Becoming a Christian and Living a Christian Life

by Mihran Kulhanjian

My dear Friends,

The purpose of this writing is to introduce a few important concepts to becoming a true Christian.

To be a Christian is to know truth. And what a wonderful thing this is; and by the grace of God, He has revealed truth to us [the children of God], all who seek and believe in the name of Jesus Christ, receiving Him as Lord and Savior receives truth of God's Word. Unbelievers, turn from God because they do not recognize the truth. A Christian is a person who believes in, trusts and obeys the commands of God the Father, Jesus Christ [the Son of God], the true and only living God as Lord and Savior. A Christian is a person who follows Jesus Christ. A Christian is a person who worships the triune God (the Father, the Son [Jesus] and the Holy Spirit) and yields to the Lord. The Lord is the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, each one a separate person but one God; one God manifested in three persons. You may not understand what a triune God means but know this: The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are one God not three separate gods. Jesus was man and is God and He was brought into the world as man [leaving the spiritual realm, heaven] so that we might know Him [God], love Him, have friendship and fellowship with Him, and that we might be saved from eternal death [in Hell] (John 3:16-17). Jesus came to give us life eternal. Because of our sin [the disobedience of His Moral Law, The Ten Commandments], the unrepentant sinner cannot have communion with a holy God. Sin is a transgression of God's law and it keeps us from God. Jesus came to reconcile us back to God. Jesus came to save sinners (1 Timothy 1:15) and all [everyone of us] have sinned [rebelled against God] and have fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3;23; 3:10). Jesus Christ [the only Son of God—being sinless, who is also God] was brought into the world as man, as the only mediator, an advocate (1 Timothy 2:5), for us to God the Father. God is holy. He cannot commune with sinful man. Only through Jesus, our mediator, can we have fellowship with God. Everyone of us has sinned; therefore, we cannot have communion with God because we are unclean. Jesus cleanses us by what He accomplished on the cross. Jesus took the punishment that was rightfully ours. He was our substitute who paid the price for our sins. “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). Jesus died for us so that we might live eternally and have communion with God and be saved, that is, saved from eternal death. Without Jesus we are already condemned (John 3:18).

When you believe in Jesus and receive Him as your Lord and Savior, by your faith in Him, you have entered into the family of God. You become a child or God.

A Christian must:

Repent: Repentance of sin is the first step. Turn from sin. Stop sinning, realizing sin is an offense to God and keeps you separated from communion with God. You do not have to sin. Your sin was put to death on the cross in Jesus. Accept this fact. Jesus said "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matthew 4:17). Love what God loves and hate what God hates. God hates sin. Repent! "He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him” (John 14:21, 15:10).

Have Faith [believing in Jesus, the Word of God, trusting, submitting, yielding, and surrendering all to Him] How do we get faith? "Faith comes by hearing and hearing the word of God" (Romans 10:17). Without faith we cannot please God. Receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. We are saved by God's grace through our faith (Ephesians 2:8-9). We are sanctified by our faith.

Be Humble: "Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted " (Matthew 23:12). Turn from pride and self-centeredness to God-centric. Receive God as the center of your life not self. Yield to Him.

Have a healthy fear of God [understanding God, His power and reverence for Him] "The fear of the Lord leads to life" (Proverbs 19:23), and is the beginning of knowledge and of wisdom (Proverbs 9:10; Proverbs 1:7; Psalm 111:10). "Fear God, and keep his commandments, for this is the full duty of man" (Ecclesiastes 12:13).

Have 100 percent reliance on the Word of God [the Holy Bible; 2 Timothy 3:16]. The Holy Bible is infallible; it is all truth from God. Rely on the knowledge of God.

Have an understanding of the Atonement (what God did and what Jesus [the Son of God] fulfilled to save man from eternal death, rescue him to eternal life, and to reunite man for communion with God).

Be born again [regenerated with the Spirit of God; John 3:3-6]. Receive the new birth. Repent. Be dead to sin instead of dead in sin. To be born again is the re-birth of the Spirit of God living in you as the Lord is revealed to you and truth of God is revealed and accepted with conviction of sin. The born again are the children of God.

Be baptized [professing your faith with obedience]. Baptism is an ordinance of God, buried with Christ and raised up in the new birth. Believe that your sins have be crucified on the cross with Jesus. Your sin has been put to death. Believe it.

Partake in Holy Communion: Communion is a ordinance of God. Remembering Jesus, his death and resurrection and His promise to return and to collect all who are His. As often as we eat the bread and drink of the cup, we proclaim His return (1 Corinthians 11:25-26).

Becoming a disciple and witness [a student, follower, a witness to the Truth] of the Lord Jesus Christ. A disciple is also a witness for the glory of God. A disciple loves God, loves Jesus and loves the Holy Spirit upon his or her death. Death in this life is guaranteed but true life is eternal with Christ in Heaven or in judgment and Hell. Each of us has a choice.

The ten topics that I discuss here are not to be construed as a complete teaching of the Christian life, but an introduction to Christianity, the Christian life and the Word of God.

Let's do a quick review:

Repent
Have Faith [believe]
Be Humble
Fear God
Rely on the Word of God [the Holy Bible]
Understand the Atonement
Be born again
Be baptized
Partake in Holy Communion
Become a disciple and witness

I want to now share with you the deception of false Christians, heretics and groups pretending to play Christian that have perverted the very Word of God. There are many false religions. False religions are demonic. They are not in any way from God and have infiltrated the world and the true Church. The Church is not a building but a communion of all true believers everywhere. Jesus is the Head of the Church and all believers comprise of the body.

Here is the short list of demonic religions claiming to be Christian. You do not want to be associated with any of these perversions: Roman Catholicism, Mormonism [The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints], Jehovah's Witnesses, Seventh Day Adventist, Universalism, New Age movement, and all groups or so-called churches supporting homosexuality, transgenderism, abortion, and women pastors and teachers of the Bible, clergy, and pastors heading up churches or congregations (a woman may be an evangelist, an apostle or a prophet; but not a pastor, preacher or teacher of the word of God over a congregation or in the church [1 Timothy 2:11-14]). The true Christian does not support sin and that which is against God's Word. A true Christian is in alignment with the Word of God. A Christian glorifies God by supporting and doing the will of God bringing glory to His name and Him alone.

Demonic non-Christian religions include the following: Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism and all other religions that do not believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, was God incarnate, came from Heaven to earth as a man to save sinners offering eternal life, died on the cross, was buried and rose on the third day and now is alive in Heaven seated at the right hand of God, are offensive to God, all practicing idolatry. If you do not believe that "I [Jesus] am the way, the truth, and the life: no one comes to the Father but though Me" (John 14:6), then you are not a Christian. There is only one way to God and Heaven and eternal life in Heaven. Jesus Christ is the only way, the truth and the life; there is no other. There is only one God and He has one Son (Jesus). A Christian worships God of the Bible--the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, His Son [Jesus], and the Holy Spirit (one God manifested in three persons). A true Christian receives Jesus Christ and Lord and Savior and obeys Him and God's law. Any religion or group not receiving [believing] Jesus Christ as Lord, God and the Redeemer of the world is demonic.

A true Christian believes in the Holy Bible 100 percent. The Bible is inerrant, authentic and authoritative. It is infallible. A professed Christian who cherry picks scripture and questions it, is not a Christian. The Bible is the word of God. Without repentance and faith one cannot be legitimately called a Christian. If you have not repented from sin then you are not a Christian. If you do not have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, then you are not a Christian. If you have not been born again with the Spirit of God living in you, then you are not a Christian. When Jesus said you must be born again, then you must be born again with the Spirit of God living in you (John 3:3-6).