One of the biggest issues that there is relating to the Bible and Christianity and defining what a Christian is. I say that because it, at least in some sense, depends upon the person with whom you are talking.
The Bible, however, does give a few points as to who is a Christian and who is not. Best said, it is not just a person claiming to be that makes them one. There are certain characteristics that must clearly come out in a person's life for them to truly be a Christian.
The reason I point this out is because there are so many in the world who give other Christians a bad name because they take the name without what the Bible truly says.
While there are very rare, if any, instances where it could be said that a Christian does not sin, a Christian's life is not at all characterized by sin. Instead, a Christian's life is characterized by the fruit of the Spirit. There may be some sins, but they are by far the exception and not the rule. That is to say that the saying "I sin daily" is completely ridiculous and a terrible mantra to live by. It may be true, especially of baby Christians, but it is not a good saying to go off of. Christian's should be, at the very least be making an effort to be, sinning as rarely as possible. By, living by the "I sin daily" saying causes one to be more okay with sinning.
What the Bible says to define a Christian can most certain be found in the book of 1 John. Multiple times the apostle John gives descriptions of what a Christian is like. 2:3 says, "By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments" (NASB). 4:20 says, "If someone says, 'I love God,' and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen." You can read more through 1 John to find other things that describe who a Christian is, or isn't.
The most major part in all of this is that many people see loving others and following God's commandments, or even pointing them out to others, are in complete contradiction to each other. However, they are very similar and often can even be described as the same thing. I could go deeper into how love requires that calling out of sin, though in a loving manner, but that will be for another time.
The point that I am trying to make comes down to the fact that it's not the person claiming to be a Christian or even "acting like a Christian" who truly is, but someone who is producing the fruit of the Spirit and truly living in the Spirit. Maybe better said, it's not a person who acts like a Christian, but someone who is being a Christian.
One other thing to note, if you have not been changed, if your life has not been turned upside down, if some of your thinking hasn't been proven wrong, you haven't met God. You haven't met Jesus, nor the Holy Spirit. Being in Christ, coming to God, becoming a Christian means that your life is changed. You can't find God without being completely changed. Every aspect of your life is changed. Whether it's just morality or attitudes. Whatever it might be, something in your life is changed drastically and your life as a whole ends up becoming changed.
I will note that for many raised Christians, the whole life may not be completely changed, but there will still be an aspect that God has changed so drastically that would not be that same way without God. So, there is still a change, though it may look quite different.
Let me know what you think. If you have any disagreements or any other points to make off of anything I've said.
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Adventures in Missing the Point
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