What Makes Someone a Christian?

​Optical illusions are strange wonders that appear to be something they are not. Perhaps you have seen images of common, everyday items that are arranged to seem like a face or an animal. Maybe you have looked at an image that could be a duck or a rabbit depending on your perspective. Almost any object or image can become an optical illusion that teases our brains and makes us question what we see. While these illusions are amusing, we are tragically surrounded by one specific illusion that is not. We refer to the billions of people in our world who claim to be Christians, but upon close examination, the illusion of that claim fades and we realize they are frauds. These people claim Christ, yet how they live demonstrates the opposite of His teachings. This sad reality forces us to reckon with our titular question, “what makes someone a Christian?”

The term “Christian” appears in the New Testament three times. Two of its occurrences are in the book of Acts (Acts 11:26; 26:28). In the first text, the disciples in Antioch are called Christians. Luke records that this was the first time this name was applied to the disciples. He uses a unique Greek term which we translate into English as “called.” It refers to a divine calling or naming. In other words, the disciples were named Christians by God. Some may have used the name as an insult, but the definition of “Christian” in the Greek language is one associated with Christ. Because these disciples followed Christ, and it was evident He was their Master, the name “Christian” was appropriate. The second text could be interpreted as an insult hurled at Paul by King Agrippa, but that does not change the fact that the name itself is fitting for those who follow Jesus. Our world attaches its own prejudices, biases, and meanings to the name Christian, but that does not modify its definition. It is someone who associates himself with Christ by the way he chooses to live, speak, and think.

            Because a Christian is someone associated with Christ, we should explore what Jesus taught concerning His followers. Surely Jesus is best positioned to define what it means to follow Him. We first consider His teachings in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 7:21-23). In this passage, Jesus clearly says that just calling upon Him as Lord is insufficient to enter heaven. Instead, it is the one who does what God expects that will enter. There will be many who appeal to their great works they did for Jesus when He returns, yet He will send them away to torment because they practiced lawlessness. It is Jesus, not anyone else, who narrows down His true followers. Only people who carry out God’s will for their lives through Jesus can claim to be His disciple and wear the name “Christian.” Otherwise, they may appear to be His follower, but it will be evident that what they claim is an optical illusion.

            Jesus offers more insight into who truly follows Him in Luke’s gospel account. It is the person who denies himself, takes up his cross daily, and follows Jesus (Luke 9:23). That threefold teaching highlights some significant points about what it means to be a Christian. First, it involves self-denial. That is, you declare yourself and your ways to be false, then you choose to accept Christ’s ways. Perhaps humility communicates the idea. An arrogant, boastful person cannot claim to be a Christian, for that avoids self-denial. It also rules out those who refuse to give up what Jesus and His apostles condemn. Sexual sin, greed, hypocrisy, and malice ensnare many who claim to be Christians, but their staunch refusal to deny self makes their claim false. A Christian is someone who willingly denies self so that Christ and His ways reign within.

            Second, it involves taking up the cross daily. The cross involves shame and suffering. Many wear crosses and decorate their houses with them today, but in Jesus’ time, it was a symbol of shame. Death on a cross was reserved for heinous criminals, and it served to warn others who stepped out of line that the punishment for their crimes was high. Jesus was not a criminal, but evil men put Him to death on a cross because He threatened their power. Any who would claim the name Christian must associate themselves with Jesus’ suffering and shame. It may bring ridicule and mockery, but His true followers will endure it with the awareness that association with Jesus is of far greater value than the praise of people.
​
            Third, it involves following Jesus. This may seem like an obvious point to you based on what you have read so far, but it cannot be emphasized enough that those who claim to be Christians will follow Jesus wherever He goes. In His life, Jesus traveled to many places, so we do not suggest that it is about going to different towns like He did; instead, it concerns the way He lived. To follow Jesus means living a life of holiness, purity, obedience, compassion, service, kindness, conviction, and complete trust in God. All four gospel accounts—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—demonstrate these characteristics in Jesus. Anyone who wants to associate themselves with Him must be prepared to follow in His footsteps. Otherwise, it is impossible to call oneself a Christian if he is unwilling to strive for Christ-likeness.
​
            What then makes someone a Christian? It is not just a title that we pick up and put down when it is convenient but is instead demonstrative of someone who we could associate with Jesus. This is a person who strives to carry out God’s will in his life, denies himself, bears with suffering and shame, and follows Jesus in how he lives. Does that sound like most of the people who lay hold of the name Christian to you? The evidence we have considered provides an obvious answer: no. Instead, many so-called Christians are merely optical illusions that appear to be something they are not. Jesus is not looking for optical illusions that look good but are in fact deceptive. He is seeking servants who will commit to Him their lives (John 12:25-26). Let us consider whether we are Christians according to the teachings of Jesus, and if we are not, let us obey His commandments that will associate us with Him.