{"id":56,"date":"2023-09-14T17:55:39","date_gmt":"2023-09-14T16:55:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tolministries.com\/?p=56"},"modified":"2023-09-16T17:45:14","modified_gmt":"2023-09-16T16:45:14","slug":"what-is-a-christian","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tolministries.com\/index.php\/2023\/09\/14\/what-is-a-christian\/","title":{"rendered":"What is a Christian?"},"content":{"rendered":"

I’ve been considering this topic and thinking biblically. I’ve wondered what a Christian is, exactly according to the bible. Starting with the Bible, a “Christian” follows Jesus Christ and accepts Him as their Lord and Savior. The term “Christian” itself is derived from “Christ.” “Christian” was first used in the New Testament to describe the early followers of Jesus in the city of Antioch (Acts 11:26). Here’s a more detailed breakdown based on the scriptures:<\/p>

  1. A Follower of Christ:<\/strong>
    A Christian is someone who follows the teachings and example of Jesus Christ. Jesus said, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me”<\/em> (Luke 9:23).<\/li>\n\n
  2. Born Again by Faith:<\/strong>
    Jesus told Nicodemus, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God”<\/em> (John 3:3). A Christian has experienced this spiritual rebirth through faith in Jesus.<\/li>\n\n
  3. Saved by Grace Through Faith:<\/strong>
    Ephesians 2:8-9 states, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”<\/em> A Christian recognizes that salvation is a gift from God, not something earned by human effort.<\/li>\n\n
  4. A Member of the Body of Christ:<\/strong>
    A Christian is a part of the universal church, often referred to as the “Body of Christ.” As Paul writes, “For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ”<\/em> (1 Corinthians 12:12).<\/li>\n\n
  5. Bears the Fruit of the Spirit:<\/strong>
    A Christian, being indwelt by the Holy Spirit, will exhibit the fruit of the Spirit: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control”<\/em> (Galatians 5:22-23).<\/li>\n\n
  6. Lives According to God’s Word:<\/strong>
    A Christian seeks to live according to the principles and teachings of the Bible, seeing it as the inspired Word of God. “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness”<\/em> (2 Timothy 3:16).<\/li>\n\n
  7. Loves Others:<\/strong>
    One of the defining characteristics of a Christian is love for others. Jesus said, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another”<\/em> (John 13:34-35).<\/li><\/ol>

    In essence, a Christian is an individual who, through faith, has entered into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, seeks to live according to His teachings, and is a part of the wider community of believers. The life of a Christian is characterized by faith, hope, love, and a commitment to Christ’s teachings and mission.<\/p>

    But what are your thoughts? Many claim to be Christian but do not meet this description. Do you agree? Disagree? Is this too defined or too open? Leave a comment below!<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    I’ve been considering this topic and thinking biblically. I’ve wondered what a Christian is, exactly according to the bible. Starting with the Bible, a “Christian” follows Jesus Christ and accepts Him as their Lord and Savior. The term “Christian” itself… Continue Reading →<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tolministries.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tolministries.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tolministries.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tolministries.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tolministries.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=56"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/tolministries.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":58,"href":"https:\/\/tolministries.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56\/revisions\/58"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tolministries.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=56"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tolministries.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=56"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tolministries.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=56"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}