What exactly is a Christian?

A recently published survey covering England Wales and Northern Ireland found that 51% of the populations claimed to be Christians.

How does that square with the statistic that only 9% attend church or chapel of any Christian denomination regularly?

One must suppose that the discrepancy is due to different definitions of ‘being a Christian’.

So what is the definition of ‘A Christian’?

Many people may well call themselves Christians because they have been Baptised (Christened). Whereas baptism is a very important element of Christianity it is not some sort of heavenly insurance policy.  Baptism is a public symbol of an individual having made some pretty heavy duty declarations and promises. In some traditions children below the age when they are able to make these themselves, adults (usually parents and Godparents) make these promises on their behalf in the expectation that the child will confirm these when they are old enough to do so. But promises need to be kept or at least we must do our best to keep them.

So what are these declarations and promises?

The declarations:

I believe in God who created the universe and everything in it [this doesn’t mean that Christians can’t accept evolution or other scientific theories but we do accept that creation happened as an act of will by God whatever the mechanism]

I believe that God came to earth in person and was born a baby to the virgin Mary. [One of his titles is the son of God another is Emmanuel, which means ‘God with us’]

I believe in the Holy Spirit [that is God invisible to us but alongside us]

I believe that there is only one church [there any many different traditions and denominations but they are all part of one ‘Church’.], the communion of saints [this simply means all Christians both living and dead, past present and future],  

I believe in the forgiveness of sins. [That all sins are forgivable by God however bad they may be – we just need to be sincerely sorry and ask forgiveness from God.]

I believe in the resurrection of ‘the body’ [that doesn’t mean that our physical bodies will continue after we die but that the essential ‘us’ will – we will be recognisable as ‘us’]

I believe in eternal life [a life beyond our physical existence and beyond our imagination which lasts for ever. For those who truly believe in Jesus Christ, that life is in heaven with God]

And the promises?:

To reject the devil and all rebellion against God [That mean, to recognise that Satan exists and is a malignant force for evil. To positively have nothing to do with him or what he stands for]

To renounce the deceit and corruption of evil  [This means, to stand up against everything that goes against God’s commands: To love God above everything and everyone  and to treat all other people as we would wish to be treated if we were in their situation]

To repent of the sins that separate us from God and neighbour [This means, to recognise that we have done things contrary to God’s  will and/or which harm other people and to try our best not to repeat them]

To turn to Christ as Saviour [This means, to accept that Jesus Christ died in your place and took your sins on his back]

To submit to Christ as Lord [This means, to accept that Jesus Christ is your ultimate boss above all others]

To come to Christ the way the, truth and the life [This means, to accept that Jesus Christ is the only way that we can access God’s promise of eternal life with him]

So do all Christians live according to these declarations and keep these promises?  – Absolutely not! In fact none of us do. As Paul wrote in his letter to the church in Rome: ‘for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God’. (You can find this letter in the New Testament).

What a Christian must do is try to live by these declarations and promises, recognise when we’ve failed and pray for forgiveness. The good news is that there is no limit to God’s forgiveness – there is no point when He will say: ’enough is enough. I’m not going to forgive you any more’. How do we know that? It’s recorded in the Gospel that Peter once asked Jesus: ‘How many times should forgive my brother if he keeps dong the same thing against me? – 7 times?  (That sound like more than fair don’t you think?)  Jesus answered: ‘Not 7 times but 70 x 7 times’ (He didn’t literally mean 490 times but, without limit). ).  Why? Because that is exactly what God does.

Can someone be a Christion without being baptised?  – Baptism is a public sign of a commitment already made.  A belief in Jesus Christ as the Son of God and one’s personal saviour is the point at which an individual becomes a Christian. (Have a look at John’s Gospel chapter 3 verse 16)

So who gets to decide who is and who isn’t a Christian?

The Pope? –NO!

The Archbishop of Canterbury?  – NO!

The vicar or local church minister? – NO!

The Church elders – NO!

No one gets to judge another person’s faith – that’s a role reserved by God for himself. But, to quote James, another New Testaments letter writer,: ‘Faith without actions is dead’. None of us can be a ‘Christian in principle’ any more than we can become a tennis player by joining a tennis club but never picking up a racket.

Are all these 51% of the population really Christians? That’s between them and God.  But….

There’s a very famous saying attributed to Abraham Lincoln: “You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time.” True enough, but nobody can fool God any of the time!  Another quote from a New Testament  letter from Paul, this time to the church in Galatia: ‘ Do not be deceived God cannot be mocked’