What Does It Mean To Be A Christian?
What does it mean to be a Christian? Christianity is based on the belief that Jesus Christ is the son of God, and that He gave up Heaven to take on a life as a humble human in order to be the necessary sacrifice for the sins of every human being. They also believe in the forgiveness of sins and the hope of eternal life in Heaven.
Being a Christian involves the freedom God gives from the enslavement of sin and the assurance of living in Heaven for Eternity after one’s physical death by accepting the life and death of Jesus Christ as the payment for all of our sins.
Reading further will answer questions and introduce you to the Creator of everything and everyone and His personal invitation to follow Him.
Christianity is the largest religion in the world, with over 2.3 billion followers worldwide. One third of all people claim to be following the Christian faith. There are thousands of denominations worldwide, and more than 200 in the U.S. alone. Together let’s answer some of the more often asked questions regarding this subject.
Who Was Jesus?
Jesus was a Jewish man who was born in Bethlehem, Judea about 2000 years ago. He preached about God’s love, our forgiveness, and helping others. He also performed miracles, such as healing the sick and feeding 5000 with only two fish and five loaves of bread. He turned water into wine at a wedding, and raised several people from the dead.
He was considered a Rabbi (teacher) and had twelve close students known as his disciples and at least 70 close full-time followers that learned from Him. To all of these he gave the authority to do miracles, heal and baptize others, and even cast out demons.
His ministry began when He was 30 and only lasted for approximately three years before He was crucified by the Romans, a sentence initiated by the Jewish leadership. However, he rose from the dead three days later thus fulfilling 100 Old Testament prophecies regarding the Jewish Messiah.
Christianity is a religion of love, forgiveness, and hope through a personal relationship with the living God.
Why Do I Need To Be Forgiven?
Sin is anything that goes against God’s will. When we sin, we are breaking God’s law. Sin can be anything from lying and stealing to more serious things like murder and adultery. Sin separates us from God because it separates us from His holiness.
Forgiveness is when we repent (turn away) from our sin and ask God to forgive us. He then washes away the spiritual filth of our sin and restores our relationship with Him.
Why do we need forgiveness? Because without it, we would be separated from God forever. But because of His great love for us, He has made a way for us to be forgiven through His only Son, Jesus Christ. When we ask for forgiveness, He gives it freely and completely.
If you have never asked for forgiveness, I encourage you to do so today. It is the only way to have a relationship with God. And He is the only One who can give us true peace and happiness.
What Is Sin?
Sin is an act that goes against God’s will. Sin can be categorized as either original sin or personal sin. Original sin is the sin that we are born with, due to the rebellion and disobedience committed by the first man and woman. Personal sin is the sin that we commit as individuals. Both types of sin have serious consequences.
Original Sin
Genesis 3:1-7 tells the entire story of how this original sin began. (Romans 5:12) Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned— (Isaiah 59:2). But your iniquities have separate you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.
Personal Sin
Personal sin is the sin that we commit as individuals. Every time we disobey God, we sin. Sinful activities include lying, stealing, lusting, murmuring and complaining, as well as taking God’s name in vain ( the ten commandments are listed in Exodus 20:1-17). Like original sin, personal sin has serious consequences. When we sin, we separate ourselves from God (Isaiah 59:2). Additionally, our sins cause damage to our relationships with others.
The Consequences of Sin
Our sins cause us to be separated from the one defined as Love. (1 John 4:8) When we sin, we become slaves to sin (John 8:34). Sin gives Satan a foothold in our lives (Ephesians 4:26-27). Eventually sin leads to death physically as well as spiritually (Romans 6:23).
Revelation 20:14-15 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.
Fortunately, there is hope for those who have sinned. God offers forgiveness to those who repent and turn away from their sinful ways (Acts 3:19). Additionally, Jesus died on the cross to take the punishment for our sins (1 John 2:2). If we put our faith in Jesus, we can be forgiven and have eternal life (John 3:16).
What Is The Difference Between Sin and Transgressions?
Sin is an act that goes against God’s will. Sin can be thought of as missing the mark of perfection that God has set for us. Transgressions, on the other hand, are acts that go against the law. Sin is a more general term than transgressions. Sin covers all the bases, so to speak, while transgressions are more specific.
Does My Repentance Assure My Place In Heaven?
First of all, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” (1 John 1:8)
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.(1 John 1:9)
Jesus said this, “I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.” (John 5:24)
Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away. (Mark 13:31)
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. (John 3:16-17)
But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:(John 1:12) And this is the record, that God has given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that has the Son has life; and he that has not the Son of God has not life. (1 John 5:11-12)
Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved, you and your household. (Acts 16:32)
What If I Sin Again?
The solution is this… You are human and therefore not perfect so you will sin. Simply return to the one who loved you first, Your Heavenly Father, tell him that you are sorry and that you need His strength to no longer do those things. He has always and will always love you, He never has and never will turn his back on you. (Deuteronomy 31:6 and Hebrews 13:5)
No matter what we do He longs for our personal relationship with Him to be complete and therefore will continually forgive. In both the Old and New Testaments this is said to prove that “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” (Hebrew 13:8)
What Do I Do Now?
There are no ‘magic’ words or any specific prayers that are more likely to get you further with God. The truth is, this is a very personal decision and needs to be done by you in your words and your voice. Things to say may include: God, I know I have– failed you, sinned against you or maybe missed the mark of perfection.
You will need to turn away from those things you have done and possibly are doing at this vey moment. Confess those things to Him and tell Him you are sorry. Invite Jesus to live in you to guide and direct your life.
Ask for His strength and the will to live the life He would lead you into. This will give Him permission to walk this life out with you. You may want to thank Him for—- loving you, forgiving you, for dying for you, for paying the price for your sins, or anything else. Ask Him to help you to learn about Him and to give you wisdom and insight as you read The Bible or search for answers.
P.S. (Plain and Simple) What does it mean to be a Christian?
This article is by no means the be all and end all to this subject. But this is definitely a good way to start. Happy Spiritual Birthday! Reading from the Book of John in the Bible will introduce you to Jesus and His life and love. If you do not have a Bible or want to do this on line you can begin here.