What’s the definition of a Christian?
If you grew up in the church, you’ve probably heard the word “Christian” a few times before. Almost everyone knows that Christians are defined as followers of Christ.
However, you may not know where the word “Christian” originally comes from or what it truly means. When we dig into the etymology of the term, it actually paints this really beautiful picture of what it means to be a follower of Jesus.
Where did the word “Christian” come from? What’s the definition?
If you look up the definition of “Christian,” it means a person who has received a Christian baptism or is a believer in Christ (aka Jesus).
The word “Christian” comes from the Greek word Christianos. The first part of that word, Christ, means “anointed,” and the second part of that word, tian, means “little.” Therefore, the word “Christian” technically means “little anointed ones.”
Jesus is the anointed one, and we are the little anointed ones who follow Him and His plan for our lives. If you think about it, it makes sense. We’re followers of Christ; therefore, we’re His anointed ones.
What is a Christian?
Christians are exactly what they sound like — people who choose to follow Christ (again, that means Jesus).
That means recognizing that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that He died on the cross for the sins of humanity. And on the third day in the tomb, God raised Him back to life to finally bridge the chasm of death that our sin created — the same chasm that separates us from God. And when we believe that Jesus is the Savior — the prophesied Messiah — and that He died and was resurrected to unite humanity with God, then we too can bridge the chasm of death to reunite with God.
Being a Christian means believing the hundreds of eyewitnesses who ultimately and willingly gave their lives for Jesus — not because of a message they heard that resonated with them, but because they physically saw a resurrected Jesus, and they would rather choose death than to deny what they saw with their own eyes.
Being a Christian means believing that if Jesus’ dead body was still in that tomb, the Jewish leaders and Romans would have produced it immediately. They would have done anything they could to stamp out the Jesus movement, including putting guards in front of the tomb and rolling a rock in front of it, but even that could not hold Jesus in. And instead of being able to produce a body to disprove this Jesus movement once and for all, the leader of the Jewish resistance (Saul, who later became the apostle Paul) ended up converting to Christianity after a personal encounter with Jesus.
That is what it means to believe in Jesus and be a Christian.
Christians become new creations in Christ
In the same way that Jesus died and was resurrected, as Christians, our old selves have died away and we live as new creations in God. Micah 7:18-20 says that God will remember our sins no more, and that He will cast all of our past wrongs into the sea of forgetfulness.
Let’s pause here for a moment. The idea of being a sinner is often a sticking point for people who are not Christians, so let’s break that down for a moment. The term “sin” has so many perceptions and connotations based on one’s own lived experience. But all it really means is anything we choose instead of God. God has set specific rhythms for how our lives flow best, and He has shared that knowledge with us. He has also given us a choice on whether or not we listen to the rules He has created, because true love isn’t forced love. And true obedience isn’t forced obedience.
Sin creeps in when we decide to follow our own ways instead of God’s. That’s it. It’s really pretty simple. Sin doesn’t have to be this big judgmental thing. It can be something as small as choosing to work on a Sunday and burning the candle at both ends instead of resting like God tells us. In the same way that a good parent wants what’s best for their children, God’s rules are designed to help us get the most out of life.
So, there. That’s sin. But when we believe in Jesus, we adopt the identity of Jesus, which allows us to stand blameless before God, not just after death, but in the here and now of life. We can have a close relationship with God every second of every day because we have been made new in Jesus.
Second Corinthians 5:17 (ESV) says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”
How do we walk like defined Christians?
Too often, we talk the talk like we’re Christians, but we don’t actually walk the walk. Here are a few ways that we can truly show that we’re Christians.
We are known as Christians by our love.
If we call ourselves Christians, we should act like Christians. People will know that we are defined as Christians by the way that we treat each other and love one another.
John 13:35 (ESV) says, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
As Christians, we are called to love our neighbors as ourselves. In fact, Jesus said that there is no commandment greater. Regardless of whether we’ve been hurt by somebody, we’re called to show them God’s grace, forgiveness and love.
Mark 12:31 (ESV) says, “The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
Our neighbors aren’t just people who are physically around us. We should consider everyone a neighbor and treat and love them appropriately.
The Bible is clear that if we define ourselves as Christians, people should recognize us as Christians by our love for one another.
First (ESV) says, “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.”
Centerpoint Church is ready to walk with you on your faith journey
At Centerpoint, our community believes in purpose and passion, and we would love to walk with you on your journey in finding yours. You can also find out what our community’s purpose and passion are all about by checking out some of the past sermons we’ve posted on our website.
Do you want to grow in your faith, or are you simply curious about who this Jesus guy is? You’re not alone. We encourage you to listen to our podcast series online and welcome you to come to one of our Sunday morning services in Valrico, Florida.