Whenever somebody says that they are a Christian, they could mean many different things. Some people use the title simply because they live in the west which has traditionally been affiliated with Christianity – although less and less so. They don’t necessarily have a belief in God or Jesus Christ and mean no more than that they are part of a so-called Christian based nation as opposed to say a Muslim or Hindu based nation. Others may refer to themselves as Christians because they attend a church every now and then, again not necessarily having a faith in Jesus Christ.
Even those of us who profess a faith in Jesus have different beliefs about what it actually is to be a Christian. Some would say that because they have very high moral standards and serve in their church, their community and donate to the mission field – then this makes them Christian. On the other hand, some believe that it doesn’t matter how they behave because as long as they believe in God then they are saved (a Christian) so as that He will forgive them for their wrongdoings and they will go to heaven.
Then there is the distinction between false Christians and true Christians. Of the false, some know that they are not truly Christians but lie to manipulate other people for their own gain, while others think they are Christians when they are not. And of the true, many have different doctrinal beliefs which would seem to contradict each other and therefore rule some out.
So what is the answer? What actually is a Christian? The answer lies in two necessary prerequisite questions. Firstly: What is Sin? Because most of us Christians would agree that part of being a Christian is that we are saved from sin (that is we will not be punished in eternity even though we deserve to be). Secondly: How are we saved from it?
Sin is any breach of God’s laws as laid out in His own words in the Bible (and summarised in the Ten Commandments). We all sin even though many of us don’t acknowledge our actions as sin. So the just penalty from a just God is eternal death. How is one to be saved from eternal death? Because God is loving as well as just, He sent his only son the Lord Jesus Christ to be born the only man who did not ever sin, who then paid the ultimate price for our sins by being crucified himself. Thus, in answer to the question of how we are saved from sin, we are to believe on Him who was crucified in our place so that we may have eternal life. A person who does so believe in Him is therefore a Christian.
What does this “believing” actually consist of? That’s another question for another day.