Christians are followers of Jesus Christ; those who believe in Jesus’ death and resurrection for the forgiveness of sins. Christians are not just Christians in name only but in character and how they live their lives.
The Bible describes what Christians are, not only in name, but in character. Being a Christian literally means to believe and follow Jesus Christ. A true Christian is a child of God. Though Christ didn’t enter human history in the form of a man until the time described in the four Gospels, even the Old Testament reveals an important requirement of God’s children: loving God (Deuteronomy 6:5; Joshua 22:5), who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The New Testament indicates that early believers were originally referred to as those “belonging to the Way” (Acts 9:2) but later called “Christians” (Acts 11:26). Characteristics of true Christians are described throughout the New Testament: Christians come from various backgrounds and nationalities (Romans 9:6–18; Galatians 3:28–29; Ephesians 2:11–22). They believe in the truth of the Gospel (Galatians 1:8). They understand salvation is based on grace, not performing duties (Ephesians 2:8–9) or being a “good person” (Matthew 19:17). Saved believers, genuine Christians, aim to live Christ-like lives (Matthew 7:21–23; John 13:34–35; Galatians 5:16–25; Ephesians 4:17–32; James 1:22; 2:14–17). True Christians recognize Jesus as divine, not as merely a “good man” (Matthew 16:16; Romans 10:9; Philippians 2:9–11). The Bible teaches that true Christians understand who Jesus is and by the power of the Holy Spirit participate in the work of sanctification to be conformed to His image and ways (Romans 8:29–30; 2 Corinthians 3:18; Philippians 2:12–13; 1 John 3:1–10).
Social media influencers gauge their success by the number of followers they have. Key figures in the early church also had followers, but theirs took the form of factions, which Paul chastised the Corinthian believers for having (1 Corinthians 3:4). Paul wasn’t impressed by his “followers” because he knew that believers weren’t supposed to be devoted to him or Apollos or Peter or any other human being. True Christians follow Jesus. Only Christ has the power to save. He came to earth, humbled Himself by taking on human form, and endured the suffering of all humanity—all to save those who put their trust in Him (John 3:16–18; Philippians 2:5–11; Hebrews 12:2). Knowing this, true followers of Christ live to please the Lord, which we’re enabled to do by the Holy Spirit. When we “subscribe” to Jesus, we are assenting to a life in which we will experience the joy and contentment of the Lord even though that involves turning away from much of what the world considers important—money, power, prestige (1 John 2:15–17). Being a Christian involves sacrificing what we want, to live in a way that God wants us to. A Christian’s life should be characterized by love (John 13:34–35; 1 John 4:9–12). It should also be characterized by intentional growth in the Lord through things like regular Bible reading, prayer, fellowship with others who love Christ, eschewing hedonistic pursuits, actively obeying God’s commands, and even loving our enemies (Romans 12; Ephesians 4; James 1:22). The Bible teaches that true Christians understand who Jesus is and, through the power of the Holy Spirit, try to conform themselves to Him.