How Can We Call Ourselves Christians

For sixteen years, I had always thought that I was a Christian because my parents told me that I was a Christian and we wrote a couple of times on paper, so I began to believe that I was truly a Christian.

I went to church with my parents every Sunday and I attended Sunday school in the early years.

I had prayed each night before I slept and each morning when I woke up. I gave thanks to God before eating. I did all this for sixteen years and found out that the name I wore was, well, merely that - a name.

I never really lived and experienced how it was to be a Christian. I never experienced the joy and excitement in serving the Lord. Most of the time, I was hesitant to raise my hands in worship to God because I was afraid of what other people might think of me.

I was more interested in defending my faith rather than sharing the gospel. Jesus was with me but He was not dwelling in me. Until God finally opened my eyes to the truth, and I realized that being Christian was not any of these. The central focus of being Christian is Jesus Christ and what He has done for me. It is not about me or what I can do.

Becoming a Christian was simple: we only have to receive Jesus Christ into our lives by faith and live our lives for Him. After accepting Jesus into my life, I began to release my control of things in my life and surrender them to God.

Then God started changing my selfish attitudes and helped me to become more Christ-centered. He encouraged me to be more involved in His work and in doing so, I have learned a lot and God has taught me a lot about discipleship and living a Christian life. I have noticed that I became more comfortable around people and I have a more positive outlook in life.

Following Jesus has given me a new direction in life. Because Jesus has shone His light on my life and taken control of my heart and my mind, I find it easier to walk in the light and to resist temptation. Jesus has won the victory for us against sin and death.

By His grace and the power of the Holy Spirit, we can overcome the temptations that we face. We no longer have to be defeated or enslaved by sin because God has given us a way to flee from it. He has given us a way out in every situation. And when we ask God to help us, He will come to our aid and steer us in the right direction.

When we become Christians, as I have experienced it, we now have a strong tower to lean on and that is God. We no longer have any condemnation because Jesus took away the shame and guilt of our sins and He has forgiven through faith and cleansed us from all unrighteousness by His blood.

When we become Christians, forgiving people especially those who have deeply hurt us though it may be hard, it is not impossible because with God, all things are possible. He gives us the strength to do things we could never do on our own.

When we put our faith in Him, God can work wonders and miracles even through our struggles. God can turn any situation around and it is in the difficult crises that happen in our lives that we need to put more faith in God and believe that He will do great and mighty things when we trust Him.

Here are a few verses that show what being a Christian is and what following Jesus is:

1 John 2:3-6:
"We know that we have come to know Him if we obey His commands. The man who says, 'I know Him,' but does not do what He commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But if anyone obeys His word, God's love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in Him: Whoever claims to live in Him must walk as Jesus did."

John 13:34-35:
"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

1 John 4:15-17:
"If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in Him and He in God. And so we know and rely on the love of God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world, we are like Him."

We are saved through faith in Jesus Christ and as we receive Him, we are given the right to become children of God and Christ would live in us thus we are called Christians. It says in the first passage that when we obey Jesus' commands, then we know Him and are in Him.

On the second passage, Jesus commands us to love one another and we will be known to be His disciples. And on the last passage, it says that whoever lives in love also lives in God and God lives in Him.

Love is what being Christian boils down to. Since we love God, we have faith in Him and take joy in Him. We serve Him wholeheartedly and desire more of Him each day. Our lives become devoted and dedicated daily for Him and we experience a dynamic transformation in lifestyle, attitude, and perspective.

We start to understand spiritual things. Love also produces humility in our lives and God's love also gives us hope. Love waits upon God and it does not judge other people. Love enables us to forgive even the most unforgivable deeds because God, out of His love for us, forgave us of all our evil deeds.

Not only that, He gave us much more when we received Jesus. We also have eternal life and we have access to the power of God through the Holy Spirit. We are sustained by God each day.

So being a Christian is not merely a name we call ourselves. It is not merely doing Christian practices or being filled with knowledge because when God is in us, the changes He makes in us will manifest through our actions and our lifestyle.

We become transformed in heart, in mind, and in spirit. Our mind becomes conformed to the ways and precepts of God. Our heart becomes sensitive to the Holy Spirit's conviction and yields to the will of God.

Our spirit becomes strengthened and empowered by the Holy Spirit and it will be filled each day with a fresh fire for God. Christianity is a relationship with God through His Son, Jesus Christ and with Christ in our lives, Christianity becomes a lifestyle.