(What it Means to be a Christian - Part 1 | Part 2)
Some time ago, I was in charge of the book table at an Aglow conference. At the end of the conference I was told to pack up the books as soon as possible because the space was needed by another group. When I explained this to a potential customer, she complained that she wasn’t finished looking yet. I apologized and explained the situation to her again. She instantly became annoyed. “And you call yourself a Christian!” she exclaimed.
This woman mistakenly believed that because I worked for a Christian organization and yet did not oblige her that proved I wasn’t a Christian. Like so many others, not only individuals but denominations as well, she had a confused idea of what a Christian is.
While it is true that our behavior should reflect our Christianity, it doesn’t necessarily show who is and who isn’t a Christian.
If we will carefully review what Scripture says, we will see that it explains the steps one must take to become a Christian. In this study, we will look at what the Bible says on this important subject.
Just who is Jesus, and why should we follow Him? The most revealing pictures of Him are found in the book of John and the epistle to the Colossians.
The Scripture: John 1: 1-4, 14
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made. In Him was life, and that life was the light of men….The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.”
1. Who is the Word?
2. What was made through Him?
3. What is in Him?
4. What is that life?
5. What did the Word become?
6. What did He do?
Colossians gives us an even more complete picture.
The Scripture: Colossians 1: 15-20
“He (Jesus Christ) is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created; things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible…He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. And He is the head of the body, the church; He is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything He might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things… by making peace through His blood, shed on the cross.”
7. Who is Christ?
8. What did He create?
9. What else is He?
10. What dwells in Him?
11. What does He do?
12. How does He do this?
Let’s see what else the Bible says about Jesus. There is one essential aspect of Jesus we need to consider:
Jesus is the only way to salvation
The Scripture: John 14:6-7
“Jesus [said], ‘I am the way, and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. If you really knew Me, you would know My Father as well. From now on, you do know Him and have seen Him.’”
13. What did Jesus say about Himself?
The Scripture: Acts 4:12
“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”
14. What was Peter’s declaration?
Why is Jesus able to save us?
The Scripture: Matthew 3: 16-17
“As soon as Jesus was baptized, He went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on Him. And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is My Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased.’”
15. What did the voice from heaven say?
The Scripture: Mark 15:39
“And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, heard His cry and saw how He died, he said, ‘Surely, this man was the Son of God!’”
16. What did the centurion who watched the manner in which Jesus died say?
The Scripture: 1 John 5:18
“The whole world is under the control of the evil one.”
17. Who controls the world?
What was God’s solution?
The Scripture: 1 John 3:8
“The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.”
18. Why did Jesus come?
The Scripture: John 3:16
“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
19. What power did God give His Son?
Yes, Jesus can save us because He is God’s Son.
Before we go any further, let’s consider God’s invitation to salvation:
The Scripture: John 3:16
“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
20. Who may be saved?
I believe two other verses explain this as well as any in Scripture.
The Scripture: Matthew 11:28-29
“Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
21. Who may come to Jesus?
All who are weary and burdened! Doesn’t that describe all of us?
22. What does Jesus give?
23. What are we to do?
There are two types of yokes. The dictionary describes them as:
1. A contrivance for joining a pair, consisting of a cross-piece with two bow-shaped pieces each enclosing the head of one participant
2. A frame fitting the neck and shoulders of a person, for carrying a pair of buckets, one at each end that lightens the work load.
Jesus was speaking of the first type, but an explanation about the second type is applicable here. A Scandinavian friend explained that before her marriage her fiancé made a yoke for her to lighten her work load that exactly fit her shoulders and no one else’s. This required a good deal of work on the fiancé’s part. The yoke that Jesus asks us to take is fitted exactly for us and no one else.
In the second part of this study we will look at the steps that lead to becoming a Christian.
(What it Means to be a Christian - Part 1 | Part 2)
The Answers
- God, Jesus
- All things
- Life
- The light of men
- Flesh
- He made His dwelling with men.
- The image of the invisible God and the firstborn over all creation
- All things
- Head of the body, the church
- God’s fullness
- He reconciles all things unto Himself
- By making peace through His blood, shed on the cross
- “No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
- Salvation is found in no one else but Jesus.
- “This is My Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased.”
- “Surely this man was the Son of God!”
- The evil one (Satan)
- To destroy the devil’s work
- The power to save whoever came to Him
- Whoever comes to Jesus
- All who are weary and burdened
- Rest
- Take Jesus’ yoke upon us
All scripture quotations in this publication are from the Holy Bible, New International Version
(unless otherwise indicated)
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, New International Bible Society
Copyright © 2007 by JoAnne Sekowsky