What Does Being A Christian Mean To You?

By Angie Lewis

How do we understand the application of the Christian Life? Do you walk your faith through how you live your life? Being a Christian means different things for different people. Some Christians believe that if they go to Church faithfully and pay their tithes they are being a Christian, maybe it is to some extent but what are these weekly Church goers doing with the rest of their life after going to Church? And then some Christians don’t even profess to believe that Jesus Christ is the Redeemer of the world? How can we be Christ Ones and not believe with all of our being that Christ is our personal Savior?

He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior.
Titus 3:5-6

According to Major news sources eighty-five percent of Americans believe in a higher Creator at work in our lives. Out of that eighty-five percent how many do you think have actually received salvation through Jesus Christ? In a nutshell here’s how scripture tells us it works. First we are saved through our “willingness” to turn our life around and follow Jesus. And then we become a Christian because we turned our willingness into action. The application of the Christian life is faith through Jesus Christ and that is what being a Christian means. It means that we applied the power of the Holy Spirit into our lives because of our faith!

He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.
Galatians 3:14

Visible proof of being a Christian is right behavior. Christianity is a lifestyle. Some Christians are good at doing special things for others but they have lost the mark when it comes to faith – they just do not have the faith to trust Jesus Christ with their lives. But to be a Christian he or she must allow the Spirit of Christ to go to work in their life and that is how the Christian becomes Christ-like or like Christ.

For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the first born among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called, those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.
Romans 8:29-30

God does not expect us to be as perfect as Jesus because that would be impossible but He does want us to have the ‘willingness” to turn our faith into action. We do this when we become reborn into God’s family and live our lives for God rather than for self – if we are still living to please self we are not being a Christian because pleasing self is having faith in self. If we are living to please God we become a child of God through our faith in Him and that is being a Christian.

Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.
John 1:12

Being a Christian means growing in faith on a spiritual journey towards salvation. It means acknowledging Jesus Christ as our Lord and our Savior and then living our life through that acknowledgment. The Christian life is a spiritual development that never ends but only gets better. It gets better because the Christian puts their confidence and trust in God. They have given up control of leading their life under their own understanding. They come out from being in bondage to a particular sin and grow more faithful each and every day. Are you that Christian? Is that what being a Christian means to you?

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.
Colossians 2:6-7