What is a Real Christian?

Answered from the Holy Bible
by
Brian Bird

July 11, 1997

All quotations are from the New International Version of the Holy Bible

Christians are disciples, or followers of Jesus Christ

"...Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free ." - John8:31

"...the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch." -Acts 11:24

Who is Jesus Christ?

The name Jesus means "The Lord saves"
This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins." - Matthew 1:18 - 21

Note: The English name Jesus is taken from the Greek form of the Hebrew name Yeh-ho-shoo'-ah, which means " the LORD saves ".

"Christ" is a title, it means "Messiah" , "The anointed one"
Once when Jesus was praying in private and his disciples were with him, he asked them, "Who do the crowds say I am?" They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, that one of the prophets of long ago has come back to life." "But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?" Peter nswered, "The Christ {Or Messiah} of God." -Luke 9:18 - 20

The woman said, "I know that Messiah" (called Christ) "is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us." Then Jesus declared, "I who speak to you am he."

- John 4:25 - 26

What is Jesus Christ's message?

He came with a message of good news for the poor, imprisoned, blind and oppressed
The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." {[19] Isaiah 61:1,2} Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, and he began by saying to them, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing." -Luke 4:17 - 21

He came to fulfill (or complete) the law and word of God given through the prophets
"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. - Matthew 5:17

The greatest commandment is to love God
One of them, an expert in the law , tested him with this question: "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law ?" Jesus replied: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' { Deuteronomy. 6:5} This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.' {Leviticus 19:18} All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." - Matthew 22:35 - 40

God will punish people for their wickedness
"Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away. This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. - Matthew 13:47 - 50

All of us are sinners and will perish unless we repent
Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. Jesus answered, "Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them--do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish." - Luke 13:1 -5

Anyone who sins is a slave to sin, but Jesus Christ offers freedom from slavery to sin
To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." They answered him, "We are Abraham's descendants {Greek seed} and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?" Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. - John 8:31 - 36

What did Jesus Christ do?

Jesus Christ came to reveal the character of God to us and is the way to God.
Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him." Philip said, "Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us." Jesus answered: "Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. - John 14:6 - 9

He healed the sick, gave sight to the blind, and raised the dead to prove God sent him
The Jews gathered around him, saying, "How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, { Or Messiah} tell us plainly." Jesus answered, "I did tell you, but you do not believe. The miracles I do in my Father's name speak for me, but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. - John 10:25

(See John 5:8 , John 9:11, and John 11:43 for examples of the miracles Jesus Christ did)

He came to die on the cross as a sacrifice for our sins
And he said, "The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life." - Luke 9:23

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! - John 1:29

God raised Jesus Christ from the dead after 3 days in the tomb!
The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.' Now I have told you." - Matthew 28:1 - 7

Jesus was taken to heaven and will return!
After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. "Men of Galilee," they said, "why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven." - Acts 1:9 - 11

What does a person need to do to receive eternal life?

Anyone who believes in Jesus Christ will receive eternal life!
Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. "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. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son - John 3: 14 - 18