“WHAT IS A CHRISTIAN?”
“… (Christ’s) disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.” (Acts 11:26, NASU)
(A) WHAT A CHRISTIAN IS NOT
(1) There’s a verse in the bible, found in Acts chapter eleven, that says the “disciples” of Jesus Christ “were first called Christians in (the city of) Antioch” (c.f. Acts 11:26). Prior to that they had been known as members of “the Way” (c.f. Acts 9:2; 19:9; 24:14; etc.).
(2) I’ve been the pastor here at Westminster Presbyterian Church for about fourteen years. During that time (and even before my time), Ray Weitsel worshipped here on an off. And when he wasn’t here, I always assumed he was going to church somewhere else. However, for the past two years or more, Ray was a regular (and welcome) attendee at our worship services – as well as a frequent participant in some of our other church activities, like Sunday School, and the men’s group that meets every Tuesday morning for breakfast.
(3) Ray could be (shall we say) a little unconventional in his thinking (as well as rather direct) – and because of these things, he would occasionally ask some rather unsettling questions. Questions I either didn’t have a ready answer for – or, the answer I did have wasn’t quite to his satisfaction. Nevertheless, Ray’s questions always made me think. So, it’s in that spirit of directness and unconventionality that I want to ask all of you a question this afternoon – one some of you may find a little unsettling, but hopefully all of you will find thought-provoking – namely, “What Is A Christian?” – and more to the point, “Are You A Christian?”
(4) One answer some people give is that a Christian is someone who is doing the best they can – who’s trying to live their life (for example) by the Golden Rule (c.f. Matthew 7:12), or the Ten Commandments (c.f. Exodus 20:1-17).1 People who give this answer often believe that they deserve to go to heaven because of all the effort2 they’ve put into to trying to be a good person. Hence, they are like the people Jesus spoke of in Luke chapter eighteen, whom, He said: “trusted IN THEMSELVES that they were righteous” (c.f. Luke 18:9).
But what does Scripture say? One of the things Scripture says is that, “all our RIGHTEOUS DEEDS are like a filthy garment (in God’s sight)” (c.f. Isaiah 64:6). Among other things, this means that as far as a holy God is concerned (c.f. Isaiah 6:3) – even our best efforts – even the things we are most proud of – are like dirty rags covered with the foulest, most repulsive, most stomach-turning filth you can imagine.
The bottom line, then, is that there’s no way doing our best can make us a Christian – because (in God’s sight) our best will never be any where near good enough!
(5) Another answer some people give is that, a Christian is someone who goes to church (maybe even Sunday School) – or who has been baptized (or confirmed) – or who has belonged to a church for as long as they can remember.1 In other words, some people think a Christian is someone who is involved in various religious activities, or has gone through certain religious rituals. In this regard, then, they are like Paul, PRIOR TO his conversion, who summarized all the religious activities he once engaged in, saying: “I was advancing in Judaism beyond … my contemporaries … being … extremely zealous for my ancestral traditions” (c.f. Galatians 1:14) – 5“(I was) circumcised (on) the eighth day, of the nation of Israel … as to the Law, a Pharisee; 6… as to the righteousness which is (found) in the Law … blameless” (c.f. Philippians 3:5-6). In other words, he was super-involved in numerous religious activities.
But what does Scripture say about all of this? Jesus Himself once said: 21“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven … 22Many will say to Me on that day, ‘… did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ 23And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness’” (c.f. Matthew 7:21-23).
We see, then, that while a Christian will certainly be involved in various religious activities, that involvement (in and of itself) is NOT what makes a person a Christian. Hence, even Paul said (AFTER his conversion) that: 7“(all the) things (I used to think were important) … I have (now) counted as loss for the sake of … 8knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, … 9and (to) be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from (all the things I used to do), but that which is (found) through faith in Christ …” (c.f. Philippians 3:7-9).
