It is a strange thing. Christianity has been around for about two thousand years, but even some of the people who call themselves Christians still don’t know what it is that makes someone a Christian.
What is it that makes some a Christian? That is the subject of Tamara Lee’s post.
How do I know she is correct? Tamara Lee just repeats what the Bible says.
Why are so many confused about what makes someone a Christian? We don’t read our Bibles. We have lots of Bibles, but we don’t read them. If you have a Bible and don’t study it, what good is it? If you believe Jesus died for your sins, that He is God and the most important man who ever lived, why don’t you want to read about Him? Believe it or not, the Bible actually is a fascinating book. Once you make the effort, it is fun to read.
It is a strange thing. If there is any book everyone ought to read, it is the Bible. Yet most of us don’t. Why? I suppose everyone has an excuse. Yet in this day an age, we have the books, and we have the time.
Is prayer the answer? Then we each need to pray for God’s help, both for ourselves and each other. Then we need to pick up the Book and read. We need to start with the books in the Bible that interest us and then read the more difficult books. We need to consult commentaries. We need to join Bible study groups. We need to care about our success.
So that we can please our Lord, know what it means to be a Christian and obey Him, we each need to make a habit of reading and studying the Bible. We need to discover why we should love God and each other.
Being active in ministry I get the pleasure of being around all sorts of people. When I look around at these people, I want to find the identifier, the one thing I know that truly identifies them as a Christian – a follower of Christ. I want to know the one thing that anoints them, “sets them apart”, and proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that they belong to God. That they are sold out completely to the King of Kings, Jesus Christ.
Is it the position they hold in the Church? The fact that they get to stand behind that beautifully ornate and perfectly constructed pulpit that Brother James lovingly made last year for Pastor Appreciation Day? Nope. Is it because they sit in the front row and shout amen at the pastor faithfully? Nope. Is it because they are on the Board of Directors, CEO of…
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Citizen Tom 
One thing that helps, at least for me, is to to get a commentary on one of the Gospels. The commentary will then tell you all the relevant Old Testament passages and New Testament letters. Of course, you can do this for any book; it allows a simple discourse that doesn’t seem overwhelming which I think is the reason some folks don’t take on the task.
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Agreed! If a commentary makes it more satisfying to read one of the Gospels, then a good commentary is required for many of the other books.
To understand any book we have to put ourselves in the position of the author’s intended audience. Because the people for whom the Bible was written died thousands of years ago, that means we need a commentary to help us put us back in time and space so we can read the Bible from the correct perspective.
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Thanks for sharing with us. Great post!
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