What does it mean to be Christian?

Somewhere between 70 and 80% of Americans claim to be Christian. What does it mean to be 

Christian? What would one say are the basic fundamentals of Christianity?

When      Jesus asked His disciples “Who do you say that I am?” Simon answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” This was a profound response. Simon’s father, and his great-great-great-great grandfather were looking for the Messiah. What we call the Old Testament, which was Simon’s [and all the Jews’] Bible, which all his people followed as diligently as possible, had foretold for centuries that one would come and bring light, not only to Israel, but would be a Light to all nations and all generations. It had been four hundred years since the last known and recorded Word from their God. Now, inexplicably except for the Holy Spirit of Truth, Simon, who would become Peter, came to know that this long-awaited Messiah had come, and was standing before him. Jesus responded with an even more profound statement: “Now you shall be called Petros [Greek for stone] and on this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” He made that statement two millennia ago, and its truth still shines brightly in the world. The Church is still extending grace and salvation to humans all around the earth. Billions have been positively impacted or influenced by the Love of Jesus being extended through His followers. Every day hundreds of thousands of people are benefiting from the Church that was founded two thousand years ago. [I defy anyone to prove differently.] Nothing has ultimately prevailed against the Church of Jesus Christ---and nothing ever will.

So one thing we can say conclusively about what it means to be a Christian is that the person who claims to be one must say, along with Peter, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And that means that we understand, [as did Peter and eventually all His disciples, as well as the Apostle Paul who encountered the resurrected Christ on the road to Damascus to persecute Christians there] that this Nazarene carpenter was God incarnate! If this is not how we see things, perhaps we should question the validity of our “Christianity.” But if we do actually suspect this to be true, then we diligently study His teachings. We would be deceiving ourselves if we said that we believed Jesus to be the Messiah, then ignored His teachings. I wonder how many who claim to be Christians are hard-pressed to quote a single teaching of His. A true follower of any teacher or guide pays very close attention to the teachings of that guide; meditates on his words; tries to walk in accordance with his teachings. If I say I am a Christian, that means that Jesus is my Lord---the primary determiner of my inner being! It means I meditate on His teachings, the predominant one of which is love---Divine Love offered and received, and flowing through our hearts like a “river of living water” as He said. It means that we do not hate any person or group of people, no matter how wrong-minded or even “evil” we believe them to be, because our Lord has commanded us to love our enemies [Mt. 5:44]. It means that we identify with Christ above every other identity—American, republican, democrat, any minority or majority group, any tribe or family---we are, first and foremost Christian; a Christ follower. How could we be otherwise if we believe that He is God incarnate? How could His way be inferior to any other way? Why would we waste our time on anything less---any political agenda or philanthropic endeavor? {Unless we felt led by His Spirit to do so.} If we have doubts about this, we should pursue them openly and diligently because it is possible to live in the half-life, fluctuating between doubt and belief. We should examine His teachings carefully to see if there be any smattering of ego, selfishness, or meanness; any teaching that would seem to lead men in the wrong direction or that was contrary to the common good of the human family; anything that would incite violence, hatred, fear or guilt. We should diligently seek any error, because a single error would negate His claim to be one with the all-knowing Creator of this universe. Was He a liar? Was He crazy? Was He a grandiose narcissist? What do His teachings indicate and point toward? Would we better or worse for following them? Is there anyone who has offered a better solution to the world’s problems? If so, we should follow him/her. But if not we should suspect that He might indeed be the Way, the Truth and the Life as he said. And if He is, then we ignore Him to our great peril. We drift into the darkness, bereft of the Light of the only Truth that sets and keeps us free. This is what the Founders of this nation firmly believed. It is what Christ Himself warned us against. He said in end times men’s love would wax cold and that nations would rise up against nations and kingdoms [parties, tribes, corporate structures] against each other [Mt. 24:7]. He told us not to fear in these times, but to rest assured of our redemption and endure [in His Love] to the end [Mt. 24:13]. This is something of what it means to be a Christian. There is, of course, so much more---more than can ever be expressed in words, but well within the reach of the humble, seeking heart.