This document discusses what defines a true Christian. It begins by explaining that while a dictionary definition of Christian refers to believing in Jesus, the Bible provides a deeper understanding. A true Christian is someone who has been born again by putting their faith and trust in Jesus, including his death and resurrection. They believe in their heart that they need Jesus as their savior. True Christians follow Jesus' teachings to love God and others, and their lives and words reflect their faith. Simply identifying as Christian or doing good works is not enough - one must have a personal relationship with Jesus to be considered a true follower of Christ.

1. "Who is a True Christian? –10th
December 2015
“However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that
you bear that name”( 1 Peter 4:16).
A dictionarydefinitionof aChristianwouldbe somethingsimilarto“apersonprofessingbelief inJesus
as the Christor in the religionbasedonthe teachingsof Jesus.”Whilethisisagood startingpoint,like
manydictionarydefinitions,itfallssomewhatshortof reallycommunicatingthe biblical truthof whatit
meansto be a Christian. Followersof JesusChristwere firstcalled“Christians”inAntiochwhichwe can
readin Acts 11:26 “…Sofor a wholeyear BarnabasandSaul met with the church andtaught great
numbersof people. The discipleswere called Christiansfirstat Antioch” The termwas used because
theirbehavior,activity,andspeechwere like Christ.The word“Christian”literallymeans,“belongingto
the party of Christ”or a “followerof Christ.”
Accordingto 2011 PewResearchCentersurvey,thereare 2.2 billion Christiansaroundthe worldin
2010, upfrom about600 millionin1910. Christianshave made amyriadcontributionsinabroad and
diverse range of fields,includingthe sciences,arts, politics, literatures andbusiness.Asanexample
accordingto 100 Years of NobelPrizes, a review of Nobel prizesawardedbetween1901 and 2000
revealsthat(65.4%) of Nobel Prizes laureatesidentified Christianity initsvariousformsastheirreligious
preference.
Unfortunatelyovertime,the word“Christian”haslosta great deal of itssignificance andisoftenusedof
someone whoisreligiousorhashighmoral valuesbutwhomay or may not be a true followerof Jesus
Christ.Many people whodonotbelieveandtrustinJesusChristconsiderthemselvesChristianssimply
because theygoto church or born to Christianparentsorsimply theylive ina“Christian”nation.But
goingto church, helpingpeoplewhoare lessfortunate thanyou,orsimply beingagoodpersondoesnot
make youa “goodperson”but notthe biblical definitionof a“good Christian”.Goingtochurch doesnot
make youa Christiananymore thangoingto a garage makesyou an automobile.Beingamemberof a
church, attendingservicesregularly,andgivingtothe workof the church all beinggoodactions,butby
itself doesnotmake youa Christian.
A true Christiansisa personwhobelievesthroughfaith andtrustinJesusChrist. Notjustsomeone who
“simply saysso”but as one whobelievesin onesheart, thathe or she needJesusChrist astheirsaviour.
The Bible teachesthat,ourgood works alone cannotmake us acceptable toGod whichwe can see in
Titus 3:5, “He saved us,not because of righteousthingswe had done,but because of hismercy. He
saved us throughthe washingofrebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.” To be a true Christianour
mindsneedtobe renewedthroughthe HoltSpirit. We needtotransform…be differentinour
mannerismsandactions tobe inkeepingwiththe waysastaughtby JesusChrist.Thisisbroadlyknown
as beingbornagain.
Therefore,aChristianissomeone whohasbeenbornagainbyGod.As Christianswe mustknow thatwe
needtobe bornagain or be transformedtoa personwholivesinkeepingwithGodscommands,and
that ishow somedaysee the Kingdomof God! We can learnthisin John 3:3, “Jesusreplied, “Very truly I
tell you,no one can see the kingdomofGodunless they are born again” .This isveryclearwhen we
learnwhatJesussaidin John 3:7, “ Youshouldnotbe surprised at my saying,‘Youmustbe bornagain”.
We can getfurtherunderstandingwhenPeterteaches in1Peter 1:23, “Foryou have been born again,