(6) Finally (although I have not even come close to exhausting all the answers people give to the question, “What Is A Christian?”), some people, when asked: “Are you a Christian? respond by saying: “Sure, I’m a Christian! Isn’t everybody?”1
People who give this kind of answer often reason (erroneously) that God is the Father of everyone – and therefore everyone will eventually make it to heaven.2 Or, they think that anyone who is sincere in their religious beliefs (regardless of what those beliefs are) is acceptable to God – hence, we’re all headed to heaven, regardless of whether we call ourselves a Christian, or a Muslim, or a Scientologist, or a Unitarian, or whatever.
But what does Scripture say? First of all, Jesus Himself said that all those who don’t believe in Him have the devil for their father – not God (c.f. John 8:44).
Moreover, Scripture tells us that all religions are not the same – nor will the adherents of the various religions of the world all experience the same eternal future. Again, Jesus Himself said that a day is coming when, 34“the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world … 41(while to those) on His left (He will say), ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels” (c.f. Matthew 25:34, 41).
We see, then, that not everyone is a Christian – which means, not everyone is going to heaven when they die.
(B) WHAT A CHRISTIAN IS
(1) So, having addressed (albeit very briefly) what a Christian is NOT – let me now give you an equally brief answer as to what a Christian IS. And we begin with the fact that a Christian is someone who has become aware of his own unworthiness to stand in God’s presence.3 The level of this awareness will not be the same for everyone – but, by God’s grace, every Christian has come to understand certain basic things.
(a) For example, a Christian realizes (to some degree) that he is a sinner BY PRACTICE – that he has broken God’s laws more times than he can count – and that he deserves to be punished for having done so.3 A Christian is someone who can identify with Paul’s cry in Romans chapter seven, when he said: “I know that nothing good dwells in me” (c.f. Romans 7:18) – or, the prodigal son’s declaration in Luke chapter fifteen, when he said: 18“Father, I have sinned … in your sight; 19(and) am (not) worthy to be called your son” (c.f. Luke 15:18-19).
(b) A Christian is also someone who is aware (not fully, but to some degree) that he is a sinner BY NATURE – that the inner self he was born with came into this world in total rebellion against God.3 A Christian is someone who can read David’s words in Psalm Fifty-Eight, that, “the wicked … go astray as soon as they are born” (c.f. Psalm 58:5, NKJV), and say: “That’s me!” – or he can read Isaiah’s words in chapter Forty-Eight, where he says: “you have been … a rebel from birth” (c.f. Isaiah 48:8), and know that the inspired prophet was talking about him!
In short, then, a Christian is someone who has come to realize that, prior to his conversion, sinning against God came as naturally to him as breathing.
(2) Second, a Christian is someone who believes Jesus Christ is God come in human flesh – and that as such, He is the ONLY Savior of sinners like himself – even the ONLY sacrifice for sin.3
(a) A Christian is someone who affirms the FULL HUMANITY of Jesus – that He became hungry and thirsty – got tired and needed sleep – knew what pleasure and pain were – felt emotions like love and anger – and was tempted by sin. A Christian is someone who has come to believe that Jesus was a human being in every sense of that term, except for two things – His conception in the womb of Mary (c.f. Luke 1:34-35), and the fact that He never sinned (c.f. Hebrews 4:15) – neither of which affected His humanity.
(b) At the same time, a Christian is someone who affirms Jesus’ FULL DEITY – that He was equal in every way to God the Father. That when He said: “I and the Father are one” (c.f. John 10:30) – He was claiming to be God. And that His miracles, His teaching, His sinless life, and His resurrection from the dead all verify that He was God in every way possible!
(c) By God’s grace, then, a Christian also believes that this God-Man (this Jesus) is the ONLY Savior of sinners – the ONLY way to the Father (c.f. John 14:6) – the ONLY door to heaven – the ONLY sacrifice for sins – the ONLY way of salvation (c.f. Acts 4:12). He may not understand all the finer theological points – but this much he knows, that “He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him” (c.f. John 3:36).
