What Does It Mean to Say “I Am a Christian”?
“Well, I’ve always been a Christian.”
I’ve heard something like that response quite a few times in my life. It’s usually followed up by a story of someone going to church quite a bit when they were younger, then falling away, but now wanting to get serious about church and stuff again. I affirm that desire, but I find that I usually have to circle back to the gospel. What does it mean to say “I am a Christian”?
In our culture, it means any number of things. We say things like “this is a Christian nation.” Or we call ourselves a Christian community. And we listen to a Christian radio station while wearing our Christian t-shirts and read our Christian books in our Christian coffeehouse. That all leaves me wondering, “what does that even mean?”
What does it actually mean to be a Christian?
Where Did the Term “Christian” Come From?
The word Christian was first used in Antioch as a moniker for the disciples of Jesus. You can read about that in Acts 11:26. Its literal meaning is “belonging to Messiah” or “follower of Messiah.” It was likely thrown around by outsiders to differentiate the Jesus followers from Jews. It might have been a neutral or even derogatory term at the beginning.
Surprisingly, the name is used only three times in the New Testament. It’s used in Acts 11:26, as already mentioned. Then in Acts 26:28 Agrippa tells Paul that he’s almost persuaded to become a follower of Jesus. Then finally, 1 Peter 4:16 uses the term to encourage believers to suffer “as a Christian.” His meaning is that we should not be ashamed of our suffering but rather should follow the path which Christ marked for us.
As early as AD 110, in the letter of Ignatius of Antioch, the term is used by Christians to describe themselves. At least up until Constantine it was meant almost exclusively to mean someone who followed the way of Jesus — often the way of suffering. By the time of Augustine (400 AD) other descriptors (like “the Way” or “Nazarenes”) had all but disappeared.
What Does It Mean to Be a Christian?
Words change their meaning over time. Eventually to be a Christian was less about any kind of personal connection to Jesus Christ, but it was more the default identity of many Europeans. It became a political, social, or cultural identity. Much like how being Roman once meant allegiance to the empire, for many, being Christian meant allegiance to a system rather than a person.
For many today, it carries a similar meaning. Its why people can claim to be Christian and yet hold beliefs and live in a way entirely contrary to the way of Christ. But if we want to retain its biblical meaning — one who is a follower of Christ — we might say that being a Christian follows a certain pattern.
Being a Christian Means Knowing Jesus Personally
While the kingdom of God certainly has social, political, and cultural implications, Jesus’ call is more about a personal relationship. Being a Christian isn’t about a family tradition or being born into a Christian home. That’s why I cringe a little when someone says, “I was born a Christian.” I know what they mean, but it’s not exactly how the Bible defines the word.
It’s also not about having bible knowledge or even agreeing that a certain set of facts are true. I say that because the devils in hell could beat any of us in a game of Bible trivia. They know that Jesus is the Messiah — and they shudder. Being a Christian is really about having a changed heart. And through this changed heart we follow the way of Jesus.
Being a Christian Means Repenting of Sin
While the term “Christian” only appears three times in the New Testament, the process where somebody goes from death to life is all over. And in each instance, we see a radical transformation from the old life to the new. To be a follower of Jesus means turning your back on following something or someone else.
“If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17).
Many people today claim to be Christians while living no differently than the rest of the world. But maybe I should say that differently. Even followers of Jesus can do boneheaded things and get caught up in the world. But the real difference is that followers of Jesus experience conviction of sin. For the Christian, there is a battle with sin and a battle for holiness and enjoying the Lord.
Being a Christian Means Loving and Obeying Jesus
You know those pace cars in NASCAR? All the other cars are supposed to follow their lead — driving the same speed, going the same direction. If a car suddenly veered off course, or went full throttle around the pace car — nobody in their right mind would say that it was a pacecar-tian. (That’s a word I made up to describe someone who follows the pace car.) And yet we have this crazy notion that you can be a Christian (a follower of Jesus) without actually loving and obeying Jesus.
That means if you aren’t loving God and others, or at least trying to, you probably shouldn’t use that name. If forgiving enemies, resisting sin, and being an apprentice of Jesus is something that doesn’t sound attractive to you, then you aren’t a Christian in any meaningful sense of the term. Being a Christian isn’t about going to church or checking religious boxes. It’s about following Jesus and aligning yourself with Him.
Being a Christian Means Believing the Gospel
Again, this doesn’t mean that you coldly believe a set of facts. But it also doesn’t mean less than that. A follower of Jesus is someone like those first disciples who left their fishing boats to follow Jesus. And they did this because they believed Jesus was who He said He was. They believed the good news of His kingdom.
Their trusting in Jesus was a little different than ours because revelation was unfolding as they followed Jesus along the dirt roads of Palestine. For us, we know the fullness of the gospel. That core message is outlined in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4.
“For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures…”
Being a Christian means that you trust in Jesus to save you. You trust fully in His completed work on the cross, placing all of your hope in His life, death, burial, and resurrection. That means that being a Christian isn’t about trying to be a good person. And it’s not about trying to earn your way to heaven through your good works. A follower of Jesus is one who trusts in Jesus.
Do You Truly Know Christ?
In Luke 6:46 Jesus gave a sobering warning: “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?” (Luke 6:46). Or again in Matthew 7:21-23:
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’”
That means that some might say, “I am a Christian” without even grasping what that truly means. Being a Christians means being a follower of Jesus. It means knowing Jesus and having a relationship with Him. If you don’t, then it doesn’t matter what country you live in, what your parents believed, how much you went to church, what books you read, or any of that. It only matters whether or not you know Christ and are known by Him.
When you say you are a Christian, do you truly know Jesus?
If not, you should cry out to Him today. Simply tell Christ that you want to know Him and have a relationship with Him.
Photo credit: Pexels/Bruno Felix
Mike Leake is husband to Nikki and father to Isaiah and Hannah. He is also the lead pastor at Calvary of Neosho, MO. Mike is the author of Torn to Heal and Jesus Is All You Need. His writing home is http://mikeleake.net and you can connect with him on Twitter @mikeleake. Mike has a new writing project at Proverbs4Today.
Originally published March 19, 2025.
