The etymology of the word Christian comes from the Greek word , which was designated for the followers of Christ. The Bible shows us that it was in Antioch where they started calling the followers of Jesus Christ "Christians" (Acts 11:26).

 

Today it is quite common to call yourself a Christian, but in reality not all who call themselves Christians truly are. We are in the section "Are you a long time Christian”. This means that the reader should know the connotation that being a true Christian implies, and therefore should be different from others, as we are no longer followers of our desires, but followers of Jesus Christ. We should seek to please Him, do His will and follow His teachings. Remember that by our fruits we shall be know as Christians (Matthew 7:16)

 

What is the will of Jesus Christ?

 

The will of Jesus Christ is the same one as the Father (God). Jesus says so repeatedly in the Bible (John 6:38 "... I came down from heaven not to do My own will but the will of Him that sent me ...."). Therefore, if we want to walk in the ways of Jesus Christ, it is imperative that we love Him. We can not say that we are Christians and not love Jesus Christ, and we can not say that we are Christians if we do not keep His commandments. These two factors have to go hand in hand as  indicated in the following verses:

 

John 14:15

“If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.

 

John 14:21

He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him.”

 

Being a Christian is not a simple statement or confession declaring that Jesus Christ is God, nor are they those who confess that they know God's will. True Christians are those who confess with their mouth and hearts that Jesus Christ is God (Romans 10:9), and those that are not only hearers of the will of God, but doers of it:

 

Matthew 7:21

Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.

 

James 1:22

But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.

 

Were do we find the will of God/Jesus Christ?

 

As mentioned above, it is vital for Christians to know the will of God, His commandments and what pleases Him. The only way that God gave us to know Him is through the Bible; hence the importance of reading the Bible. For a Christian, the Bible is like our daily food, it is something vital that we need to live. If we want to please God we must know Him more, if we want to know Him more we must read the Bible.

 

Unfortunately for many Christians, the Bible is a boring book. Yet the Bible is the most fascinating book to have ever exsisted. The Bible shows us the personality of God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. The Bible fills us, reflects the justice of God, helps us know what does not please God and most importantly:  IT IS THE POWER OF GOD !! (WE RECOMMEND READING TOPIC 3 "THE IMPORTANCE OF KNOWING AND READING THE BIBLE").

 

Will we be condemned if we do not follow God’s will 100%?

 

The fact that Christians must follow the will of God does not mean we are 100% sinless people the rest of our lives or that if we commit sin we are condemned and go to hell. What proves that we truly are Christian is the following (among others): the desire within us to not sin, the concern of not hurting the Author of life, being ashamed of our sin, the wish to turn away from  sin, praying that God separate us from temptation, avoiding places that can cause us to sin etc ... 

 

Thanks to our Lord, we have the Holy Spirit who convicts of sin and help us.

 

When we sin we must mourn over our sin and repent, having that inner sense of contrition for hurting God with our actions, thoughts, or sins (2 Corinthians 7:9-10). This shows we have the Holy Spirit in our lives who convicts of sin, righteousness and judgment (John 16:7 - 11) and that we are not living in a practice of continuous sin (1 John 3:8-9) . The Lord will never reject a repented heart and a repented sinner. God is merciful and always forgives the repentant!

 

1 John 1:7-9

but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us.9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

 

Psalms 51:17

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; 

A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.

 

Now, we must be careful not to fall into the common mistake of thinking that we can sin as much as we want to and practice a life of sin. This way of thinking or acting, does not represent a Christian who follows the teachings of Jesus Christ, who knows His will and has communion with Him.

 

Galatians 5:16-17

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. 17 For the flesh [a]sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you [b]please.

 

Romans 6:15-18

 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? May it never be! 16 Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either ofsin [a]resulting in death, or of obedience [b]resulting in righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God that [c]though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, 18 and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.

 

Judas 1:4

For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand [a]marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.

 

How do we have communion with Jesus Christ?

 

We mentioned before that it is important and essential to have communion with Jesus Christ. Subsequently and in addition to reading the Bible, we need to pray and set aside time in our "busy" life for our personal prayer. This is a time of intercession and prayer. It is the moment where we can place our burdens on God and most importantly a time of fellowship with Him, where we can speak with confidence and reverence, with the fullness of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2) and sanctification. 

 

Salvation is a gift, and so is holiness. Jesus Christ is real, He is a person and became our holiness and our righteousness (1 Corinthians 1:30). The Holy Spirit shows the character of Christ in us.

 

(Note: Legalism says that salvation comes by faith, but sanctification is received by works. The reality is that both salvation and sanctification are received through faith, accompanied by repentance and obedience).

 

Here we will cover the main points that demonstrate communion with Jesus Christ:

 

• We should have a moment in our day where we seperate ourselves from everything around us and turn to the Lord. A moment alone in our secret place, without interruptions, with our door closed and with our cell phone and computer turnerd off:

 

Matthew 6:6

But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.

 

• Note: At the beginning of our life as Christians, we may think that it is difficult to be in prayer for more than 15-20 minutes, but with the help of the Holy Spirit it is very easy. The most important thing and what will please the Lord is that the time in our room with Him be a time without distraction. Do not worry; you will gradually increase your prayer time. 

 

We also recommend that during your time of prayer you play worship music to praise God. Remember that we have to see the time of prayer as a time of peace, that is needed daily and a time which we enjoy (not a burden).

 

• In addition to our daily time mentioned above, we also need to have  communion with God at all times (while driving, making food, cleaning, working etc...) and above all, talk to the Holy Spirit, which is something that is not done frequently.

 

Ephesians 6:18

With all prayer and petition [b]pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, [c]be on the alert with allperseverance and petition for all the saints,

 

1 Thessalonians 5:17

 pray without ceasing;

 

Christian fruits

 

These are some of the fruits that we as Christians should flourish:

 

1.Love

2. Joy

3. Peace.

4. Patience.

5. Kindness.

6. Goodness.

7. Fidelity.

8. Meekness.

9. Self-control.

10. Confessing that Jesus Christ is Lord.

 

Christian beliefs

 

Here are some basic beliefs that all Christians should know and admit:

 

1. Jesus Christ is the Son of God.

2. Jesus Christ is God.

3. Jesus Christ died on a cross to redeem the sins of mankind.

4. Jesus Christ rose again on the third day.

5. Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth and the Life.

6. No one is saved except through Him

7. No other religion, god/goddess or name can give us salvation other than Jesus Christ.

8. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit are three persons in one.

 

Conclusion 

 

Once you know the basics of Christianity: faith in Jesus Christ for salvation, repentance of sins and obedience to His word (1 Peter 1 22). As a token of our love for Him, we must live a holy life in communion with Him (Hebrews 12:14) and we must move forward in the glorious path of the Lord Jesus Christ. If you evaluate your life and you are not producing the fruits of a true Christian, you should not be condemned, simply pray to God and seek Him in the secret place. He will never reject a contrite and repentant heart. Let us follow the mandates of Jesus Christ, and if you have not been baptized, go to your church and ask the pastor to baptize you as an act of obedience to Jesus Christ.

 

Note: This is a brief explanation of this topic. To learn more about the meaning of being a true Christian, or if you need an explanation of a verse or have any other questions, please contact us and we will gladly explain everything.

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