What Makes A Christian?

One of the questions that I hear a lot is, "What makes a Christian different than anyone else?"

Many people call themselves Christians, but just saying you’re a Christian doesn’t make you one. A Christian is a follower of Christ, but what does that mean? In the Bible, following Jesus meant giving up everything to go with Him. His Disciples left their lives behind and walked with Him wherever He went.

Peter, Andrew, James and John were fishermen. When Jesus said, "Follow Me", they literally dropped their nets and walked away from their lives. You can read about that in Matthew 4 or Mark 1.

Following Jesus meant that they literally walked where He walked and stayed where He stayed. There were a lot of people that wanted to be disciples but they didn’t want follow Him like that. It doesn’t matter what you call yourself, followers have to actually get up and follow.

A Christian is not someone who talks about Jesus. It is someone who follows Him. It’s someone who loves like He said to love, prays like He said to pray, worships like He said to worship and walks like He said to walk. You have to actually do those things.

Think of it like this ... you can tell people that you are going to Florida, but you don't get to Florida because you know how to get there or because you said you were going. You have to get into a car or a plane and actually go.

Likewise, you are not a Christian just because you know how to be one. Tomorrow, we’ll talk about what that means and how to do it.

1 John 2:6

“The one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.”