What is a Christian? A Christian is all about following Jesus Christ. This is where the name comes from Christian = follower of Christ. (1 John 2:5-6)
There is very strong evidence that says Jesus existed and also strong evidence that the gospels are very accurate descriptions of what Jesus did and taught. The vast majority of historians really do support this view.
We know what Jesus was like because people who actually spent time with him have described their experiences in four books (the gospels). Each one written by a different person and yet describing Jesus in the same way (each of these books stands as a record on its own – it was Christians who later put the them together in the bible). Whatever you think of Jesus today the gospels are very accurate descriptions of what the people who actually knew Jesus thought of him.
It is the strong historical evidence coupled with the personal experiences of others that has lead many to say that we want to follow Jesus. If a person was not absolutely convinced that Jesus was a real person who lived, taught, died and came back to life then they would not be a follower of Jesus. It is not about rules and regulations it is about following this one man Jesus. It’s not about condemnation and escape from the raging fires of hell it is about a growing relationship with God in Jesus. (John 1:16–17)
It would take a foolish person to deny that sin – i.e. doing wrong – such things as lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy, and pride and many, many more simply doesn’t exist in the world. In a perfect world, there would be no sin, but this world is no longer perfect, and hasn’t been for a very long time. The only way to deal with sin is to turn away and walk in the opposite direction without looking back. That’s what a Christian chooses to willingly do – and not to return. It isn’t necessarily an easy life to live as a Christian, in fact it can be very difficult at times to try to make every choice motivated by God’s true love when you are living in a ‘broken’ world, but it is a critically important part of being a Christian. (Isaiah 59:1-2, Romans 6:23)
There is certainly mention of these two distinctly opposite places in the Bible. It is generally accepted that hell is a place seperated from God – whatever it looks like. (Matthew 5:45; Luke 6:35; Romans 2:4) There are several different references and descriptions in the Bible and from these descriptions, it is certainly not a nice, comfortable place to be. It is true that the Bible says if you reject God in this world, then you will be seperated from God. (Matthew 8:12; Matthew 22:13; Matthew 25:30, Revelation 14:10). We guess that if you don’t believe there is a God, or Jesus wasn’t Jesus, or the Bible is meaningless, then heaven and hell is probably of no interest, and isn’t going to be something that bothers you either. If you do believe there is probably a God, and you believe perhaps that Jesus really said and did the things he did and you also accept that the popular mainstream Bible translations today are still relevant and hold as a true account of Christian history and wisdom inspired by God, then what is said about heaven and hell is very relevant to anyone – Christian or not.
The fact is, no Christian on earth has all the answers to every question on the planet (neither does anyone else) – it seems some things will always remain a mystery on this earth. However, Christians have discovered something wonderful and believe it to be real and true. That ‘something’ is the realisation, understanding and also heart-led acceptance of the fundamental truth that God loves us enough to send his son, Jesus, so we can live. This faith, hope and love that God revealed through Jesus’ life on this earth, as documented in the Bible, is what enables us to begin to grasp the impossible – and ever widening – divide between our ‘broken’ world and God. It is at this very point that Jesus, offers us hope when there seems to be none. (1 Peter 1:3)
If you would like to know more about Christianity and what it means to be a Christian, you can visit some of the links below:
Two ways to live: The choice we all face
Take a look at the Gospel.com discover the Gospel site.
Looking for answers? Peace with God
Jesus Saves – Article from CARM
Christian Enquiry Agency – What is a Christian
If you are wanting to find a church to go to that is near you, please take a look at our directory of UK Church directories as a starting point.
If you would like to know more about Christianity and the Bible, you can visit some of the links below:
About Christianity:
Christianity.org.uk – lots of information about the Christian faith
History of Christianity in Britain – Wikipedia (opens in a new window)
About the Bible:
Historicity of the Bible – Wikipedia (opens in a new window)
Historical reliability of the Gospels – Wikipedia (opens in a new window)
BibleGateway.com – A searchable online Bible in over 150 versions (opens in a new window)