Worship Service

Ben Eisenschmidt — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 23:28:07 +0000

Baptisms

Ben Eisenschmidt — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 17:43:30 +0000

Patricia and Lisa

Ben Eisenschmidt — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 17:22:47 +0000

Outreach and Community Service

Ben Eisenschmidt — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 14:30:50 +0000

Welcome to the Charlotte International Christian Church!

admin — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 20:40:05 +0000

Who is a Christian?

by Andrew Smellie
September 18, 2011 –

“You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.” – James 2:19

According to a 2003 Harris Poll, 90% of all US adults believe in God. (Interestingly enough 93% of all women and 96% of all African Americans believe in God). Of those polled, 77% believe in the Virgin Birth and 80% believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Does that mean that 77%-80% of all Americans are saved? Are all “Christians” really disciples of Christ? “The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch” (Acts 11:26c) Do all “Christians” really believe that Jesus is Lord and Savior of their lives, or is their “religion” a matter of convenience to assuage their guilt?

The above scripture in James teaches us that belief is more than a mental acknowledgement of the facts about God and his Son. Just because someone believes in God or believes in Jesus Christ does not make someone a true Christian. In the New Testament, a true “believer” is someone who is faithfully living a life where Jesus is Lord: a disciple of Christ, a true Christian according to Acts 11: 26c. Non-Christians are those who are not in Christ and do not live the life that Jesus expects us to live as His faithful disciples. As 1 John 2:6 states, “Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.” (emphasis added)

While God is the only one who has perfect knowledge of who is a disciple and who isn’t a disciple (2 Timothy 2:19), He expects every Christian to make evaluations to determine who is a true Christian. 1 Corinthians 5:12-13a states, “What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside.” So why is it important to identify a true Christian / disciple from a non-Christian / non-disciple? Let’s find out!