What is a Christian?

Salvation results from what Jesus did for us on the cross. We do not deserve it, nor can we earn it. We do not work toward it. Being a Christian does not save us. It is because God first loved us, and through Jesus' death and resurrection, that we can in-turn love God. To return His love, to be a believer, follower, a student of Christ is to be a Christian. Christian faith is a response to what God has done for us.

Faith in Jesus, is accepting that we are sinners, and we have been saved by God's grace, through the redemptive work of Jesus Christ. We trust completely in Christ's death and the love and grace of God for our lives here, now, and forever. We trust in God for the purpose of ours and all life. We trust in God for all things we do not, or can not ever understand. We trust in God through times of pain and sorrow, and thank God for times of joy and peace.

When we claim the name "Christian", we confess Biblical truths and the statements in the Apostle's Creed. We also commit ourselves to live for Christ. Therefore, to be a Christian is what we believe with our minds, what we trust with our hearts, and what we live in our lives. Living the Christian life involves how we think -what thoughts we allow in our heads, what we see - the things we allow ourselves to look at, what we say - what we purposely allow to come from our mouths, what we hear - what we allow ourselves to listen to, and what we do with our hands, our bodies, our feet. Our whole selves are consecrated to the Lord. We live to be pleasing to God. We live to bring God glory. We live in the hope of fulfilling God's purpose in our lives and in the world. We live to serve God.

Everything and anything that we think, say, or do, that does not serve God, does not bring glory to God, does not contribute to God's goal in our life, is sin. There are the obvious sins: to break the ten commandments. And there are the not-so-obvious sins which differ for each person. Sins differ for each person because each person's relationship with God and purpose in this life is unique. For one person to "throw away their money" would be a sin. For another person "giving away their money" is a gift and calling from God. In all things, God wants all His people to be pure, loving, and just; To love God with all our heart, soul, and mind; To love other people as we love ourselves; To do unto others as we'd have others do unto us. We will never be perfect and that means most of the time we will screw things up - mostly without even knowing it. But, we can, whenever in doubt, or whenever presented with a choice, (we make choices about everything every day) think "What would God have me do?", "What will most bring glory to God" "What will most honor God?", "What will other Christians, and non Christians think of me, of God, because of my choice?"

Eph.1:13, 2:8, 4:25-5:7; John14:23,26; Romans 3:23,24; 5:8-10; 6:23; 7:5-8:30; 12