What Makes Someone A Christian?

And how has the American Church lost sight of this core basic?

First, Some Context

“You seem very judgmental…” This from one of many comments on one of two posts I made about five weeks ago speaking to Jordan Peterson’s failure to affirm actual Christianity. Apparently I’m judgmental for holding to the ancient creedal definitions of Christian Faith.

I’d posted a long form video to YouTube (you can view it here) listening and reacting to skeptic atheist Alex O’Connor’s interview of Jordan Peterson. From that video, I pulled a couple of clips for Instagram of precise moments in which Alex O’Connor pushed Jordan Peterson to define what actually made someone a Christian. Peterson did not pass by any measure of Christian orthodoxy.

When I spoke to this, many were not happy.

“These men are dealing with advanced concepts, that are far past what you’re talking about here. What you’re saying has nothing to do with what they’re saying. At all.”

Apparently requiring that someone affirm Jesus as Lord and Savior to be within the bounds of Christianity is now not “advanced” enough. Here are the two videos in case you’re curious

First:

Second:

More recently, I spoke to Donald Trump’s seeming identification as a Christian. This video began with a clip of Donald Trump identifying publicly as a “Christian,” but then juxtaposed this claim against some things he’d said himself about Jesus and Christian belief (with the latter clip coming from last month).

Here’s that video:

Again, comments such as, “No one knows the true relationship someone has with God except for themselves and God,” or “Honestly it's literally ridiculous how this guy literally preached the gospel from the white house yet people still question if he's a Christian. Bunch of Pharisees around here I swear.”

Apparently, in the modern United States, it is taboo for Christians to define Christianity in the same way that the orthodox Christian Church has for literally 2,000 years and to insist that those holding to alternative belief are not actually Christian…Yikes.

This is a tragedy.

The lack of Christian ability to define Christianity, and the revulsion with which many Christians respond to actual definition of Christian faith, betray a horrific failing in discipleship of the American Church. There is literally nothing more important for people to know than the actual Gospel and what one must believe and confess to actually be a Christian.

So, with that in mind, I wanted to write some things down for those who might feel shaky in their ability to precisely define Christianity, what makes one a Christian, and thus, how to become a Christian. Here you go:

What Makes Someone a Christian?

This is a question that every Christian should be able to respond to accurately. After all, if we can't properly define what core beliefs actually make one a Christian, how could any of us have become a Christian in the first place?

Yet, increasingly today, I'm seeing Christians identify their favored political leaders, influencers, and celebrity personalities as Christians despite those individuals failing to make any sort of public declaration of faith that would be considered a core necessity by the historic, orthodox Church.

So, biblically, what does make someone a Christian?

In Acts 2, we see the Gospel preached after Christ's Ascenscion for the first time. Verse 37 tells us the response of those who heard it:

When they heard this, they were pierced to the heart and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?"

What do you think Peter tells them? Acts 2:38-41:

Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, each of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is for you and for your children, and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call.” 40 With many other words he testified and strongly urged them, saying, “Be saved from this corrupt generation!” 41 So those who accepted his message were baptized, and that day about three thousand people were added to them.

To clarify in regards to Peter’s opening, it is the repentance referenced which provides the forgiveness of sins, not the baptism, as Jesus in Luke 24:46 tells the Disciples, "This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead the third day, and repentance for forgiveness of sins will be proclaimed in his name to all the nations, beginning at Jerusalem."

However, quick side note:

There is not a single place in Acts in which someone came to Christ without being baptized. Baptism is the required physical marker of spiritual faith for the Christian.

One can "become a Christian" without baptism in the same way that one can "become married" without a wedding, marriage certificate, or ring. Are you committed? Maybe, but there's no physical marker for you or anyone else to really have any certainty of the reality of your commitment.

Alright, back to the main message at hand.

Peter again preaches repentance in Acts 3:19, and Paul preaches it in Acts 17:30 and 26:20.

The Greek word in use here is: "metanoeō"

Strong’s Greek Lexicon defines this word as: to think differently or afterwards, i.e. reconsider (morally, feel compunction)

Similarly, Thayer's Greek Lexicon: 1) to change one's mind, i.e. to repent, 2) to change one's mind for better, heartily to amend with abhorrence of one's past sins

So what exactly is one supposed to be changing their mind to in "repentance?" Romans 10:9-13 helps us out here:

If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, Everyone who believes on him will not be put to shame, 12 since there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, because the same Lord of all richly blesses all who call on him. 13 For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."

Key words there:

"Lord" - You are making Jesus Lord over your life. You are swearing allegiance to Him.

"Believe" - You believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ and all that this entails.

But Don’t Take My Word for It

And you know what? If that all just sounds like I made up my own definition of Christian faith based what you perceive to be some cherry- picked verses, I've got good news for you:

You don't have to trust my definition. You see, the Early Church did a ton of work in specifically identifying what the unique core beliefs of Christianity are. They gave us beautiful things like the Apostle's Creed within a couple hundred years of Christ's life.

If someone holds to the following without amendment, they're probably a Christian!

I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again;
he ascended into heaven,
he is seated at the right hand of the Father,
and he will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting.
Amen.

To the Catholics' credit, they still use a derivative of this in the baptismal creed recited in the Rite of Baptism:

Do you believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth?

Do you believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was born of the Virgin Mary, was crucified, died, and was buried, rose from the dead, and is now seated at the right hand of the Father?

Do you believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting?

Upon affirmation, the celebrant says, "This is our faith. This is the faith of the Church. We are proud to profess it, in Christ Jesus our Lord."

In Conclusion

All of that to say, if someone cannot or will not affirm these core Christian beliefs and has never repented from their wrongs, committed to Christ as Lord, and believed in Christ resurrected for salvation, it is harmful to allow them to identify as a Christian mistakenly.

The loving course of action for anyone identifying with a false gospel of Christ is to correct them with the true Gospel and encourage them to join themselves to Christ correctly.

"Repent and be baptized, each of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins."