What Is A Christian? (Part I)

What is a Christian?

CNN is running a segment titled “What Is A Christian?” I doubt the show will even come close to answering the question, but it is a question that the world will ask…and answer.

So, what is a Christian?

It’s very important when asking this question that we not only focus on what a Christian is, but what a Christian isn’t. These weighty questions are often coupled with the question of what a Christian should and shouldn’t be, but we will see that the real question is what God intended for us.

First, the question of “what a Christian is” is somewhat of a bogus question. Realistically, Christians are just people, so the question is more accurately “What makes a person a Christian?”

When we start thinking of “what makes a person a Christian,” we are tempted to think of what a Christian should believe and how a Christian should act; basically, the question of what a Christian should or shouldn’t be. This question is somewhat of a bogus question as well. Christians are not defined by any human deed or standard, so the real question is, “What is and isn’t God’s intention for us?”

Notice, I did not say “God’s intention for Christians.” "Us" refers to all of mankind; God created all of us (even those who don’t believe He did). He loves us all equally and by grace has made provision through the sacrifice of His only begotten Son to reconcile everyone of us to Him. If a person believes in the one true God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and accepts the sacrifice of the Christ for forgiveness of our sins and for our salvation, trusting that we are reconciled not through our own works but by grace alone, that person is a Christian.

So, when CNN asks, “What is a Christian,” the answer is: a Christian is a person who is reconciled to God by grace alone. We should watch the CNN segment and see if they did their homework. I won’t hold my breath.