Ones”. This name was first given to the followers of Jesus in a place called Antioch, Acts 11:26. History tells us that it was a term of contempt! The people of Antioch, who were pagans, were offended by the clean lifestyles and the preaching of the believers and gave them the name “Christian” as an insult. Instead of insulting these believers, it perfectly summed up the image they were attempting to project to their lost neighbors. So then, a Christian is a “Christ one” or “one who is like Jesus.” You see, just going to or joining a church cannot make you a Christian. Being a good moral person cannot make you a Christian. Just claiming the name for yourself or for your organization does not make you a Christian. In fact, just being saved cannot make you a Christian! To be a Christian means that you become like Christ. We lump all saved people under the title Christian, but real Christians are people live like Jesus Christ. Join us as Pastor Skip walks us through the Gospel of Matthew. And together we learn what it means to be a Christian and become equipped to “be real” Christians. |
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