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What is a Christian?

  

"And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked: and others said, we will hear thee again of this matter.... Howbeit certain men clave unto him, and believed:"        Acts 17:32-34 

Recently a growing number of young people across our nation who attend church regularly have said, "What is a Christian?" One of my daughters was asked what religion she is. When she replied that she was a Christian, the person replied, "I think I am or my family is." So, what is a Christian? Why do people need to be saved? Can't I do what I want after I get saved?

            To answer these questions one has to believe that the Bible is the word of God and that it is true, not just in matters of faith but in regards to science and history as well.

            Our first question to answer is: What is a Christian? A Christian is one that follows Christ's teachings. The foundational part that truly makes one a Christian is having faith in what happened 2,000 years ago, which was the death, burial and resurrection of God's only begotten Son. Then trusting that His blood which was shed on that day was enough to save whosoever wanted access into heaven for eternity. During Paul's day when he spoke to the Greeks in Athens, they were given over to idolatry. When he preached the gospel they thought it was strange and only a few were saved. In Jerusalem (Acts 2), we have a different response.

"Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost...  

...Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls."                  Acts 2:38-41           

The people Peter was preaching to knew about the Old Testament teachings concerning the Messiah and when they heard that he was Jesus they repented. When Paul preached they thought it was strange and Paul had to take them back to Genesis (one Blood). After that he only had a few that believed. This is the church of today. They have not given this generation a foundation of what the gospel is really about and as a result very few are truly accepting Christ.

 Where did it all start?

Back in the late 1960's and 70's many professing believers were saying, "Why is it so important to learn doctrines of the Bible? Is not the most important thing Jesus?" The answer is yes, but understanding the major doctrines of God's Word helps us truly realize the what's and why's of the gospel.

Some have asked, "Why did someone have to die for me?" The answer is when the first man and woman appeared on the earth they had perfect fellowship with God everyday and lived in paradise. They were given one important rule: Don't eat from the tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. If they would have obeyed, life would have been quite different than what it is today. Unfortunately, they did not and as a result they lost that fellowship with God and they were cursed. Therefore all that are born from this couple have a sin nature.

God is a God of love and did not want mankind to be forever separated from him. Therefore he gave us the curse of death and a way to redeem our ways and be united with him in heaven. To do that, he required someone who was not affected from the sinful natural of man to accept the curse upon him and die for all mankind.

"Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned."                                           Romans 5:12  

 

The importance of what we believe

The Virgin Birth

            The only way that could happen was a person would have to be born without the help of a man thus the ideal of the Virgin birth was necessary. The first mentioning of this is found in Genesis:

"And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel."                         Genesis 3:15

            It is further reinforced in Isaiah

 "Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel."                                   Isaiah 7:14

 

 The Deity of the Redeemer of Mankind

 

            The last part of Isaiah 7:14 says that a virgin shall bear a son and his name will be Immanuel, which means "God with us". If Jesus was the Redeemer of mankind, he would be God in the Flesh. The New Testament bears witness of this fact in the following verses:

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. ...And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. John bare witness of him…"                                          John 1:1 - 15

 "And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh,.."                 I Timothy 3:16

 

The Blood Atonement

 

            When Adam and Eve sinned, their eyes were opened and they knew they were naked. They both made attempts to cloth themselves with an apron which barely covered them. Even with that, when God came into the garden they hid themselves because they knew they were still naked. God made them coats of skins to cloth them. To do that an animal had to give up it's life because of what they did. The purpose of the sacrifices was to show us what was to come that would pay the debt of all sin through God's own son Jesus.

            The blood is life (Deut 12:23) and only the blood of one who has not sinned could pay for the sins of mankind.

 

"...without shedding of blood is no remission"                     Hebrew 9:22

 "In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:"                            Colossians 1:14

 "Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;"                    Romans 3:25

 

Another Gospel

             "I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ."             Galatians 1:6&7

Where one man caused all of us to sin by nature, one man has enabled us to receive eternal life through faith. To understand the whole gospel one has to have a true understanding of the Old Testament, if not it is not likely one will be saved. All the major doctrines are tied together. For example:

●        If one rejects the Creation, one can't believe in Adam and Eve.

●        If that is the case, then there was no original sin.

●        There is no promise of a redeemer

●        No Virgin Birth

●        No Blood Atonement

●        No promise of eternal security

Then Jesus Christ's death would have

been in vain. When we realize all that has been done for us at the cross, it makes becoming a Christian more acceptable.

 "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast".                                Ephesians 2:8&9 

"That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."               Romans 10:9 & 10

 

 

 

 

 

 

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