2. not of perishableseed,but of imperishable,throughthe livingandenduringword ofGod”. We are
born againnot byour ‘gooddeeds’ butbylivingwordof God. Therefore tobe a Christians,we must
knowthat itis onlypossible throughthe faith andtrustinJesusChrist.Thisfaithandbelief inHimoffers
us the possibilityof beingsavedbecause of Hisgrace whichisa giftof God. We can learn thisin
Ephesians2:8 “…bygrace you have been saved,through faith—andthisnotfromyourselves,it is the
giftof God.”
A true Christianisa personwhohas putfaithand trust inthe personand workof JesusChrist,including
His deathonthe crossas paymentforsinsand His resurrectiononthe thirdday. John1:12 tellsus, “Yet
to all who received him,to those whobelieved in hisname, he gave the right to become childrenof
God.” The mark of a true Christianislove andobedience toGodWord and love forone another: We
can learnof twoveryimportantteachingsbyJesusthatwe can read in Matthew 22:37- 40, “Jesus
replied: “‘Lovethe Lord your Godwithall your heart andwith all your soul and with all your mind.’
38
Thisis the first and greatest commandment. 39
Andthe second islike it: ‘Love your neighboras
yourself.’ 40
All the Law and the Prophets hangon these two commandments.”
A true Christianisindeedachildof God,a part of God’s family,andone whohasbeengivennew life
throughthe grace of JesusChrist. Thereforewhenone saysthathe or she isa Christianwithouttruly
knowingJesusChrist,andisnotlivingwithinHisteachings,thatstatementwouldbe technicallywrongin
sayingso.We can learnthisin 1 John 2:4,”Whoeversays, “Iknow him,” butdoes not do what he
commandsisa liar, andthe truth isnot in that person”
“However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed,
but praise God that you bear that name”( 1 Peter 4:16).
If you are a new Christian, you have juststarted a new life. Itcan be confusing as
you figure out what this means. But the mostimportant part is knowing that you
now have a relationship with Jesus Who saved you from your sins so you can
spend eternity with Him.
But what is the next step? Fortunately, Jesus doesn'twant to wait until we die to
have a relationship with us. How do we start that now?
LearnWho Jesus is: You know Jesus is God and the Son of God. You know He died
for your sins and roseagain on the third day. But what is He really like? Why did
He do all these things? To find out, read the Bible, especially the Gospels. Start
with the book of John.

3. If you don't have a Bible yet, and you'd like to figureout which version to read, try
out BibleGateway.org or net.bible.org. You can look over many different versions
to see which one you'remost comfortablewith. Or read our article here.
Learnhow toincorporate your new faithinto your life: There's a metaphor
Christians useto describesalvation: Some people justwantthe "fire insurance" so
they can avoid hell; instead, we should get the "health insurance" so we can live
our faith. Being a Christian isn't just aboutsaying a prayer. It's aboutinvolving
God in your life. Pray to Him, all the time, about everything (1 Thessalonians
5:17). Helikes to hear our prayers. Get baptized as a way to show the world that
you follow Jesus now. And listen carefully for the leading of the Holy Spirit. When
you have a hard choice to make, feel where God is leading you.
Start the road to sanctification: As you grow in your faith, you'll experience a
process called sanctification. When you accepted Jesus as your savior, Hecleaned
your heart. To be sanctified means to be gradually changed so that your attitudes,
words, and actions reflect your new heart. The process takes a lifetime, and no
one is perfect. Ithelps to get help. Find a good, Bible-teaching church and join a
small group of believers who study the Bible and help each other.
Live your faith: Show the world whatyou believe and express your new heart.
Show Jesus'love by serving others. Get involved with the lives of people in your
church. And tell others about Jesus. The Greatest Commandments are to love God
and love others. With Jesus'help, we can truly love others in a way that's for their
best. And their best is for them to learn aboutJesus, too.
When you accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you became God's child
forever. Nothing you do or say or think can take that away. You cannot give away,
sin away, or lose your salvation—God is too strong to let you go! All of the things
listed above are ways weshow appreciation for Jesus'sacrifice; ways welive out
our new life. They do not save us, and if we mess up, they won't threaten our
salvation. Becoming a new Christian is justthe startof a life-long journey that
ends in God's arms.

4. Related Truth:
How important is spiritual growth in Christian life?
Seeking God - Why is it important?
How can I come to really know God?
Christian discipleship - What is it?
How can a Christian overcome the guilt of past sins?
Return to:
Truth about the Christian Life