What Does It Mean To Be A Christian

What Does It Mean to Be a

Christian? Appeared in Awake! April 2007

Does being a Christian simply mean that one attends a church service once a week?

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“The Way” Jesus said to his followers: “You are my friends if you do what I am commanding you.” (John 15:14)

Since Jesus’ teachings affected all aspects of their lives, Christ’s disciples initially referred to their religion as “The Way.” (Acts 9:2)

Christ’s disciples whom who follow ‘The Way’.

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Follow the Bible Christ’s teachings moved

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his followers to follow Bible teachings, which meant avoiding “fornication, uncleanness, loose conduct, idolatry, practice of spiritism, enmities, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, contentions, . . . drunken bouts, revelries, and things like these.” (Galatians 5:1921; Ephesians 4:17-24)

E. W. Barnes relates in his book The Rise of Christianity: “In its early authoritative documents the Christian movement is represented as essentially moral and law-abiding.

Its members desired to be good citizens and loyal subjects. They shunned the failings and vices of paganism. In private life they sought to be peaceful neighbours and trustworthy friends.

They were taught to be sober, industrious and clean-living. Amid prevailing corruption and licentiousness they were, if loyal to their principles, honest and truthful.

Their sexual standards were high: the marriage tie was respected and family life was pure.” Such were aspects of being a Christian in the early days.

Evangelizing Work Another distinctive sign of

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An evangelizer at work

Jean Bernardi, a professor at the Sorbonne University in Paris, France, noted: “[Christians] were to go out and speak everywhere and to everyone. On the highways and in the cities, on the public squares and in the homes. Welcome or unwelcome. To the poor, and to the rich encumbered by their possessions. . . . They had to take to the road, board ships, and go to the ends of the earth.”

early Christianity was its zealous evangelizing work. Christ commanded his followers: “Go therefore and make disciples of people of all the nations.” (Matthew 28:19, 20)

Clearly, true Christianity is much more than membership in one of the many religions of Christendom. Jesus himself foretold the rise of counterfeit Christians. (Matthew 7:22, 23) Jehovah’s Witnesses invite you to learn what Jesus taught and put it into practice. That is what it means to be a Christian. Jesus said: “If you know these things, happy you are if you do them.”—John 13:17.