Don’t Be Fooled by Fake Definitions
Too many people who call themselves a Christian aren’t. Not really. For one reason or another, they grab on to the title. But they fall short of what it means. In truth, they’re nothing more than a cultural Christian.
They’re Christian in name only.
The word Christian can be both a noun and an adjective. Let’s focus on what Christian means as a noun.
Primary Dictionary Definition
The dictionary’s primary definition of Christian is someone “who professes to believe in Jesus as the Christ.” Christ means Messiah, as in Jesus the Messiah. If you believe in Jesus as your Messiah, you’re a Christian. At least that’s what the dictionary says.
But according to the Bible—the only authoritative source of Christianity—belief might not be enough (James 2:19). We must follow Jesus and be a disciple (Luke 9:23). This is what Jesus said to do. It’s that simple.
But truly following Jesus isn’t just a one-time decision. It’s a lifetime commitment. Day by day we followed Jesus as his disciples.
Cultural Christian Exposed
Not only do dictionaries give us a good start on what it means to be a Christian, they also toss in some alternate definitions that lead us astray. This is where the confusion really begins.
These definitions are based on what culture says but miss what the Bible says. These tell us what it means to be a cultural Christian.
A cultural Christian is someone who bases their life on the teachings of Jesus or lives according to his teaching. While this might be an aspect of true Christianity, it misses the starting point of believing in Jesus and following him as his disciples.
Even more damaging is a tertiary definition of Christian, which is someone who is a member of a Christian Church. But becoming a church member is something people made up. It’s not Biblical.
Though being a member of a church may make us a cultural Christian, it means nothing to Jesus. He never told us to become members. He told us to follow him as his disciples.
Finally, let’s consider two societal definitions not found in the dictionary, but seem to exist in practice anyway. These are two more examples of what it means to be a cultural Christian.
First is someone who attends church. But going to church doesn’t make us a Christian any more than sitting in a garage makes us a car.
Beyond that is someone who self identifies as a Christian. Yet many people today often self-identify as something they’re not. When they do this, they may have the polite support of society who strives to be tolerant, but that doesn’t change the reality of who they are.
Biblical Christianity Revealed
We’ve already covered that being a true Christian is to believe in Jesus (John 3:16-18) and follow him (John 10:27) as his disciple (John 15:5-8).
We do this in faith.
We don’t need to do anything to earn our status as Jesus’s disciples—to become a true Christian—we can’t (Ephesians 2:8-9).
As we follow Jesus, we will naturally become more like him. We do this in response for what he did for us.
This is what it means to be a Christian.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront a status quo faith and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.
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