A Christian, then, is someone who is relying on Jesus Christ ALONE for his salvation – not any supposed goodness he thinks he has – or anything supposedly praiseworthy that he has done – nor on any contribution he has supposedly made to own redemption – nothing but the Person and Work of Jesus Christ ALONE, in keeping with our Savior’s own words, when He said: “no one comes to the Father BUT THROUGH ME” (c.f. John 14:6).
(3) Finally (and remember, this is a very abbreviated answer, not a full one), a Christian is someone who has ACTUALLY repented of their sins and professed faith in Jesus Christ.4 In other words, by God’s enabling grace, a Christian is someone who didn’t stop at agreeing with all the things we have just mentioned, in some intellectual or theoretical fashion. On the contrary, he has acted on what he’s heard – he’s taken the next step, which involves ACTUALLY repenting of his sins and ACTUALLY placing his trust in Christ alone for his salvation.
(a) In Scripture, true repentance always involves change – changing one’s mind, changing one’s behavior. The prophet Isaiah once said: “Let the wicked (man) forsake his way …” (c.f. Isaiah 55:7) – while Paul said saved men “should … (perform) deeds appropriate to repentance” (c.f. Acts 26:20). Taken together, these two verses give us a biblical definition of repentance – namely, a turning away from sinful behavior, and replacing it with Christ-like behavior.
This change doesn’t happen all at once – nor do we ever reach a state of perfection in this life. BUT, having said that, it’s also true that real changes do take place – that a Christian is not the same person he was before. As Paul says: “If anyone is in Christ, he is a NEW creature …” (c.f. II Corinthians 5:17). Hence, a Christian is someone who can point to real changes in their life – real CORE changes in the way they think, and the way they act.
(b) Repentance, however, is only half the story. The other half is that a Christian is someone who has professed faith in Christ – who has come to “believe IN the Lord Jesus Christ”, as John 3:16 says.5 In Scripture, professing faith in Christ involves reliance and dependence – and may be illustrated by the patient who doesn’t just talk about having major surgery, but actually puts his life in the surgeon’s hands by going into the operating room. Even so, a Christian is someone who has put his eternal future and his hope of salvation in Jesus’ hands, by repenting of his sins and trusting IN Him alone for his salvation.
(c) It’s also worth adding that a Christian is someone who realizes (albeit imperfectly) that Jesus Christ is the One who saves him – not his acts of faith or repentance. That these acts, while necessary, do not merit God’s favor4 – nor do they earn him the right to call himself a Christian. He may not yet fully understand just how repentance and faith are GIFTS of God’s grace (c.f. Ephesians 2:8-9) – but he does recognize them as the means by which his sins are forgiven, and the promise of eternal life becomes his. As his knowledge of God’s word grows, he will come to realize more and more what hymn-writer Augustus Toplady was talking about when he penned these familiar words:
“Not the labors of my hands
can fulfill Thy laws demands;
Could my zeal no respite know,
could my tears forever flow,
These for sin could not atone;
Thou must save, and Thou alone.”6
(4) So, having heard (albeit very briefly) what a Christian is, let me ask you: “Are YOU a Christian?” Test your definition of what a Christian is against what the Bible says – and don’t take my word for it, examine the Scriptures for yourself to see whether or not the things I’ve said are true (c.f. Acts 17:11).
Ray Weitsel was not a perfect man – as I said at the beginning, he could be rather unconventional and direct at times. But he did say in a Sunday School class not so long ago that he was trusting in Christ alone for his salvation. And when all is said and done, that is the only thing what makes any person a Christian!
1Mack: The Bible’s Answer to the Question: What is a
Christian?; p. 1.
2IBID; p. 2.
3IBID; p. 3.
4IBID; p. 10.
5IBID; p. 11.
6Trinity Hymnal: Rock of Ages, Cleft for Me; #499.