TRUTH OR TRADITION? – Who Is A Christian? #1 #174
A Strange Court Case.
In Waterloo, Iowa, in 1951, a man died and in his will he left $70,000 to “those of my relatives who are fundamentally Christians”. “Relatives” came out of the woodwork, all claiming to be Christians. After questioning each one in regard to their Christianity, the judge declared: “As a result of the testimony heard in this court, I conclude that a Christian can believe almost anything or nothing.” He gave the $70,000 to charity.
Who Is A Christian?
The Bible teaches “One Lord, one faith, one baptism” (Eph. 4:5) , yet folks with a great variety of beliefs and practices and far-out ideas all claim to be Christian. What a shame when Christianity is so divided that people can no longer tell who is a Christian!
Are You A Christian?
Do your neighbors know you are a Christian? Your co-workers? To be salt in a world of corruption, the Christian must be different (Matt. 5:13) . To be light in a world of darkness, the Christian must be different (Matt. 5:14) .
The Name Christian.
The suffix “ian” means: of, belonging to, of characteristic of. When added to the title Christ, the word Christian means: of Christ, belonging to Christ, or characteristic of Christ. Strangely enough the word is found only three times in the New Testament. The disciples of Christ were called Christians first in Antioch (Acts 11:26) . Under Paul’s preaching King Agrippa was almost persuaded to be a Christian (Acts 26:28) . And Peter said that if one suffers as a Christian, he should not be ashamed (1 Pet. 4:16) .
Used Loosely.
The word Christian is used very loosely in our society today. The United States is spoken of as a “Christian nation” even though it is becoming more and more anti-Christian. We hear much talk about a “born-again Christian”. Can one be born-again and not be a Christian? Can one be a Christian without being born again? People involved in all sorts of immorality claim to be Christian. Folks wear all kinds of names religiously, and yet claim to be Christian. The word doesn’t mean much in our society today.
The Name.
The name Christian is a GOOD name: “A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches…” (Prov. 22:1) . It is a NEW name: “And thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the Lord shall name” (Isa. 62:2) . It is a FAMILY name: God’s whole family in heaven and earth is named for Christ (Eph 3:14-15) . It is an EXALTED name: Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him (Christ), and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow” (Phil. 2:9-10) . It is a PROFITABLE name: “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12) . Since salvation is found only in the name of Christ, why would anybody want to wear any other name? Why not just call ourselves Christians, and be different…..be Christ-like.
Steer Creek Church of Christ, 3466 Rosedale Road, Stumptown WV 25267
Minister: Gene H Miller, 3281 Rosedale Road, Shock WV 26638-8410.
Phone: 304.462.0384 E-Mail: “ghmiller@rtol.net” Web Site: steercreekchurchofchrist.org