Are You a Christian?

By Pastor Art Barton
December 7, 2008

Ask this question, and you will likely get as many answers as the number of people you ask. Today, almost EVERYONE is a Christian. Have you noticed? Q: “Are you a Christian?” A: “Sure, I believe in God.” Q: “Are you a Christian?” A: “Of course, I’ve never murdered anybody.” Q: “Are you a Christian?” A: “I go to church sometimes.” Q: “Are you a Christian?” A: “Yeah, I don’t drink very much.” Perhaps some of you reading this have tried to win someone to Christ, and have gotten some deeply theological responses that were analogous to those above. How do you argue with such thunderously powerful logic? Let’s look at the book.

The notion that everyone is a Christian who simply believes that God exists is a grave error. James 2:19 says: “Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.” Satan and his minions aren’t Christians, but rest assured that they believe in God. Of course, they believe; they’ve been fighting and fearing God for thousands of years!

There are two requirements, both of which need to be fulfilled to be a Christian in the Bible sense of the term. First of all, a person must experience a spiritual birth. In John 3:6-7, Jesus is speaking to Nicodemus, and says: “That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.” (Notice the two births. This is where the term “Born again Christian” comes from). A person becomes a child of God by receiving Jesus Christ by faith. John 1:12: “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.” This new birth is a gift from God that cannot be earned by working for it, it is given only through His grace, and received only by faith in Jesus Christ. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Secondly, a Christian is to be a close follow of Jesus Christ. Acts 11:26: “And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that the whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.” These disciples of Jesus Christ made such an effort to be like him that people began to call them “Christians.” These were thieves who stopped stealing, adulterers who quit philandering, drunkards who gave up alcohol, blasphemers who no longer cursed, and idolaters who quit bowing to pagan gods. They gave everything over to Christ, and family, friends, jobs, and social status all took a back seat. Onlookers where astounded at their transformed lives. II Corinthians 5:15: “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

Today, there aren’t many followers of Jesus Christ. We have “convenience store” religion. “I’ll do something for God, if and when it is convenient for me and to my liking.” Anyone can profess to be a Christian, and post people do. But, there is a price for being a follower of Christ. II Timothy 3:12: “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.” Right this moment, in India, there are Christians whose churches are being burned, whose homes are being burned, whose possessions are being stolen, and who are being attacked with clubs and machetes. Why? Because they are FOLLOWERS of Jesus Christ. In the U.S. , persecution is almost nothing compared to elsewhere. Yet, here, where we have so many blessings, some professing Christians will get mad, stamp their feet, stick out a poochy lip and quit church if someone merely SAYS something that they don’t like. (Look back at quote of Acts 11:26 and notice reference to church attendance helping to identify the first Christians). Do you claim to be a Christian, yet can’t even be bothered to tolerate a slight inconvenience and follow Christ on Sunday morning, let alone the rest of your week? Is the world not bad enough for you yet to make an effort to live for God?

Matthew 15:8: “This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.” Are you all talk, or a follower of Christ according to God’s word? Are you a Christian?