What is a Christian?
Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’
John 14:6
The best way to answer that question is to look at Jesus’ teaching. People are sometimes surprised when they discover what Jesus actually taught. Put simply, a Christian is someone who has put their trust in Jesus and now lives their life loving and obeying him. They trust him as the only way they can truly know God.
In Luke’s Gospel, Jesus says that he came ‘to seek and to save the lost’. He’s saying that we have all got ‘lost’ in our relationship with God. We’ve gone our own way, and tried to make up our own rules for living. It’s no surprise that things have got messed up.
In Jesus God became a human being, giving us a wonderful way to come back to him. Jesus lived a perfect life – he didn’t deserve to die – but he was executed in our place, nailed to a wooden cross. That means we can be forgiven by God for having rebelled against him: Jesus has taken away all the punishment that we deserve. On the third day after his death, God raised Jesus back to life, and he now reigns over the world as king.
That means we have a choice. We can live our own way, rejecting the forgiveness Jesus offers us. That way God will forever remain a mystery to us. Or we can put our trust in Jesus, accepting him as our king. If we do, our relationship with God will be restored, and we will always be with God, even beyond death.
We don’t become Christians simply by trying to do good or help others. Instead, a Christian is someone who has put their trust in Jesus Christ and now bases their life around him and his teaching.
One way to explore this more is to get hold of a Bible (a modern translation is best), starting with Mark’s Gospel in the New Testament. Try reading a few paragraphs each day. As you read, ask yourself: ‘What is this telling me about Jesus? What is this telling me that I should do?’
Jesus’ message to us is simple, but people often have many questions. To find out more about Jesus and the introductions to the Christian faith available at St George’s, please feel free to contact us at info@stgeorgesgravesend.org or check out www.rejesus.co.uk