In the Bible, the word "Christian" only appears three times. In Acts 11:26, Luke writes "...The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch." In Acts 26:28, King Agrippa tells Paul; "In a short time you will persuade me to become a Christian." And, in 1 Peter 4:16: "...but if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not feel ashamed, but in that name let him glorify God." In each case, the Greek word Christianos (khris-tee-an-os') is used, which is translated "follower of Christ."

So, what does it mean to be a Christian, a follower of Jesus Christ? It means you have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, by accepting Him as your personal Lord and Savior. Simply believing in God is not enough. Being a good person is not enough. Nor is going to church, giving, serving, helping the poor,... although all of those good things are done by Christians. Let's look at what the Bible says:

When Adam and Eve sinned, they ruined it for all of us. From that point on, we were separated from God by sin. Not just Adam and Eve's sin, but our sins as well. Although you may believe that you are a good person, the bible says differently:

"... for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." -- Romans 3:23

"All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one." -- Romans 3:12

"There is not a righteous man on earth who does what is right and never sins." -- Ecclesiastes 7:20

The Bible is pretty clear that we are not "good" on our own merit. We cannot earn God's forgiveness:

"8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith -- and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God -- 9 not by works, so that no one can boast." -- Ephesians 2:8-9

The only way we can be saved is through faith. We cannot earn God's forgiveness through works (things we do), and we surely don't deserve it, because we will never live up to God's standard. And, even if it was possible to be good enough for God, how would you know? What would be good enough? It's easy to say a thief is bad and a priest was good, but most of us fall somewhere in the middle. Do you see that there would be no way to know if you were good enough or not? And the Bible says we can know with certainty if we are going to heaven or not:

"There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit." -- Romans 8:1

We don't have to wonder if we will go to heaven when we die. We can know for sure. How can that be?

The only way for us to be reconciled to God is through His son. Jesus died on the cross so that we could be reconciled to God:

"16 "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. ++ 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him." -- John 3:16-17

"But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." -- Romans 5:8

"18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And He has committed to us the message of reconciliation." -- 2 Corinthians 5:18-19

Not only did Christ die for us, but we see that God did this while we were still sinners. He didn't wait for us to "clean up our act," or "get our life straightened out." He took the first step. It is up to us to take the next step, which is accepting this gift through faith in Jesus Christ.

Many people believe "Born Again" is a modern day expression to describe people who hold up the Bible or John 3:16 signs in the end zone or stand on street corners yelling "Repent or go to hell!" The truth is, "Born Again Christian" is the spiritual changing inside and the new life in Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit more than outside actions. Jesus first used the expression when He was talking to Nicodemus, a religious leader:

"I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again." -- John 3:3

He also said:

"I am the way, and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." -- John 14:6

"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." -- Matthew 7:13-14

You see, many people believe in God and believe that by being a "good person" they will go to heaven (the wide gate), but significantly less have a personal relationship with Jesus (the narrow gate). Only those who enter the narrow gate by way of Jesus are forgiven and will spend eternity in heaven. Many more people will be surprised to find that everything they did never good enough by God's standard without that relationship with Jesus:

"21 "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' 23 Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from Me, you evildoers!'" -- Matthew 7:21-23

In other words, none of the "good things" we do count for anything without a personal relationship with Jesus. All of the good things may be done by Christians, but they do not MAKE someone a Christian, because "Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." (1Samuel 16:7). The ONLY thing that matters is whether or not Jesus knows you, and the only way that happens is by accepting Him as your personal Lord and Savior.

+ 2 Corinthians 5:17-21: "17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And He has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21 God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God."

Maybe this is the first time you've really understood what it means to be a Christian. If you have never asked God to give you His free gift of forgiveness through His Son, Jesus Christ, there is never a better time than right now. Maybe you've never done this, or you're not sure if you have. Pray this prayer:

"Dear God, I know I am a sinner. Please forgive me. Thank You for Your Son Jesus Christ and His death on the cross for my sins. I believe that You raised Him from the dead. I accept Jesus, right now, as my personal Lord and Savior. Please help me to begin to live my life in the way You want me to from this day forward. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen."

+ Congratulation! By praying this prayer, confessing your sins, and receiving Jesus Christ into your heart, God has given you the right to become His forgiven child. The Bible gives you this assurance: "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name" (John 1:12).

++ Perhaps you prayed something like this a long time ago, but you've fallen away from God. If you would like to recommit yourself to Him, pray this prayer:

"Dear God, please forgive me for not living my life the way You want me to. I recommit myself to You right now, and I ask You (Your Holy Spirit) to help me start living my life for You from this day forward. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen."

If you prayed either of these prayers, then we say HALLELULIA! God probably has a tear of joy in His eye right now! Nothing pleases Him more than when one of His children comes back home.

"7 I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent. 10 In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents." -- Luke 15:7, 10.

"Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with Me." -- Revelation 3:20

-- John 1:1-5; 12
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In Him was life, and that life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.

+ 12 Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God.

-- John 10:9
I am the gate; whoever enters through Me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture.

-- Matthew 11:27-30
27 All things have been committed to Me by My Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him.
28 "Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."

-- Acts 4:12
Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.

-- Romans 10:9-10
9 That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.

-- Romans 5:1-11
1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.
3 Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.
6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
9 Since we have now been justified by His blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through Him! 10 For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to Him through the death of His Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through His life! 11 Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

-- Ephesians 2:17-22
17 And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. 18 For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father. 19 Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole building, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, 22 in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

-- Hebrews 7:23-25
23 Now there have been many of those priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office; 24 but because Jesus lives forever, He has a permanent priesthood. 25 Therefore He is able to save completely those who come to God through Him, because He always lives to intercede for them.

-- 2 Corinthians 1:19-20
19 For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by me and Silas and Timothy, was not "Yes" and "No," but in Him it has always been "Yes." 20 For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. And so through Him the "Amen" is spoken by us to the glory of God.

-- 1 John 5:11-15; 20
11 And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. 12 He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.
13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.

14 This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 15 And if we know that He hears us -- whatever we ask -- we know that we have what we asked of Him.

5:20 And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.

-- Isaiah 9:6
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

-- Hebrews 12:2
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

-- 2 Corinthians 13:14
May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God,
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.



(+ How To Receive Christ -- To Become a Christian +)