The name Christian was given to the early followers of the Lord Jesus Christ and continues to this present day and age. I have been a Christian for most of my life with absolutely no regrets whatsoever. It was actually the greatest decision I had ever made.
Admittedly, being a true Christian in this present world system is not easy. History shows Christins can be ridiculed, teased, cursed at, scorned, condemned, or even ignored. These are just some of the challenges a Christian must always be prepared to face.
First and foremost, God loves me, as He does all mankind. And His love is unconditional and all-encompassing even though we are undeserving of it. The Scripture says, “In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:10). Propitiation means “atonement.”
The Scripture also says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).
The greatest and best aspect of being a Christian is the knowledge that my sins are completely forgiven. God gives me this assurance. “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—everyone—to his own way; and the LORD has laid on [Jesus] the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6). Jesus bore my sins on the Cross where He shed His blood and died.
The Christian life is not about attending church, being a “good” person, performing rituals, or keeping the sabbath. Being a Christian means trusting Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord and having a personal relationship with God. The Bible guides me in living the Christian life so that I may be complete, equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:17). All I need to know about God’s will and purposes for me and the Church are presented in the Scriptures.
In Jesus Christ I am a ‘new creation’ because of a full and complete salvation through the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. The Bible says, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17). The old mindset and life-style are gone and never to be remembered because “As far as the east is from the west, so far does [Jesus] remove our transgressions from us” (Psalm 103:12).
After accepting Jesus Christ as my Savior, my body becomes “a temple of the Holy Spirit.” God exists in three Persons; namely God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
First Corinthians 6:19,20 says, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” To be bought with a price means Jesus paid the penalty for my sins on the Criss, thereby bringing about my salvation.
Since the Holy Spirit represents Christ in the Christian; I’m not left on my own to do as I please. The Holy Spirit resides in me to help, lead, and guide me in pathways of righteousness.
On the other hand, being a Christian doesn’t mean I’m exempt from problems and difficulties of various kinds. On the contrary. Rather, I must “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds.” And here’s the reason: “For you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing” (James 1:2-4).
The Christian life does not make anyone perfect. The believer in Christ faces problems and difficulties like others. The positive thing is that God will never leave us nor will He forsake us. I must trust in the Lord and never despair. He is a Friend that sticks closer than a brother.
God promises to be with us irrespective of the situation. He says, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the LORD your God” (Isaiah 43:2,3). This is a wonderful assurance from God Himself.
Trials and burdens will surely come
But He will never forsake His people.
We can confidently rely on His Word.
—Geoff Daniels 06/2022
My mind is fully made up. I’ve decided to follow Jesus Christ, my Savior, and will not turn back. Where He leads I will follow. He says, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (Mark 8:34). Amen. So legit be.