WHAT
IS A CHRISTIAN? (Part
1 of 2)
By
Greg Laurie
I
heard the story of a man who had been down on his luck and was desperate to
make a little money. After a few other doors had closed to him, he had the idea
of going to the city zoo, hoping to land a job feeding the animals. The manager
at the zoo had no openings, but seeing how big this guy was, he offered him
another position.
“Say,”
he said, “our gorilla died the other day, and he was one of our most popular
exhibits. If we got you a special gorilla suit, would you put it on and imitate
him for a few days, until the new gorilla arrives?
We’ll
pay you well for it!”The man was so desperate for work he agreed.
In
fact, after a few hours, he really got into the part—beating his chest and shaking the
bars. Huge crowds were gathering. Maybe this won’t be so bad after all, he told
himself.But one day, he was
swinging on a trapeze and lost his grip. His momentum carried him right over a
tall chain-link fence into the middle of the lion’s den. Looking up at this intruder
in his domain, the huge lion gave a ferocious roar. The crowds were mesmerized.
What was the gorilla to do? If he cried out for help, it would reveal his true
identity. He slowly walked backward away from the lion, hoping to climb the
fence back into his own cage. The lion, however, with a hungry look on his
face, began to stalk him step by step. Finally, in desperation, the gorilla
hollered, “Help!” Immediately the lion answered in an annoyed whisper, “Shut
up, stupid! You’ll get us both fired!”
You see … things aren’t always as
they appear! There are many people today who claim to be Christians—who may even think they are Christians— but they are not.
WHAT DOES BEING A CHRISTIAN REALLY
MEAN?
It’s clear that many people really
don’t have a grasp on what it means to be a believer. Do you? Are you one? Are
you sure? What exactly is a Christian? Are you born that way? If not, how
exactly do you become one?
Let’s look together at some clear
biblical principles about what must happen as a result of someone truly finding
Jesus Christ as his or her personal Lord and Savior. When you ask someone if he
or she is Christian, one of the most common responses you get back is, “Of
course I’m a Christian. I go to church, don’t I?” That’s like saying I am a
golfer because I own a set of golf clubs. Or I’m a surfer because I own a pair
of board shorts. Listen, to be a golfer you need to golf; to be a surfer you
must surf; and to be a Christian you need to walk with God!
DON’T ALL ROADS LEAD TO GOD?
Now you might ask, “Why is it so
important that I be a Christian, anyway? Don’t all roads basically lead to
God?” Not according to Jesus!
Jesus said, “Most assuredly, I say
to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the
Don’t misunderstand me, I am not suggesting that X amount of good works makes
you a Christian. Far from it. In fact, all the good
works on Earth will not save you. The Bible says, “He saved us, not because of
the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our
sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit”
(Titus 3:5, NLT). This, in fact, is
one of the main things that sets apart Christianity
from all other world religions. All other religious systems essentially say Do:
“Do this and you will have good karma, or you will get to Heaven, or paradise,
or nirvana.” In contrast, Jesus Christ says, “Done!” That’s what it meant when
He cried out on the cross, saying, “It is finished.”
The transaction is complete. The
price has been paid.