Serious Questions, Seriously Answered

What does it mean to be a Christian?

ANSWER: Whoo, boy, let me take my time on this one. Read the explanation below, please!

EXPLANATION:

Okay. Let's go over what it DOESN'T mean to be a Christian first.

1.) BEING A CHRISTIAN TAKES MORE THAN JUST BELIEVING.

You believe that God is one; you do well. The demons also believe - and they shudder." (James 2:19)

If Satan's demons that inhabit Hell with him believe that God is real, that doesn't mean that they'll just be saved out of Hell. They chose to follow Satan, and yet they still believe that God is real. That doesn't mean that they can be allowed back into Heaven, because they are sinful and God can't have sin in Heaven. In the same way, just knowing that God is real isn't good enough for us to get into Heaven.

2.) BEING A CHRISTIAN TAKES MORE THAN JUST GOOD ACTIONS AND BEING A GOOD PERSON.

Yes, I know the Bible says that faith without works is considered dead. But hold up. FAITH without works. No amount of good works or good deeds we could ever do will get us a ticket to Heaven. A relationship with God isn't something we earn. It's something God offers us. For free. No strings attached whatsoever.

3.) BEING A CHRISTIAN TAKES MORE THAN JUST GOING TO CHURCH.

Most people who claim to be Christians do what I like to call "playing church." They put on their Sunday best, smiles and all, and go to church on Sundays and maybe even Wednesdays, if there's a Wednesday service. They act one way at church, and everywhere else, they act almost completely different. This is not being a Christian.

4.) BEING A CHRISTIAN TAKES MORE THAN A CHRISTIAN HERITAGE.

So what if your parents, grandparents, or third cousin twice removed was a Christian? No one but God can save you.

"Jesus told him, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one come to the Father except through Me." (John 14:6)

5.) BEING A CHRISTIAN TAKES MORE THAN JUST RELIGION.

This goes perfectly with the church thing. Okay, so, you read your Bible every day, you pray every day, you go to church, go to Sunday school, you sing in the choir, you go to Wednesday nights, you maybe even occasionally shout "amen." Like I said before, nothing you can do can save you.

You see, instead of having a RELIGION, we need a RELATIONSHIP. We don't just tip our hat to God every now and then. We build a relationship with Him, talk to Him through prayer, and worship Him as our Lord. God loves us unconditionally. He loved us in all of our sin, filth, wrongdoing, and shame.

Now, onto the big kablooey: What does it mean to be a Christian?

Well, being a Christian means that we have a personal relationship with the Lord after we've asked Him into our heart as our Savior and Lord. It means wanting to share God's unconditional love with everyone, no matter who they are. Yes, we're all guilty of hating someone. But just because you don't like someone doesn't mean you can't love them. Being a Christian means supporting your faith with your actions, to where people can look at you and tell that your different form the rest, but in a REALLY good way. It means caring for others with a genuine passion, enough to where you feel the constant need to share your faith. It means surrounding yourself with good, Christian influences and friends to where you are as in as much as a Christian environment is possible, but still sharing Christ with everyone from the drug dealers and porn addicts to the nice people you sit next to at lunch or work. It means constantly strengthening our faith with the aid of our Christian friends and resources. It means resisting temptation, and when you do sin, you feel convicted and you ask God for forgiveness.

Does that sum it up for you?