Christianity is the largest world religion with 2.2 Billion members of believers and it is still growing! But, could all of these 2.2 billion people truly know what it means to be a Christian? To identify as Christian means to identify with the religion of Christianity having faith in the life and resurrection of Jesus.
Comments like ‘I gave my life to Jesus so I’m Christian’ or ‘I got baptized when I was a baby which means I’m christian’ or ‘my family is Christian so I’m Christian’ lead me to believe there is a lack of knowledge for what defines Christian living.
A Christian is a follower of Jesus, entirely. Leaving your old habits and past life behind. Taking up your cross and completely surrendering your life to walk by faith, not by sight. It means dying to yourself and being renewed in Christ. Allowing Jesus to transform your mind and give you a new heart. Christianity is religion. Jesus is relationship.
Jesus is freedom and eternal salvation, two things that religion is not. There are many branches and subcategories to this religion but the focus should not be on it’s division. When we think religion and not relationship, we lose sight of what the core of being a Christian means. Before you call yourself a Christian, ask yourself this, what does ‘Christian’ mean to me? is it a default belief? family tradition? or have I truly accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior and am now living a changed life that is no longer control by things of this world? Do you focus more on relationship than religion? or religion than relationship?
The beauty of The Good News is through Jesus we are forgiven and made right with God. No one is perfect and not one is good. So, why pretend to be? Every person in existence is a sinner in God’s eyes, including Christians. We should never try to be perfect on our own because we will always fall short. Jesus is the only way to the Father and through Him we are made Perfect. Being a Christian means making every effort to live Christ Like, modeling the life Jesus lived and following in His steps.