What is a Christian

2 WAYS TO LIVE

THE CHOICE WE ALL FACE

So often we give people labels. Many people are afraid of labels because they identify them with a particular group and their beliefs and actions. You may have the mistaken idea about what a Christian is. Many people think that to be a Christian, you need to have gone through some sort of initiation. Others think that being a Christian means identifying with a particular denomination. Still others think that trying to keep the Ten Commandments or the Golden Rule will make them Christians. All that has been said is very noble and nobody would argue with such sentiments.

BUT to be realistic we need to ask, what does God say in His Book, the Bible? To answer our question "What is a Christian?" we must see things from God's perspective.

1. GOD THE LOVING RULER AND CREATOR

In the beginning we are told that God created this world. It was a beautiful place where peace and harmony prevailed. To complete His perfect creation, God placed man on the earth to be a guardian of His creation. God gave man the great responsibility and privilege of working in partnership with Him. Revelation 4:11 says "For You created all things and by Your will they were created." Whenever we are given privileges, they also carry with them responsibilities. Sadly as we look at the state of the world and all that is going on, things are not like they used to be.

2. HUMANITY IN REBELLION

In fact the world today is chaotic place and nothing seems to remain of God's order That brings us to a very important point: This chaos and trouble is caused because of sin. God says in Romans 3:23 "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." The problem simply stated is this: Man has decided that he can run things without God's help. Man has in fact declared himself independent from God. We have rejected God's master plan and tried to take control ourselves. BECAUSE of man's arrogance and insensitivity towards God, He would be quite within His rights to take stern action.

3. GOD GIVES REBELS WHAT THEY ASK FOR

Imagine if you met a person with whom you tried to make friends. Yet no matter what you did, they constantly ignored you. Finally there would come a point where you would say "I have done all I can, they must go their own way." Surely God should act in the same way. He has given us so much, yet we have chosen to go our own way. God says in 2 Thessalonians 1:8 & 9 "He will punish those who do not obey the Gospel ..... they will be punished with everlasting destruction." After all that God has done for us, He would be quite justified in punishing us and we would have no reason for complaint. THOUGH God's justice sounds very harsh, He did something quite INCREDIBLE.

4. JESUS – THE MAN WHO DIES FOR REBELS

God sent His Son the Lord Jesus Christ into the world. It's often difficult to understand concepts with which we are not familiar. God has understood our limitations and catered for them. John 1:14 & 18 tells us that God sent His Son into the world so that He could relate to us on a level we understand. Jesus lived a perfect life under the rule of God. 1 Peter 2:22 says "He committed no sin." Even more significant is the fact that Jesus became our substitute and died on the cross to take our punishment. 1 Peter 2:24 tells us "He bore our sins." The word substitute is vital. It means to take some else's place. It also carried with it the idea of doing for someone else what they couldn't do for themselves. If the Gospel ended here, it would be a meaningless tragedy. BUT there is more.

5. JESUS THE RISEN RULER

We are told that the Lord Jesus Christ was raised from the dead. 1 Peter 1:3 says "He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead." Romans 1:4 says "Jesus was declared with power to be the Son of God by His resurrection from the dead." The resurrection is vital because it shows us that Jesus conquered death and therefore He can and does give new life. The resurrection is vital because the Bible teaches that we do not worship a deceased leader or follow a set of laws and regulations as Christians. BUT WE SERVE A LIVING GOD.

6. 2 WAYS TO LIVE

There is one thing that you must understand. You cannot be NEUTRAL about the Lord Jesus Christ. Either you are for Him or against Him. Jesus said "If you are not for Me, you are against Me." You need to decided whether you are going to follow Christ or continue in your own way and not under God's rule for your life. The Bible speaks of a broad way and a narrow way. To remain on the broad road is to reject God's authority over you and declare your independence.

To run your own life is to choose life and eternity without Jesus If you become a follower of Christ and submit to His authority and rule, you will be accepted by God and forgiven by God and you will also be given eternal life. Following Christ and submitting to His rule means handing over control of your life and surrendering to His rule. It means that you are relying on Christ's death for forgiveness of sin and His resurrection for new life. John 3:36 says "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him."

WHICH WAY ARE YOU GOING ?

If you want to be a follower of Jesus you must -

· Pray that God will forgive you and change your life. This means there must be repentance. Repentance means that you turn away from your old way of life and that you follow Jesus' way. Your thoughts must change and your attitude must change. This of course will reflect in changed actions. You will still sin but the deep desire of your heart must be that you will not sin again.

· Rely on Jesus for forgiveness and the gift of eternal life.

· You must follow Jesus and submit to Him as your Ruler.

· The Christian life is a wonderful life but it involves cost. Jesus says in Luke 9:23 "If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me."

WHAT NOW ?

You might like to use this prayer of repentance and faith or use your own words:

God, I want to confess to You that I have rebelled against You in my thinking, and in my speaking and in my actions. I am sorry that I have acted like that. From today onward, I will serve Jesus my Lord to the best of my ability. Please help me to do that. Lord Jesus, thank you for dying and for rising again for me that my sins might be forgiven. Please forgive me and cleanse me from all my sins and give me the gift of eternal life. Please come to me and take full control of my life. Amen.

If you have given yourself to Jesus Christ, you should obtain a good English Bible (the New International Version or the New Living Translation) and start reading it daily. Obtain a copy of John Blanchard's book "Read, Mark and Learn". You should spend time in prayer. You need to find a Bible believing and preaching church and get involved.