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What does it mean to be a Christian?
What is it about yourself that causes you to believe you are a Christian? Most people say, “Because I believe in Jesus” Well, a
football player does not call himself a quarterback because he believes in football. He must meet the requirements for playing in
that position. You must also meet the requirements for being a Christian. You first need to understand what it means to be a
Christian before you can go around calling yourself one.
Most people who say they are a Christian do not see anything wrong with today’s worldly way of living. What separates a
Christian from a non-Christian now days? People do not seem to understand the difference between a carnal person and a
person who has truly been saved. People seem to ignore the laws of the Bible, because they think that believing in Jesus will
get them to heaven. A true Christian will live their life to abide in Jesus and not live like the world. They will repent from their sin
and walk in His ways. Is this how you are living your life? Have you put aside your life to follow Jesus? How serious are you
about keeping His commandments?
Exodus 20:7 “Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his
name in vain.”
Living like the world and calling yourself a Christian is taking the Lords name in vain. You are taking the name of Christ or saying
you are of Christ by calling yourself a Christian, and yet you are not abiding in His commands. If you are a Christian, you are to
live in a lifestyle of righteousness. You must live up to what you profess or not profess it at all. Do not call yourself a Christian if
you are not going to live like one, because you are misleading people into a vain Christianity.
If you look at the world, you will see that the majority of people who say they are a Christian are not taking it seriously because
nobody else seems to be taking it seriously. Too many people live like other professing Christians, but if you are going call
yourself a Christian then you must live a righteous life according to God’s commandments. Not just on Sunday when you are at
church, but every moment of your life must be lived in righteousness. Your actions, your attitude, everything in your life must be
an example of Christ. If you are not living as Christ lived, than how can you say that you are a Christian?
Today’s Christianity has almost totally lost its true meaning. People do not understand what a righteous life is anymore. I talk to
professing Christians all the time that do not know right from wrong any more than a non-Christian does. They party and get
drunk. They cuss and tell perverted jokes with their friends. They watch movies and listen to music that is full of profanity and
perversion. They indulge in lustful activities such as pornography, going to strip clubs, and having sex before marriage. This is
not the righteous lifestyle that God has called His children to live in. We cannot call ourselves a child of God and live in such
immorality. To live doing such sinful things and calling yourself a Christian is blasphemy. God’s children are to walk in
righteousness and live a holy life.
1 Thessalonians 4:7 “For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness.”
Christians will prove to others that they belong to Jesus by the way they live. So why when I look at most professing Christians I
just see another worldly person? Many professing Christians do not live any different from the world. They call themselves a
Christian because they go to church and read the Bible, but they do not live a righteous life.
Philippians 3:18-19 “(For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of
the cross of Christ: Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly
things.)”
The people that Paul is talking about are people who walk the Christian lifestyle, but they also walk in a worldly lifestyle. Like I
said before, they will look like a Christian. They will go to church, read the Bible, and pray, maybe even do good works. However,
Paul said it is all in vain and they are enemies of the cross of Christ. Then he shows who these people are and how we can
recognize them.
Whose God is their belly. This means whatever a person craves the most becomes their god. They hunger, but they satisfy their
appetite with whatever is comfortable with their lifestyle. They are following their own way and rejecting Christ.
Whose glory is in their shame. These people brag about shameful things so that they will be accepted by worldly people.
Talking about how many shots of alcohol they can take before they get sick. Telling others how many people they have slept
with. Laughing about all the sinful things that they have done. They put their glory in shameful things that God hates and
therefore have become an enemy of the cross of Christ.
Who mind earthly things. These people always have their mind on the things of this world rather on the things of God. Worldly
things become more important than God, and they prove themselves to be carnal.
Jesus said in Matthew 10:33 “But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in
heaven.”
People are like, “I don’t deny Jesus. If someone asked me if I believed in Him, I would say yes.” Is that what you think Jesus is
talking about, just merely confessing that you believe in Him if someone asks you? What about the way you live your life? When
you do not live in a way that shows you belong to Jesus, is that not the same as denying that you believe in Him?
Titus 1:16 “They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every
good work reprobate.”
In works they deny Him. It is not just professing your belief in Jesus. It is living your life in righteousness. When someone looks
at you, what do they see? Do they see a Christian person that follows Christ and lives in righteousness? Or do they see a
worldly person that lives in sin?
1 John 2:16 “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but
is of the world.”
Not only does living in sin show no love toward God, but because of your unrighteousness, you become an abomination to Him.
Deuteronomy 25:16 says all that do unrighteously, are an abomination unto the LORD thy God. “But I’m God’s friend, you know
the song we always sing in church, ‘I am a friend of God.’” How can you be a friend of God if you are a friend of this world?
James said in James 4:4, “Know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend
of the world is the enemy of God.”
I pray that by reading this you will re-evaluate your thinking on what it means to follow Christ so that you won’t end up in hell with
the rest of the people who didn’t take this seriously. Christianity is not what you make it to be, it’s what it is, and that is a life lived
in obedience to the Lord. If you're not living as a Christian than you must repent and turn from your worldly lifestyle and follow
after Christ. If you want to be saved and become a Christian
football player does not call himself a quarterback because he believes in football. He must meet the requirements for playing in
that position. You must also meet the requirements for being a Christian. You first need to understand what it means to be a
Christian before you can go around calling yourself one.
Most people who say they are a Christian do not see anything wrong with today’s worldly way of living. What separates a
Christian from a non-Christian now days? People do not seem to understand the difference between a carnal person and a
person who has truly been saved. People seem to ignore the laws of the Bible, because they think that believing in Jesus will
get them to heaven. A true Christian will live their life to abide in Jesus and not live like the world. They will repent from their sin
and walk in His ways. Is this how you are living your life? Have you put aside your life to follow Jesus? How serious are you
about keeping His commandments?
Exodus 20:7 “Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his
name in vain.”
Living like the world and calling yourself a Christian is taking the Lords name in vain. You are taking the name of Christ or saying
you are of Christ by calling yourself a Christian, and yet you are not abiding in His commands. If you are a Christian, you are to
live in a lifestyle of righteousness. You must live up to what you profess or not profess it at all. Do not call yourself a Christian if
you are not going to live like one, because you are misleading people into a vain Christianity.
If you look at the world, you will see that the majority of people who say they are a Christian are not taking it seriously because
nobody else seems to be taking it seriously. Too many people live like other professing Christians, but if you are going call
yourself a Christian then you must live a righteous life according to God’s commandments. Not just on Sunday when you are at
church, but every moment of your life must be lived in righteousness. Your actions, your attitude, everything in your life must be
an example of Christ. If you are not living as Christ lived, than how can you say that you are a Christian?
Today’s Christianity has almost totally lost its true meaning. People do not understand what a righteous life is anymore. I talk to
professing Christians all the time that do not know right from wrong any more than a non-Christian does. They party and get
drunk. They cuss and tell perverted jokes with their friends. They watch movies and listen to music that is full of profanity and
perversion. They indulge in lustful activities such as pornography, going to strip clubs, and having sex before marriage. This is
not the righteous lifestyle that God has called His children to live in. We cannot call ourselves a child of God and live in such
immorality. To live doing such sinful things and calling yourself a Christian is blasphemy. God’s children are to walk in
righteousness and live a holy life.
1 Thessalonians 4:7 “For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness.”
Christians will prove to others that they belong to Jesus by the way they live. So why when I look at most professing Christians I
just see another worldly person? Many professing Christians do not live any different from the world. They call themselves a
Christian because they go to church and read the Bible, but they do not live a righteous life.
Philippians 3:18-19 “(For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of
the cross of Christ: Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly
things.)”
The people that Paul is talking about are people who walk the Christian lifestyle, but they also walk in a worldly lifestyle. Like I
said before, they will look like a Christian. They will go to church, read the Bible, and pray, maybe even do good works. However,
Paul said it is all in vain and they are enemies of the cross of Christ. Then he shows who these people are and how we can
recognize them.
Whose God is their belly. This means whatever a person craves the most becomes their god. They hunger, but they satisfy their
appetite with whatever is comfortable with their lifestyle. They are following their own way and rejecting Christ.
Whose glory is in their shame. These people brag about shameful things so that they will be accepted by worldly people.
Talking about how many shots of alcohol they can take before they get sick. Telling others how many people they have slept
with. Laughing about all the sinful things that they have done. They put their glory in shameful things that God hates and
therefore have become an enemy of the cross of Christ.
Who mind earthly things. These people always have their mind on the things of this world rather on the things of God. Worldly
things become more important than God, and they prove themselves to be carnal.
Jesus said in Matthew 10:33 “But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in
heaven.”
People are like, “I don’t deny Jesus. If someone asked me if I believed in Him, I would say yes.” Is that what you think Jesus is
talking about, just merely confessing that you believe in Him if someone asks you? What about the way you live your life? When
you do not live in a way that shows you belong to Jesus, is that not the same as denying that you believe in Him?
Titus 1:16 “They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every
good work reprobate.”
In works they deny Him. It is not just professing your belief in Jesus. It is living your life in righteousness. When someone looks
at you, what do they see? Do they see a Christian person that follows Christ and lives in righteousness? Or do they see a
worldly person that lives in sin?
1 John 2:16 “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but
is of the world.”
Not only does living in sin show no love toward God, but because of your unrighteousness, you become an abomination to Him.
Deuteronomy 25:16 says all that do unrighteously, are an abomination unto the LORD thy God. “But I’m God’s friend, you know
the song we always sing in church, ‘I am a friend of God.’” How can you be a friend of God if you are a friend of this world?
James said in James 4:4, “Know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend
of the world is the enemy of God.”
I pray that by reading this you will re-evaluate your thinking on what it means to follow Christ so that you won’t end up in hell with
the rest of the people who didn’t take this seriously. Christianity is not what you make it to be, it’s what it is, and that is a life lived
in obedience to the Lord. If you're not living as a Christian than you must repent and turn from your worldly lifestyle and follow
after Christ. If you want to be saved and become a Christian
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