What is a real Christian?

We mention the three basic principles by which the Word of God, describes who the true Christian is and then we will understand how to become one today.

First: the Bible says that a Christian is one who walks the way of life, in contrast to the way of death, and that that way is Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

Jesus Christ said: «I am the way, truth and life; no one comes to the Father except through me ". (Giovanni; 14, 6).

He didn't say: "Take heed, I will show you the way "but: «I am the way!» – and then he spoke of a narrow street and a broad street (Matteo 7: 13-14) which is ultimately the way of death, on which many walk.

Enter through the narrow door, for wide is the door and wide is the way that leads to perdition, and many are those who enter through it.

On the other hand, the door is narrow and the way that leads to life is narrow, and few are those who find it.

Sometimes you feel lost, without knowing where it is going. But once you have received the gift of faith from God you will find Life and security, the happiness and serenity that human beings naturally lack in their state of sin. One might ask: “But what kind of way is this way of life?». Well, is the way of pace, because walking in the way of Christ our heart will be filled with the peace of God. The Lord said to His followers:

«I leave you peace; I give you my peace. I do not give you as the world gives" (Giovanni 14:27),

therefore God's peace is a gift that God has given to believers, to his elect.

Walking in the way of Christ, an unspeakable peace and an extraordinary calm will invade your heart and all the fragments of your life will be put back together. Oh, Yup, psychiatrists will be able to analyze individuals and identify some of their past problems, but only God will be able to give lasting peace.

The way of life is also the way of purity. The Bible says:

"Blessed are the pure in heart, because they will see God " (Matteo 5: 8).

If for you, therefore, sin is a trivial matter, immorality and deceit in the ailars, in the school, in work, in play or family life are things to be taken lightly you are not a Christian. You can be very pleasant people, real entertainers in companies, but certainly not Christians, because the way of Christ is the way of purity.

As soon as you come to Christ, sins are lost, born and the heart purified, but don't think you will immediately become "holier"; Unlike, you will have more awareness of your shortcomings. But then God will give you the strength to live a pure life.

The way of Christ is also a way of love. Jesus said,: «By this they will all know that you are my disciples, if you have love for each other " (Giovanni 13:35). The Bible still adds:

“We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love brothers " (I Giovanni 3: 14).

Today, the word "love" has lost all its meaning as it is used to describe the abuse that is made of the emotions of others, for self-satisfaction or selfishness. But this is not love! True love desires the good of the loved one, whatever it takes. The way of life is also the way of obedience. Therefore the Christian must serve only one master: Jesus, which the Bible describes as "The Lord of lords and the King of kings" (Apocalypse 17: 14), and he must live in harmony with this truth . Jesus becomes your Lord, your Master, your King and what He tells you, you will do.

Like a king's servant waits and runs to obey the slightest sign of command and like a soldier, following the directives of a great commander, willingly obeys every order, thus a true Christian relinquishes complete authority over his life to God. He, then, he will go wherever the Lord wills and will do whatever He wills him to do, without the slightest hesitation as to how much effort or reputation it will cost him .

Jesus has every right to dominate you in this way. Remember that He is not great because He inherited His authority from his ancestors, as it happens for kings and lords of the earth, nor does he rule like a corrupt military dictator who threatens to use His power to destroy.

No, Jesus. he is Lord and King because it is He who created us and it is He who gave His life for us and for our sins. He will always do what is best for us.

Second: The Christian is the one who rejoices in eternal life. Yup, he immediately has a fuller and more complete life because Jesus said: "I came because they have life and have it to exuberance" (Giovanni 10: 10). Life with Christ is the life that God has established for us and that He wants us to walk day after day, and it is precisely this being with Christ, which makes our life abundant.

Eternal life is also that which never ends, that goes beyond physical death… For all eternity . You got it?.

Maybe you are thinking. «Ma, in truth , I'm not sure! ». Well, suppose then that I have asked you if you are Italian; maybe you will answer me: " I think! »Or suppose you ask a friend of yours if she is expecting a baby; you think she could answer you: " Maybe, a bit'? ». Naturally not, because these are things of which you can have absolute certainty. Know then, that you can be just as sure that you are a Christian and that you have eternal life.

I remember a conference he attended a few years ago, with a group of other pastors. During an interval, one of them, who had been in the ministry for seventy years, came up to me and said to me: «Luis, I'm not sure I have eternal life! He explained to me that he had realized this insecurity of his the night before, having two members of my group visiting, these, during the conversation, they had hinted at their certainty of having eternal life. Once he was alone with his wife and full of doubts, immediately he asked her the question "Dear, you have eternal life? », but she too had replied: " I do not know, Mauro! And you? ».

"Neither do I," he replied. “What do we have to do to know? ».

The woman had suggested, then, to talk to me about it the next day, and he, followed the advice, in that hour of afternoon conversation, he found the certainty of eternal life. E, soon after, also his wife.

And you? you also do not know if you have eternal life? If you were already a Christian you would know this, because, about Those Who Follow Him in Faith, Jesus said,: «I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them from my hand" (Giovanni 10:28). As you see, you may have a triple certainty:

Before: "I give them eternal life"

Second: "They will never perish"

Third: "No one will snatch them from my hand".

What more could you want? A Christian is the one who discovers the truth of these three statements.

The Bible also says: "Whoever has the Son has life" (1 Giovanni 5: 12) which in other words means:

eternal life is having Christ in your heart. You will then be able to say: " Yup, I know I have eternal life. I remember very well when Christ entered my heart ".

Third: A Christian is one who was born into God's family and became His son. You will tell me:

«But we are not all children of God? He is not the Father of mankind? ».

To be honest, according to the Bible, God is the Creator of all men and not the Father, so much so that a large number of people reject Him as such.

You will become a member of the family of God by being born into it. The Lord Jesus said: "Unless one is born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God" (Giovanni 3:3). What does this mean? When we were born into our human family, this was not our choice, as that was a physical birth. But becoming Heavenly Father's children means having a spiritual birth that occurs when we repent of our sins and, placing all our faith in Jesus Christ. We totally trust in him.

Every year, each of us celebrates the anniversary of our physical birth with receptions and gifts, but you remember your second birth? Now, if you don't remember it, you have to make a decision: you want to be part of the family of God by reSeving Christ? The Bible says: "To all those who received him he gave the right to become children of God" (Giovanni 1: 12).