Hundreds of millions of people call themselves Christians. There are hundreds of denominations that call themselves Christian, with different beliefs and different ideas of what a Christian is. One such idea is that a person is a Christian if he believes in the existence of Christ. But what about the Scripture that says, “'But why do you call Me “Lord, Lord,” and not do the things which I say?'” (Luke 6:46) Others believe that one is a Christian if he practices a certain behavior. What does the Bible say on this subject? What is a real Christian?
The Bible defines what a Christian is. Romans 8:8-9: “So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.” That is, he is not Christ's. If one does not have Christ's Spirit, he is not Christ's. Then he would not be a Christian. That which is Christ's is a Christian. In verse 14 we read, “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God.” A Christian must not only have the Holy Spirit in him, but he must let the Holy Spirit lead him.
Now that we understand what a Christian is, how does a person become a Christian? Turn to Mark 1:14-15. “Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, 'The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.'” We are told to repent, which means a heartfelt change from disobeying God to living His way of life. 1 John 3:4 tells us what to repent of: breaking God's spiritual law. We do not start the process of repentance. God calls us (John 6:44). God leads us to repentance (Romans 2:4). In Mark 1 we are also told to believe the gospel of the kingdom of God. Notice that it is not a gospel about Christ. You may want to read our Bible study “What Is the True Gospel?”
In Peter's sermon on Pentecost 31 A.D. he was asked what to do. His response was “…'Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.'” (Acts 2:38) He re-stated the requirement for repentance that Christ had said. He added the requirement to be baptized. Baptism is a ceremony in which a person is immersed in water. Baptism is a symbol of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. (Romans 6:3-5) It expresses our faith in Christ as our Savior and our acceptance of His death to pay the penalty for our sins. It also shows the death and burial of our old selves, and walking as new persons according to a new way of life. After baptism we receive the Holy Spirit. According to Romans 8:8-9 we then become Christians.
What does the Holy Spirit do for us? Continuing in verse 11 of Romans 8: “But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.” The Holy Spirit will give us eternal life at the resurrection. It begets us as children of God, to be born again at the resurrection. (Please read our bible study “Our Potential.”)
The Holy Spirit produces results in our lives. They are listed in Galatians 5:22-23. The first in the list is love. Love comes from the Holy Spirit. Romans 5:5 says, “Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” What is that love? It is not just a feeling. “Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.” (Romans 13:10) That law is a spiritual law (Romans 7:14). Love is also defined in 1 John 5:3: “For this is the love of God that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.” Love is keeping God's spiritual law as expressed by the Ten Commandments. You might read our Bible study “Must We Keep the Ten Commandments?” We learn to keep the commandments in the letter and also in their intent.
“'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'” (Acts 20:35) The late Herbert W. Armstrong described the way of love as outgoing concern, or “give” as opposed to “get.”
Love should identify a Christian to those around him. “'A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.'” (John 13:34-35) People should notice a difference in the behavior of a Christian. Read the parable of the talents in Matthew 25: 14-30. A talent was a unit of measure for precious metals. We might say it represents a measure of the Holy Spirit. This parable shows that we are rewarded in the kingdom of God by how much we grow spiritually in this life. Verses 31-46 describe what is expected of us. We must serve others as they need it. If we do, it will be as if we are doing it for Christ. If we do not, we could lose our salvation. We would be incorrect to think that if we just accept Christ we are saved forever, no matter how we live.
In addition to works, a Christian has faith in God, that He exists and rewards those who seek Him. (Hebrews 11:6) A Christian believes that the purpose of life is to prepare to become a member of God's family. We trust God to provide our needs and to protect us from harm.
There is another identifier of a Christian. Turn to John 8: 31-32. “Then Jesus said to the Jews who believed Him, 'If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.'” John 17:17 says, “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.” In the Bible lesson “Proofs that God Inspired the Bible” we established that God's word is the Bible. These verses in John 8 show us that we are Christ's disciples, or Christians, if we live by God's truth as found in God's word the Bible. The Holy Spirit gives us spiritual understanding (1 Corinthians 2:10-14), as we study the Bible.
One aspect of God's truth that we are to live by is the Sabbath day. It is a sign of who God's people are. (Exodus 31:13)
A Christian will not immediately be able to live perfectly by God's way of outgoing concern. 2 Peter 3:18 says to grow. Read 1 John 1:8-9: “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” This is written in the present tense, indicating that Christians still sin. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
When we are tempted to sin, or we realize that we have sinned and need forgiveness, we can go to Jesus Christ our High Priest. (Hebrews 4:16)
The fruit of the Holy Spirit in Galatians 5 includes joy. More than a pleasant feeling that soon passes, joy is permanent happiness that comes from looking ahead to our reward as Christ did (Hebrews 12:2). We know what is expected of us. We receive joy from serving others and seeing them happy. We enjoy the fruit of the Holy Spirit as we give that fruit to others. We do not worry about what we will get for ourselves, knowing that God will provide our necessities. (Matthew 6:33)
We know how the world got into its present state and how it will be changed. That knowledge, along with having our minds on the things of God (Romans 8:6) gives us peace.
We know the purpose of life, and we look ahead to a wonderful future as a spirit being with perfect character, living forever in love and joy with God the Father and Jesus Christ and billions of brothers and sisters.