2/03/2024

Believers or Not

 My grandfather used to advise us, “Many people call themselves Christians without knowing what it means. Make sure that when you say you are a Christian, you really are.” 
What is a Christian? 

Some say it is a good person, or someone who goes to church often. In the Bible, the first time anyone was called a Christian was in Antioch. The story is told in Acts 11:19-26:   

Many believers of Jesus went to Antioch to preach to the Gentiles about the Lord Jesus, and a great many turned to the Lord.  This amazing news reached the church at Jerusalem and sent Barnabas to Antioch. Indeed, Barnabas saw the proof of God’s blessing.  

Barnabas then went to Tarsus to bring back Saul to Antioch. Verse 26 reads, “Both of them stayed there with the church for a full year, teaching large crowds of people. [It was at Antioch that the believers were first called Christians.]” 

Those who believed that Jesus came to earth, died, and resurrected to offer forgiveness of sin were eventually called Christians—applying Jesus' title of Christ as a label for His followers.

A Christian, therefore, is one who responds to God’s grace of forgiveness by choosing to stop living for himself and start living for Christ.  

“. . . if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.” (Romans 10:9-10 ESV)

People do good things for many reasons, but a Christian does good things because he/she loves God.

No comments: