What does it mean to be a Christian?

Question

Feel free to say what you want and be completely honest.

Answer 1

I'm thankful you want to learn about Jesus and Christianity. I hope what I say will be only a first step for you, and that you'll continue to grow in your understanding.

A Christian, very simply, is a person who has decided to be a follower of Jesus Christ. As you may know, Jesus lived in the Middle East about 2,000 years ago, and after preaching and teaching for about three years, He was put on trial and executed by His enemies. The Bible (our source of information about Jesus) tells us that three days later He came back to life by the power of God, and was taken up into Heaven. Someday He will return to conquer evil and rule over everything in perfect justice and love.

What sets Jesus apart from every other religious leader or philosopher? Simply this: The Bible says He was God in human flesh—completely man, but also completely God. He came to earth for one reason: to reconcile us to God. Sin had separated us from God, but Jesus (who was without sin) took all our sins upon Himself, and He died in our place.

Why did He do this? The Bible says the reason is because God loves us, and He wants us to be with Him in Heaven forever. It says, "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). I pray that someday soon you too will become Jesus' follower, by giving your life to Him.

Answer 2

This is a strictly personally view.

I think Christianity has far more to it than just believing that Christ existed and "getting saved".

Christianity has to do with a way of life and a state of mind. It is for me an attempt to find balance and truth by living by the basic laws of the Torah and the Greek Bible ( ie the old and new testament).

Getting baptized and going to central place of worship does not make you Christian. In my mind those are just public atestments, public shows of faith. Anyone can do either or both of them and not mean it. Not have it mean anything to them.

It has more to do with treating each other as humans in the same manner that you would like to be treated.
Not allowing greed in any form to rule your life. Being true to yourself and those around you. Gaining the ability to improve and achieve in life without becoming obsessive.

It is a bit hard to explain.

ps. I am not a Christian

Answer 3

A Christian to me means there is always a higher power in my life. That all is well with my soul when the world is going topsy turvey. I can have peace, love, and compassion when going through a difficult time. I don't need to seek to blame others for my own shortcomings because they are mine not someone elses or Gods. I am very glad to have a working relationship with the Lord. He hears when i petition Him. I am thankful that God sent His only Son that through Him I may be free. Plus many more things.

Answer 4

The Character of a Godly Man:
Psalm 1:1-3 Ref.
Christian men willing to answer the Lord’s call to live godly lives in an unrighteous world. A man with this mindset will understand the importance of:

Ordering his life with Christian counsel. A God-fearing man is not too self-sufficient or proud to ask for help. He seeks biblical counsel regularly so that he can succeed according to God’s principles. He is open to advice based on scriptural truths, whether for his home life, personal finances, or business matters. Many of us, however, are prone to seek opinions from those who appear successful, even if they do not share our faith. How wise can ungodly men be when they have chosen to live without God? How smart are we when we seek their advice?
Limiting his deepest friendships to fellow believers. Only the like-minded — those who love Jesus and desire to follow Him — are suitable to be intimate friends of a believer. Remember, our companions can influence us positively or negatively. Those who reject Jesus will never guide us toward Him. Those who are casual in their faith can influence us away from God’s standards. While the Lord expects us to relate to all sorts of people, it is wise to restrict our “inner circle” to Christ-followers.
Being committed to defending the truth. Concerned with the things of the Lord and His church, a godly man will TAKE A STAND against the profane use of Jesus’ name. Not only will he speak the truth about unrighteous patterns of behavior and their destructiveness; he will also oppose ridicule of the Bible or other Christians. Ref. Psalms 1;3 Jer 17:8 14:1 12: 1-2

Answer 5

"Christian" means too many things to be relevant to a question in an open, international forum like this.

Many years ago, when I was repeating John Steinbeck's "Travels with Charlie", I got my car stuck in the mud in a small town in Texas. What was the first question asked by a kind driver who stopped to help? It was "What is your religion".

I was (and 45 years later still am) flabbergasted. That can't happen here!

I learned that "Christian" in that part of the world means "born again" and/or "saved".

Fine. But when I was in Thailand I saw some middle-aged Buddhists quite as devout as the Christians I saw in Texas. And, on reflection, quite as saved.

Answer 6

To me being a Christian means that I have decided what I believe. I believe in Jesus. I want to declare my faith and be baptized. Then I want to make Jesus Lord of my life. Or I want to surrender my life to God and live for Him , no longer self-centered but God-centered. Then I want to be filled with the Holy Spirit so that I can do the things that Jesus did and thereby lead others to Him, be an ambassador for Christ , reconciling the world to God through Jesus Christ.

Answer 7

A new comandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.


The rest is mostly beautiful symbols and allegory.
The more you get into the nitty gritty the more people start to argue. The devil really is in the details.
There are more than 3,000 different christian denominations because people can't agree on all the details. So it seems reasonable to follow the comandment that Jesus gave to the best of our ability.

Answer 8

In today's USA english, it means to believe a character called Jesus Christ existed and to associate, in some fashion, with any of the multitude of ways to worship his legend.

Of course, in the USA alone there are more than 1,500 different sects of Christianity, all different in some aspect or another. And, because the "rules" of Christianity are so vague and undefinable, there are probably hundreds of thousands of people with their own personal versions of Christianity. Jesus Christ seems to be the only single attribute that ties them all together.

Answer 9

Christrianity is not a religion. It's a relation...ship with a God who loves so much it would take an eternity to explain. Being a Christian is simply believing that there is a God that sent his one and only son to die on a cross for your sins so that you could have a chance to go to heaven when you die.

Answer 10

To live in the manner that Christ did while bound to his human existence...being kind to others, turning the other cheek, being the best person you can be for yourself and others!