What is a Christian?

Look around. It seems to be harder and harder to define "Christian" if you listen to the cacophony of voices that are using the same word to mean a vast array of things. Wikipedia defines it this way:

A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as presented in the New Testament. Christians believe Jesus to be the Son of God and the Messiah prophesied in the Old Testament.

Simple, straightforward, plain as day, right? Not really. They go on to say that "Christian" means "born again" to some and "one who is a member of the church" to others. It means "Western" to the Muslim world and "cultures and people" in other applications. Some think of it as "an organization for social change", "of European descent", "a right-wing political group" or "a moral system". In other words, it's not clear at all.

Depending on who you ask, you will get a variety of answers. To clear things up, try doing a Google search on "What is a Christian", and you'll find that clarity is elusive. The dictionary says it's "Professing belief in Jesus as Christ or following the religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus." gotquestions.org says, "A true Christian is a person who has put his or her faith and trust in the person of Jesus Christ and fact that He died on the cross as payment for sins and rose again on the third day to obtain victory over death and to give eternal life to all who believe in Him." A Puritan's Mind has a more complex definition. It says that a true Christian is 1) one who has seriously considered their sin problem, 2) one who has seriously considered the divine remedy for sin (that would be Christ and His Substitutionary Atonement), 3) one has complied with the terms for God's provision for sin (repent and believe), and 4) one whose life reflects that the first three items are true. Not a simple definition. And sehlat.com puts it more succinctly: "A real Christian is one who has realized that he is a sinner and can only be saved by God's grace. It is someone who has accepted Christ's sacrifice on the cross as the payment for his sins and who realizes that he cannot work his way to heaven."

I asked others how they would answer the question. Here's what I got. One said, "A Christian would be a person who believes that God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to pay for his/her sins (understands that he/she is a sinner) by dying on the cross and believes the Holy Spirit works in us." Another echoed that with nuances: "A Christian is a person that believes into the deity of Christ, the life, death, and resurrection of Christ, and the atoning work of Christ, which is the salvation of the elect through His death and resurrection." (Note: The phrase "believes into" is not a grammatical error here. It was intentional, suggesting more than mere mental acquiescence.) A more detailed version went like this: "My 'easy formula' to tell folks is A B C -- Acknowledge you are a sinner in need of a Savior, Believe Jesus is who He said, Commit your life to Him and receive His life in you. Consequently, I'd have to say a Christian is one who sees he needs to be reconciled to God (II Cor. 5:20) (however one wants to put that), believes Jesus is Lord (Rom. 10:9) -- God (John 8:23), exclusive entry to God (John 14:6) -- recognizes the issue of cost i.e. death to control (Matt. 16:24), (which includes the Spirit's indwelling authority/power (Rom. 8:9)), and wills/chooses to commit/yield (report for duty)."

The problem comes in when we start to add stuff to the simplest of definitions. If "belief in the Trinity", for instance, is part of the definition, then what does one say to someone who has never heard of the Trinity but has recognized their sin and placed their faith in Christ who died for them? "Sorry ... not enough. There are deeper theological issues that you need to agree with before you can be considered a Christian." Is it required that a person understand that Deity of Christ before they are classified as "Christian"? When the Philippian jailer asked, "What must I do to be saved?", Paul's answer was simple: "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved" (Acts 16:30-31). So is it that it just doesn't matter? The jailer recognized his need for salvation (albeit it was likely his need for salvation from being killed for a prison break, not from eternal damnation), and the answer was "believe". Can it be that simple?

I suspect it is that simple ... but not. I suspect that a true Christian is found in what he or she affirms and in what he or she denies. The first hint of this is in Paul's very words: "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved." There is an aspect here that is often missed. Paul calls Jesus not merely an historical figure and not merely a man that lived at the beginning of the Common Era. He is both "Lord" and "Christ". He is Sovereign and the promised Messiah. In other words, simply believing that Jesus existed is not going to do it. There is a package that these words contain. It is possible to embrace it in its simplicity and you'll be fine -- a Christian. It is not possible to deny its components and be fine. So implied on the surface are several components that must be affirmed. 1) "I need to be saved." A failure to recognize one's sin condition and inability to fix it means that you won't need to believe to be saved, and that would preclude a person from being a Christian. 2) "Jesus is the only means to remedy my sin problem." Now, this "Jesus" has certain characteristics. If these are not affirmed, it is not the same "Jesus" of whom Paul speaks. First, He is the Master -- Lord. Thus, a person must affirm His lordship. Second, He is Christ -- the Promised One from God. Thus, a person must affirm His special status as the Messiah.

Those cover the two basic aspects offered by most of the definitions. However, there are, however, aspects that may not need to be affirmed at the outset, but must not be denied. If faith is the key, and "the Lord Jesus Christ" is the object of that faith, then the truth about the person of Jesus cannot be denied. A Jesus who, for instance, never died and never rose again is not the same Jesus. That's a denial of the biblical Jesus. A Jesus who is not both God and with God (John 1:1) is not the same Jesus. That's a denial of the biblical Jesus. There are aspects of the person of Jesus that may not need to be affirmed to be saved, but they must not be denied, or that person is not "the Lord Jesus Christ".

Lots of people have lots of definitions of "Christian". However, if "Christian" is simply "whatever you want it to be", it is a meaningless term. It is a term with meaning, and we don't get to redefine it to match culture or preference. It is a biblical term that demands a biblical definition. Others may choose to disagree; that's fine. Just don't call them "Christian".