Following Christ
What does it mean to be a Christian?
A Christian is literally "a little Christ." It is someone who believes in and has decided to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ. In doing so, they have become a disciple (an ancient world term for someone who sat under the teaching of and emulated the life of a master teacher). A Christian is a devoted follower of Christ.
In order to follow Christ you must first learn who he is and what he teaches. Boiled down to the basics, it starts with this:
all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God - Romans 3:23
We have all sinned; that is, we have done things that God has said not to do. Remember the Ten Commandments? You shall not worship any other gods, honor your mother and father, do not murder, commit adultery, lie, steal, covet something that's not yours. Sound familiar? If not, check out Exodus Chapter 20.
Jesus explained it even further when he said:
But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. - Matthew 5:28
That means that we can even sin in our hearts without doing anything physically. Even when we think about sinful things it is an affront to a holy, perfect, and just God.
Because God is perfectly just, he, like any good judge, can't let any crime go unpunished that comes before him. And since we can't hide any sin from Almighty God, he knows every time we break one of the ten commandments physically or in our hearts. So every sin must be punished. And there is only one punishment for sin against God.
For the wages of sin is death - Romans 6:23
That's right. Our wages (what we've earned) for breaking God's holy law is death. And not just earthly death, but spiritual death. Eternal death. Hell.
Think you're clever enough to break God's law and somehow evade punishment? Listen to Jesus:
"You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell?" - Matthew 23:33
Get it? All of us have sinned and all of us will get our just punishment in hell. It makes too much sense. If God is really just, meaning he's the perfect judge who hands out punishment to all who are guilty, no matter how rich or poor, famous or humble, then none of us can escape. No one.
But then here comes the hope. Romans 6:23 continues...
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
God is not just perfectly just, he's full of grace and mercy! He doesn't want a single one of us to suffer eternal death! (2 Peter 3:9) In fact, he loves us so much that he has provided a way for us to receive eternal life instead of eternal death! We can have all our sins, every crime, wiped away!
The key is that it's in Christ Jesus our Lord. That means our salvation (being saved from the punishment of our sins) is found in Jesus. But how? How can salvation be found in Jesus?
Jesus was not just a perfect man who never sinned, he was the Son of God. This is what God the Father said about His son, Jesus:
And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased." - Matthew 3:17
And the reason that God the Father sent His Son, Jesus to earth as a man was to pay the price of our sin for us. To absorb the wrath of God for us. He came to wipe our debt of sin away by putting Himself in our place, and taking on our punishment himself. He did that on the cross.
This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. - 1 John 4:10
Before Jesus Christ people would sacrifice animals (animals were wealth) to confess their sin and ask forgiveness. But God had a more perfect plan. Because he loved the people he had created so much, He would send His Son to be that atoning sacrifice. His Son would take on the sin of the world, once for all.
"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." - John 3:16
And in that wonderful verse is our hope of salvation. We don't need to do anything; in fact, we can't. Christ did it all. Salvation from our sins is a gift from God.
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. - Ephesians 2:8-9
All you have to do to receive it is to believe.
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. - Romans 10:9
Jesus died on the cross for our sins. Three days later He rose from the dead and now reigns in heaven. It is the truth that has echoed across the ages and has never been refuted, though many have tried. This is reality. Can you feel it resonating with your soul?
Make no mistake, this belief will change your life. Once you choose to follow Him you will begin to learn through the Bible of a different kind of life he calls us to. One full of grace, love, purity, and purpose. It is counter-cultural and often mocked by popular society. But it is worth every insult, every cold-shoulder, and more. No price is too high for a right relationship with God, our creator. How can mockery compare with no longer being burdened with the guilt of our sin? It can't. Not even close.
When you put your faith in Christ and follow Him you can have the comfort that He'll never let you go. He'll never change his mind. There is nothing you can do to separate yourself from God.
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. - Romans 8:38-39
Not even you messing up and sinning again. Which you will. Every sin is forgiven. You should desire to stop sinning if you love God, but your lack of discipline will not change your relationship with God. You're adopted into the family now. And that's forever.
Eternal life.
Make a decision. Put your trust in the trustworthy one, Jesus Christ. Then find other believers at a Bible believing church who can help you grow in your faith. We'd love for you to come visit us at Laurel Bible Chapel and begin your journey with us. That's what we're here for.
God bless you.