Title: What is a Christian?
Contents
1. The process of being called a Christian.
1) God's chosen people Israel: God's set apart and holy nation
(Deuteronomy 14:2) "You are a holy people of the LORD your God; the LORD has chosen you from all the peoples of the earth to be his own people. You shall not eat any detestable thing."
- He gave them the laws and ordinances of God to set them apart from other peoples.
* God's laws and ordinances are for them to live their lives as a holy people.
(Leviticus 11:45) “I am the LORD who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God; be holy, for I am holy.”
* Typically, believing in only one God, keeping the Sabbath, being circumcised, performing holy sacrifices, keeping the feasts, eating different foods, and living in a different way of behavior.
* This was done so that they could become God's witnesses to all nations.
(Isaiah 43:10) “You have been chosen to be my witnesses and my servants, says the LORD, so that you may know and believe in me and understand that I am him.
* There are two peoples on this earth, the holy people of God and the Gentiles.
* The chosen people, Israel, disobeyed God and lost the image of God's holy people set apart.
* They had the form of the chosen people, but there was no content of the chosen people.
(Isa 1:2-4) “Hear, O heavens, give ear, O earth, saith the LORD, I have brought up children, and they have rebelled against me. An ox knows its owner, and a donkey knows its master's manger. They do not know, and my people do not understand. Alas, a transgressed nation, a transgressed people, a seed of iniquity, children of corruption in their ways.
2) Salvation came to Gentiles because of Israel's rebellion.
(Romans 11:11) “Therefore I say, Have they stumbled until they fell?
- Becoming a partaker of eternal redemption and holiness through Jesus Christ. : New Covenant
(Hebrews 9:13-15) “If the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling the unclean sanctifies by the purification of the flesh, how much more the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God. How can you not cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? For this reason he is the mediator of the new covenant, that he might receive the promise of an eternal inheritance for those who were called by dying for the sins committed in the first covenant. ”
* God saves us so that we may become God's set apart and holy people.
(Ephesians 5:8-9) “You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light, for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth.”
2. What is a Christian?
1) Those who are sanctified by God.
- The purpose of our salvation is to be set apart from the world as holy ones in God.
* Christians are the true light in a world separated by darkness and light.
(Matthew 5:16) “In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”
* We lived as slaves to sin, but now we are slaves to righteousness.
(Romans 6:12) “Thanks be to God that you were originally slaves of sin, but having been set free from sin and became slaves to righteousness, by obeying from your heart the example of doctrine delivered to you.
* Formerly not a holy people, but now they are a holy people living in the heavenly earth.
(1 Peter 2:9-11) “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the goodness of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. You were once not a people, but now you are the people of God, where you previously had no mercy, but now you have found mercy.
* A better being than an angel in heaven.
(Hebrews 1:14) “Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?”
(1 Corinthians 6:3) “Do you not know that we will judge angels?”
◈ What makes you different from other people as a Christian? : in holiness.
live like ~ must be beautiful
- This is to make you a witness of God.