What is a Christian? What are the marks of a Christian, and why do some people prefer to call themselves “Christ Followers”?
For the first question I’m going to take Ian Hamilton’s book The Gospel-Shaped Life as a guide. Hamilton also wrote The Faith-Shaped Life. But I want to cautiously address the last part of the question first – Why do some people prefer the term Christ Follower?
In trying to answer this I’m partly drawing from limited personal observation. If you’re reading this and prefer this term, please don’t be offended. These are limited personal observations which undoubtedly won’t apply to everyone.
I sometimes came across the term Christ Follower when I was still dabbling in the New Age. For example, see the Urban Dictionary. Note this:
I really like the term Christ Follower, because it tells people that I follow Christ, and do not (sic) religion of Christianity. A true Christian is a Christ follower.
In fact, I suggest that a true Christ Follower is a Christian, not the other way around. People may say they are Christ Followers because they like Jesus’ example, but don’t want to follow rules as presumably dictated by Scripture or Christian churches.
Christ Followers may (I’ve seen examples) also deny the idea of sin and hell, yet are still attracted to their image of Jesus Christ. Sometimes they’ll say they prefer identifying as a Christ Follower because of so many bad Christian examples. I can sympathize with that.
Whichever term we prefer – and for whatever reason – our guide should be Scripture, not our feelings about rules, shifting cultural preferences, what other Christians do, or what we prefer to think about Christ. Hamilton informs us as to how the Bible describes the Christian:
A Christian is a forgiven sinner, a new creation in Christ, an adopted child of God, a heaven-bound pilgrim, and much more besides… If you are a Christian, you have been ‘brought from death to life’.
He further notes that death is the state of alienation. It is a lifestyle of separation and rebellion against the sovereign lordship of God. Death is a dominion and kingdom “ruled over by a king, Satan” (John 14:30; 2 Cor 4:4). In Adam we died (Gen 2:17; 1 Cor 15:22), in Christ the Christian is made alive.
The new life a Christian has been brought (and bought) into is the opposite of the one inherited through Adam. Believers are now made alive in Christ. They are no longer alienated from God. Alienation is replaced with friendship and adoption into the family of God.
The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs– heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. Rom 8:16-17
He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. Col 1:13-14
How and when was this accomplished? Hamilton writes:
By His gracious sovereign action God brought us out of death and into life. When did he do this? He did it effectively on Calvary’s cross when God’s Son paid the ransom price of our sin (Mark 10:45)… But we do not come into the possession of this rescue experientially until we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and embrace him as Saviour and Lord (John 3:36; 1 John 5:1; Acts 16:30-31). (Emphasis mine)
Finally, Hamilton poses some sobering pastoral questions. Have you believed in, and seen your need of God’s forgiveness and new life? If you have, are you living the kind of life of someone who has been brought from death to life?
He further notes that every Christian is a resurrected man/woman who has become a partaker of the life of the risen Christ – “The life of the world to come has already come and invaded our lives.” This being the case, what should our lives look like? We’re given Galatians 5:22-23 and Colossians 3:12-17 to mediate on.
Are you a Christ Follower and a Christian? Do these verses make you uncomfortable? They do me!
Maranatha!
Got Questions: What is a Christian?
John MacArthur: Which Way to Heaven?
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