What is Christianity?
This is a simple enough question, yet it seems that those who are not churched, do not know its true meaning. There is also great evidence that those within the church do not know its meaning either. There is something that when one puts a label on something, they should at least know what it means.
Primarily, to be called a Christian means to be Christ-like. That is the truest sense of the word and its deepest meaning. The origin for this name comes from Antioch where Paul and Barnabas were declaring the Good News called the Gospel. (Acts 11:26) This was not a title that was given by those who believed in Jesus Christ. They usually referred to each other as brother, disciple, or believer. Instead, this title came from outsiders who were identifying them as different from the Jewish religion. As a matter of history, the term Christian was not used by Christians to describe other Christians until Ignatius a bishop of Antioch around the second century.[1]
Here are some facts about living like a Christian. A Christian behavior is not to reflect that of the world but instead to reflect the actions of the Spirit of God. (Romans 8:9) In Ephesians 2:10, Paul makes it noticeably clear that we (Christians) are created for good works. That our obedience to Christ is a part of our due worship to Him and that Christians are to present themselves as a living sacrifice, meaning giving up the desires of the flesh and living in the spirit. (Romans 12:1)
So, the question could be what are these good works? What are these actions of the Spirit? Galatians 5:22-26, clue us in that as Christians we are to love, have joy, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Christians are not to be boastful, challenging other Christians, or envying others.
For the Christian, the ultimate command comes from Jesus in John 14:15, “if you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” One could question what are these commandments? Within Matthew 22:37-39, we find that Jesus commands the Christian to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul and with all your mind.” Jesus then follows up with the second command, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
So, what does this all mean? Simply put, a Christian embodies the attributes of Christ. This is not done perfectly but is done to the best of each individual and where they are in their walk with Christ. Real Christians will love Christ more than themselves, they will be willing to give up anything of the flesh to live in obedience to the Spirit.
Christians should not be judgmental, should not be pious, and should not be arrogant. There are many in their journey of Christlikeness (being a Christian) that have come out of hard lives of the flesh/world. They are bound to look different, have different perspectives, talk differently, and see things differently. This does not mean that they change what is a Christian, it means that their journey begins where God called them out of death and into life. For them to be given the title Christian either by themselves or others, means that they are showing, however imperfectly, the attributes of Christ and therefore can relate to Him.
Ultimately, Christianity is about freedom, freedom from the yoke of sin and shame. It is not a cool label to put on to fit in one place and to take off to fit in another. Galatians 5:1 says, “It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.”
[1] Polhill, John B. 1992. Acts. Vol. 26. The New American Commentary. Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
Primarily, to be called a Christian means to be Christ-like. That is the truest sense of the word and its deepest meaning. The origin for this name comes from Antioch where Paul and Barnabas were declaring the Good News called the Gospel. (Acts 11:26) This was not a title that was given by those who believed in Jesus Christ. They usually referred to each other as brother, disciple, or believer. Instead, this title came from outsiders who were identifying them as different from the Jewish religion. As a matter of history, the term Christian was not used by Christians to describe other Christians until Ignatius a bishop of Antioch around the second century.[1]
Here are some facts about living like a Christian. A Christian behavior is not to reflect that of the world but instead to reflect the actions of the Spirit of God. (Romans 8:9) In Ephesians 2:10, Paul makes it noticeably clear that we (Christians) are created for good works. That our obedience to Christ is a part of our due worship to Him and that Christians are to present themselves as a living sacrifice, meaning giving up the desires of the flesh and living in the spirit. (Romans 12:1)
So, the question could be what are these good works? What are these actions of the Spirit? Galatians 5:22-26, clue us in that as Christians we are to love, have joy, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Christians are not to be boastful, challenging other Christians, or envying others.
For the Christian, the ultimate command comes from Jesus in John 14:15, “if you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” One could question what are these commandments? Within Matthew 22:37-39, we find that Jesus commands the Christian to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul and with all your mind.” Jesus then follows up with the second command, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
So, what does this all mean? Simply put, a Christian embodies the attributes of Christ. This is not done perfectly but is done to the best of each individual and where they are in their walk with Christ. Real Christians will love Christ more than themselves, they will be willing to give up anything of the flesh to live in obedience to the Spirit.
Christians should not be judgmental, should not be pious, and should not be arrogant. There are many in their journey of Christlikeness (being a Christian) that have come out of hard lives of the flesh/world. They are bound to look different, have different perspectives, talk differently, and see things differently. This does not mean that they change what is a Christian, it means that their journey begins where God called them out of death and into life. For them to be given the title Christian either by themselves or others, means that they are showing, however imperfectly, the attributes of Christ and therefore can relate to Him.
Ultimately, Christianity is about freedom, freedom from the yoke of sin and shame. It is not a cool label to put on to fit in one place and to take off to fit in another. Galatians 5:1 says, “It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.”
[1] Polhill, John B. 1992. Acts. Vol. 26. The New American Commentary. Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
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