Who is a Christian?

 

There is an apparent confusion in our contemporary times with regard to whom a Christian is. The name, or should we say designation, Christian has come to be attributed to anyone who is not a muslim, a pagan, a free thinker, or a traditional religionist. A more widespread application of the term refers to those born into families whose members do not practice faiths enumerated above, especially when such persons have given or surnames related to the Bible eg. James, Paul, John, Andrew, and so on.

 

One has also been said to be a Christian simply because he hails from a geographical enclave where Christianity, as a religion, dominates other faiths. Similarly, one may be said to be a Christian when he can trace his ancestry to church goers, even when he, himself, may be too busy to attain church; provided he finds time to attain church service once or twice a year : At Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, wedding,  child dedication or funeral ceremony.

 

Those who particularly lay claim to being Christians are those who are more regular in church attendance, those who renew their names in the church register every new year, those who have undergone water baptism, and those who partake of the Holy Communion. Others who exhibit active partcipation in church liturgy and other religious activities can confidently beat their chests in pride that they are Christians; especially if they are in the good books of their leaders. Are they really Christians? If they are not, who is a Christian?

 

The word Christian was never used between the creation of the first human, Adam, and the crucifiction of the Lord Jesus Christ. This means that none of Enoch, Noah, Abraham, David, even Jesus Christ was called a Christian. The word was first used in Antioch after Christ's resurrection and ascension (Acts 11:26) to refer to Christ's disciples in that city, who, having assembled for about a year to study the word of God, began to exhibit characteristic traits of the Lord Jesus Christ in their conduct and relationship with other men, even outside the church circle.

 

A Christian, therefore, is not someone who attends church per se. Water baptism, getting confirmed as a member of a church, or taking part in the observance of the Lord's Supper (Holy Communion) does not qualify one to be a Christian. Active participation in church activities, or holding of positions (no matter how sensitive they may be) does not make one a Christian. Being born into clerical or levitical families does not give one the qualification as a Christian. Most surprisingly, not even possessing the gift of prophecy, working of miracles, and performance of breathtaking wonders qualifies one as a Christian (Matt. 7:22,23).

 

A Christian is one, who, having studied the lifestyle of Jesus Christ (as presented in the Holy Bible), does not only believe everything about that lifestyle; but also lives it in practice and principle. He does not live this life just because he is compelled to do so by church dogma or the desire to please some leaders. He lives it because he does not have any other life of his own than that of Christ which has replaced any other life that he had had before (Gal. 2:20).

 

Are you a Christian?