Because the world needs clarity.
A Christian Guidebook: Who Is a Christian? (1)
Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists took it upon themselves to call the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “We exorcise you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches.” Also there were seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, who did so. And the evil spirit answered and said, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?” Then the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, overpowered them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. Acts 19.13-16
Confusion around the Name of Jesus
Early on in the Christian era it was clear that confusion about the Name of Jesus would follow the pure Gospel wherever it went.
No sooner had the Gospel begun to spread than certain Jewish theologians, claiming to be Christians, insisted that it wasn’t enough to believe in Jesus. To be a true Christian, you had to be circumcised—a requirement that Gentile converts would have found particularly off-putting.
A little later, some others began insisting that to be a Christian meant you revered Jesus so much that you did not consider Him to have suffered the indignity of becoming a human being. He merely appeared to do so, but all the while His phantom was the beautiful, glorious, spotless Savior true Christians knew and loved.
Then there were the copycat Christians, like the sons of Sceva. They saw something in the Name of Jesus that appealed to them, and so they thought they would adopt His Name for their own religious work. But while some may have been impressed, the devil saw through that charade, with comic consequences for copycat Christians.
Even a casual reading of Revelation 2 and 3 reveals that the problems in those seven churches meant that many who were calling themselves Christians were in danger of coming under the wrath of Him they claimed to believe. They were sexually compromised, politically tainted, and comfortable in their do-nothing approach to the faith. And yet their neighbors knew them as Christians. Just as the neighbors and friends of the legalists, docetists, and copycat moralists thought of their neighbors as Christians.
Will the real Christians please stand up?
The climactic scene of the 1960 epic, “Spartacus”, occurs after the slave revolt has been put down. The survivors have all been taken prisoner and are seated, a hundred or so of them, under the watchful eye of Roman guards. The general’s emissary arrives, promising life to all survivors, on the condition that they reveal the slave called Spartacus, the leader of the revolt. As Kirk Douglas rises to own up, Tony Curtis jumps to his feet and cries out, “I’m Spartacus!” Then another stands and does the same. Then more and more, until all the captured rebels are standing and shouting continuously, “I’m Spartacus!”
The general’s inability to identify the one he sought meant the whole throng would be crucified.
It can be confusing today, for those who may be seeking a more spiritual or transcendent life, to identify who the true Christians are. So many churches, so many different denominations, so many different “styles” of Christianity. And for people all claiming to be Christians, they don’t seem to do much together. I can imagine those who are considering faith thinking to themselves, “Will the real Christians please stand up?”
Even worse, so many Christians have assimilated their ways of living, working, enjoying themselves, and indulging their desires to the materialistic and narcissistic winds of the day that their claims to be Christians seem a little empty. If they’re Christians, one might reasonably assume, then ‘most everyone else must be too?
And now we have the phenomenon of copycat Christians, famous or well-known figures in business and the professional world who describe themselves as “cultural Christians”, insisting that they find much of good in the Christian approach to culture and society. So, does being a “cultural Christian” fill the bill for someone who wants to be a true Christian?
And what about those “lapsed” Christians who never go to church, hold on to their baptism, live as they please, but still think of themselves as Christians?
“I’m Christian!” “I’m Christian!” “I’m Christian!” For many in the world, it’s just too hard to tell and not worth the trouble to find out. Hang ‘em all.
But for people experiencing a growing sense of disillusionment with the secular status quo and in whom a stirring re-enchantment is rising, it is most important that we show and tell them what a true Christian truly is.
Hence the question
This is why A Christian Guidebook needs to examine this question in a purely Biblical light, from the very beginning of the Christian movement. What we will find may look all too familiar, at least on the surface:
A Christian is a disciple of Jesus Christ.
A Christian is a person who spends time with Jesus.
A Christian is a person who walks the path Jesus walked.
A Christian is one who inhabits the Kingdom of Jesus.
A Christian is sent to the world as Jesus’ witness.
A Christian seeks the Kingdom and righteousness of God in all things.
Familiar, perhaps. But to make sure our understanding of such matters is not merely intellectual, we need to look more deeply at what these criteria entail. That will be the focus of this section of A Christian Guidebook.
Search the Scriptures
1. Suppose you were asked to define from the Scriptures what makes a person a Christian. Where would you turn?
2. How would you explain to an unbelieving friend what it means to be a Christian? How should you prepare for this (1 Pet. 3.15)?
3. Look at John 6.60-69. What do we learn from the disciples of Jesus about what it means to be a Christian?
Next steps—Preparation: How did you become a Christian? Who else was involved? Under what circumstances? Write out your answers and begin to review your testimony out loud until you feel confident sharing it with someone.
T. M. Moore
If this study has been helpful or encouraging to you, please take a moment to give thanks to God for His grace and truth.
Additional Resources
A Christian is one who has responded to the Gospel. But what is the Gospel? To brush-up on your understanding of the Gospel and improve your witness, order a copy of our book, The Gospel of the Kingdom, by clicking here. Order two copies and invite a friend to read it with you.
Need help improving your use of Scripture? Order a copy of our book, The Joy and Rejoicing of My Heart, by clicking here. Or download the free PDF by clicking here. Our book, Joy to Your World!, can show you how to improve your witness for the Lord.
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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
