Are you considered a Christian when you go to church every Sunday?
Allow me to rephrase the title question above: Because you go to Church every Sunday, does that make you Christian?
Let me now respond with this question – If you go into a garage a lot, does this make you, a car? This is, of course, a humorous attempt, of me saying that a Christian is not a Christian because he goes to church so many times.
So, what makes a person a Christian?
– by the doing of good works?
– when you consider yourself one?
– when others and institutions label you as one?
I’ll let Jesus answer from His Sermon on the Mount.
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’… ” [Matthew 7:21-23]
Jesus gave a ‘nutshell’ picture of the end of times; of people who thought they deserved to enter the kingdom of Heaven. These are people who probably went to church every Sunday thinking they were ‘Okay’. Then Jesus told them that “He never knew them.”
What does this have to do with the question above? If you really think about it, based on the passage above, it is not what we call ourselves that counts, but what Jesus Christ calls you.
So, ask yourself…
What does Jesus call you?
By the way, we go to church because we are “Christians”.
Johann Quisumbing 