Expert: Carl Fuglein - 12/11/2002

Question
Greetings. I am a young man trying to figure some things out about his faith; I'm currently taking a serious look at what I believe and why I believe it. I have been a Christian my entire life, so I'm primarily asking this question in order to get another perspective on the subject. My question is a simple one: If someone completely unfamiliar with Christianity asked you to describe a Christian, what would you have to include in your response? Granted, all Christians are different, but what does one have to do (or believe) in order to be a member of the Christian faith?  I thank you for your time and consideration.

Answer
Hi Parker-

Thanks for writing - I apologize for being so late with this answer.

There is a short answer to your question - simple quote John 3:16:  "For God so loved the world, He gave His only begotten son so that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life."  That's all there is to it, yet that's NOT all there is to it.  If you're going to talk to someone who has NO knowledge of Jesus, you'd have to explain who He was - the son of God, sent to Earth to be human to show the world that God loves all of us.  All the sins of the world are forgivable, because Jesus died for OUR sins.  What most people are skeptical about is God's UNCONDITIONAL love for us.  All we have to do is admit that we're a sinner and God forgives us.  Many people feel that you have to EARN your way into heaven, and you can't.  You don't deserve it, you can't earn it - but God gives you eternal life freely - that's what grace is all about.

If I were asked the question you asked, I'd start the answer with John 3:16 (as I did above), then to specifically answer the question about one has to do or believe, I would show them the Apostle's Creed.  see: http://www.reformed.org/documents/apostles_creed.html  In order to become a Christian, all you have to do is admit you're a sinner, believe in Jesus, and ask Him to live in your heart.  See:  http://www.chesco.com/~carlf/jc.htm#abc

Becoming a Christian is easy.  Living a life as a Christian is harder.  I've found an essay on line that describes the difference between being religious and being a Christian - it's simple, yet very deep.  See:  http://www.crossroadsinajax.org/WhyChristianity.htm

I would like to ask YOU a couple questions:  

What do YOU believe is necessary to be a Christian?
What do you believe, period?
Are you asking this as a seeker, i.e., one not sure of his faith, or are you asking because a NON-believer is asking you some questions you can't answer?

I would be happy to answer more specific questions, feel free to write again.

In HIS service,

carl