Lots of people think they’re Christian. 59% of UK residents ticked the “Christian” box in the 2011 referendum.
Most of them aren’t what the Bible would call Christian.
That’s right: Most people don’t actually understand what it means to be a Christian. How about you?
The tabs below explain what being a Christian isn’t, and what it is.
There are lots of things that people do that don’t make you a Christian: Reading the Bible, going to church, being baptised or christened, being confirmed, going to confession, doing penance, going on pilgrimages, giving to charity. None of these makes you a Christian.
Christians do some of those things because they are Christian, not to become one. Some of those things aren’t even in the Bible.
So follow the tabs along to find out more about what a Christian really is.
God loves you. That sounds simple, but it isn’t. God is love. It is his very nature to love.
He is our Creator. Even Christians don’t all agree on exactly how he did it, but they do agree that he is our Creator. That means you’re not an accident – God made you.
It also means that he has the right to govern us. You might not like that, but it’s true.
God is also perfect in justice, so that (in the end) every person is held accountable for every wrong action.
You’re a sinner. That’s an old-fashioned word!
But the Bible is old, and “sinner” is a word from the Bible, so that’s that.
Would you like to follow all God’s laws, or would you like to cut yourself a little slack now and then?
When you decide what is “right” and “wrong” for yourself – without asking what God would say – you’re sinning. You don’t want God to rule your life, you want to rule it yourself.
The problem with that is what happens when you die.
If you go through this life rejecting the rule of the king of Creation, why on earth do you expect him to let you into his “palace” (heaven) when you die.
You reject him in this life, and he’ll reject you in the next. If you spend an eternity in hell, it will be because you chose not to worship God in this life.
You’ve done wrong, but God loves you.
You can’t even undo the wrong you’ve done, and your rejection of God is leading you to hell. But God himself has provided a solution.
God himself became human and allowed himself to be killed on a cross.
For those who come to him, turning from their sin and wanting to live for God, he will forgive the wrong you’ve done.
No “trying to be good” or “turning over a new leaf” – actual, real forgiveness. All your guilt dealt with.
God’s justice is preserved by him taking the punishment himself.
So you need to respond.
Your default position is not a good one. It’s the highway to hell.
The Bible says that you are called to repent – to turn from what you have done – and come and put your faith in Jesus’ work at the cross.
Turn to God and ask him to forgive you. Do it now.
If this isn’t making sense, or if you’ve got questions, or if it does make sense and you’d like to talk it through, just contact us.
Come to any of our services or meetings, or just contact us through the website.
We won’t be offended by any question you have. We’d love to hear from you.