Author: Kevin Corbin

  • What is a Christian?

    Close-up of weathered, pitted stone carved with the Greek letters ΧΡΙΣΤΙΑΝΩΝ, with partial lines of carved lettering above and below. A stone archway and ruins are blurred in the sunlit background.

    What’s in a name? Yesterday, I wrote about brand names and suggested that Christians be known more for how our lives reflect Jesus than for the brand names we buy and chase.  That, in turn, got me thinking about the word Christian, which appears only three times in the Bible, all in the New Testament.

    So Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church and taught a great many people. And in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians. Acts 11:25-26 ESV

    Many scholars believe it was used by non-believers as a derogatory term, identifying them as being different from Jews.

    And Agrippa said to Paul, “In a short time would you persuade me to be a Christian? Acts 26:28 ESV

    King Agrippa recognized Paul’s faith as something very different than Judaism. He’s at least skeptical of the faith, if not hostile.

    Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name. 1 Peter 4:16 ESV

    Peter recognizes that the Christian life is different, even in how we face life’s hardships.

    The term Christian has changed over the years and, in many ways, has become far from the original beliefs to the point of being almost meaningless. In much of the world, Christian means anything from the West, which is ironic considering the faith originated in the Middle East and had European, Asian and African influences through the first centuries.

    For some people, to be Christian just means being born in a “Christian” country. That has many problems, not the least of which is that a country can never be Christian, as a country cannot have a relationship with Jesus; only people can.

    For some, it’s a derogatory term that implies low intellect, racial bias and hatred.

    What is a Christian? One source says, “A Christian is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, which is based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians believe in Jesus as the Son of God and seek to live according to his teachings.”

    I would use the following as a very rough, working definition: “A Christian is a person who has been forgiven their sins through faith alone in God’s grace. This was accomplished through the substitutionary death of Jesus Christ on the cross alone.” I think you could certainly refine the definition.

    How would you define the term? Let me know in your comments or by return email.

    Be blessed

    Kevin

    SUMMARY

    The word Christian appears only three times in the Bible, and today it can mean almost anything. I’ve offered a very rough, working definition, so let me know how you would define it.

     

    TAKEAWAY

    The name Christian may have started as a derogatory term. Even so, Peter tells us not to be ashamed of it but to glorify God in that name.

    Over the years, the word Christian has drifted so far from its original beliefs that it’s become almost meaningless. So it’s worth asking what a Christian really is.

    To be a Christian is to be forgiven our sins through faith alone in God’s grace. Jesus Christ accomplished that through his substitutionary death on the cross alone.

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  • What brands are you wearing?

    Labels and the Christian faith

    Collage of fifteen luxury fashion brand signs, including Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Hermès, Dior, and Prada, mounted on marble, stone, and dark storefront walls.

    Everywhere you look, someone is wearing or showing their brand. We pay extra for “designer” clothing. The brands come and go in fashion, but most of us have worn someone’s brand, or another’s, over the years. 

    We wear advertising logos. I struggle with that. Shouldn’t they be paying me to advertise for them, instead of having me pay extra for the “right” to advertise for them? Perhaps all of us who don’t fit a given brand’s target audience should lobby them to pay us not to wear their clothing or use their products. But I digress.

    As Christians, we often wear our brands. We identify ourselves based on the denomination, sect or non-denominational group we belong to. When asked about our faith, we’ll say things like “Oh, I’m a First Churchian.”

    That’s a double problem. Firstly, Christianity isn’t about religion. It’s about relationships, specifically the personal relationship between an individual and Jesus Christ. It has nothing to do with “religion” except as a secondary thing. It’s faith that matters.

    Christ spoke harshly to those who put their traditions above His Word.

    And he said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.”  Mark 7:6-8  ESV

    Secondly, no matter what you think of denominations, there is only one church. Your denominational leaders are wrong if they teach that their expression of the Christian faith is the only way. Jesus is the only way. He’s the only name by which we’re saved. Salvation doesn’t come from belonging to a specific denomination.

    For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Romans 12:4-5 ESV

    And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:12 ESV

    In case you’ve never been told, there will be believers from other denominations in heaven. Yours won’t be the only one. Seeing some people in heaven will shock you. The only requirement to get in is acceptance of Jesus Christ as Savior. We’ll be astounded by who will be there and who won’t.

    I’m not suggesting that every group has everything right.  I’m not saying doctrinal and practice differences don’t matter. I’m saying that the entry point is what we do with Jesus. You can have that right and get most other things wrong.

    If you must wear a “brand name”, wear the name follower of Jesus Christ. Declare it when asked. Wear it so that it shows in your dealings with others. Wear it in all you do so that people know you are His even before they ask.

    Until next time may the brand that people see in your life be “sinner saved by the grace of the Living God.”

    Be Blessed

    Kevin

    SUMMARY

    The label we wear isn’t what saves us; Jesus is the only way. May the brand people see in your life be “sinner saved by the grace of the Living God.”

    TAKEAWAY

    Christianity isn’t about religion. It’s about a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, and He spoke harshly to those who put their traditions above His Word.

    There’s only one church, and the entry point is what we do with Jesus. We’ll be astounded by who will be in heaven and who won’t.

    If you must wear a brand name, wear the name follower of Jesus Christ. Wear it in all you do so people know you are His even before they ask.

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