Who is a christian

A Christian may receive the forgiveness of sins in one moment, but that is only the beginning of a constant work of salvation thereafter. After conversion, he is saved little by little from more and more of all the sin that clings so firmly to him. He is therefore constantly growing and increasing in salvation. Jesus Christ, God's Son, lived a life here on earth which was well-pleasing to God.

In fact, in God's power, He conquered all sin common to man. Thereby He became our Savior. As He lived, so we too can now live in victory over sin. To this end, He has given us the power of His Holy Spirit, who guides and strengthens us to overcome that to which we are still bound, even though we are a Christian and have been converted. Being religious is the same as being interested in religion, or having religious inclinations.

There are many different religions and many kinds of religiosity, even among those who read the Bible. However, being a Christian means to follow in the steps of Jesus Christ and to be as He was in this world. The emphasis here is on doing, and not being hypocritical. Here we see that we do not enter the kingdom of God solely on the grounds that Jesus Christ, the Just One, died for us. Faith in Him must also result in doing righteousness in our personal lives. Being part of a church is an important part of life for a Christian.

It is an opportunity to meet other believers and pray together and to praise and thank God. It is also a place where Christians grow in their knowledge and understanding of God and his love for humanity. But just going to church does not make anyone a Christian — anymore than being in France means you are French.

Unity among believers, whatever their background or tradition, was important to Jesus. Just before his death, he prayed for future Christians. The first people to follow Jesus were Jewish. Jesus, who was also a Jew, lived in a Jewish territory close to the Sea of Galilee. He recruited 12 local men to be his closest followers or disciples when he began teaching in around 27AD. Many others followed him too. As he travelled and taught, people from other religious backgrounds and ethnicities also heard and believed him, including Samaritans and Romans.

They were a mixture of Jews and non-Jews and spoke different languages. What they had in common was their faith in Jesus Christ. In his teachings, Jesus said there would be a cost for those who followed him. He said the world would hate Christians because of him. Persecution broke out soon after Jesus had ascended to heaven. Stephen, an administrator in the early church, was the first Christian martyr.

Disciples such as Peter, Andrew and James were also executed for their faith. Under the Roman emperor Nero, Christians were routinely persecuted. But this caused the Christian faith to spread. I believe that your son, Jesus Christ died for my sins, was resurrected from the dead, is alive, and hears my prayer. I invite Jesus to become the Lord of my life, to rule and reign in my heart from this day forward.

Please send your Holy Spirit to help me obey You, and to do Your will for the rest of my life. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. If you decided to receive Jesus today, welcome to God's family. Now, as a way to grow closer to Him, the Bible tells us to follow up on our commitment. Get baptized as commanded by Christ. Tell someone else about your new faith in Christ. Spend time with God each day. It does not have to be a long period of time. Just develop the daily habit of praying to Him and reading His Word.

Ask God to increase your faith and your understanding of the Bible. Seek fellowship with other followers of Jesus. Develop a group of believing friends to answer your questions and support you. Find a local church where you can worship God.