Question:
First let me commend you on your sermons that I had the privilege to hear at our winter revival at Heritage Baptist Church in Jeannette, Pa. My question is this: If someone is saved, but they don't attend church, they don't read their Bible and they don't pray, are they considered a Christian? I do know that once a person is saved they are always saved, and a Christian is a follower of Jesus. Thank You, Joe Holmes
Answer:
Dear Joe,
Often people do get terminology mixed up. This is the Devil’s way to get people confused on doctrine. Howbeit, when it comes to the term “Christian,” it would depend upon how the word is used. The word “Christian” or “Christians” only appears three times in the Scriptures. Let’s look at these three times to get a Scriptural definition of this word.
The first time the word “Christian” appears in the Scriptures is in Acts 11:26 when it says, “And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.” You will notice that in this verse the heathens were calling the disciples Christians. When these people were taught the Scriptures, they looked at the disciples of Christ and called them Christians. They were no doubt saying that the disciples were Christlike. So in this sense, a Christian is one who is like Christ.
The second time it appears in Scripture is in Acts 26:28 when it says, “Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian.” Now here is it clearly seen that Agrippa was talking about getting saved. So, using this verse would simply imply that getting saved would make you a Christian.
The third time “Christian” is used in the Scriptures is in 1 Peter 4:16 when it says, “Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.” Again, in this verse Peter was addressing the church as Christians. They were being persecuted because they practiced Scriptural doctrine. So you can see that in this sense, one who suffers for the cause of Christ is a Christian.
When you take all three verses into account, you can see that it truly depends upon how the word is used. When the lost world looks at Christianity, they consider it a religion. So they would consider us Christians because we have accepted Christ as Saviour. However, on the more common Scriptural use, you can see that being a Christian is being like Christ. I believe the Scriptures shows that this word can be used either way. My preference is using the word “Christian” as being like Christ.
I hope this answers your question.
Bro. Domelle
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