When you say you are a Christian, you are telling the world you claim the name of Christ, you follow Him. Expect the world to hold you to a higher set of standards. You should also hold yourself to a high set of standards. When you claim the name of Christ and start to "talk the talk" then you should most certainly "walk the walk" - 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for the rest of your life. The world expects that from you and so does the Lord.
The Bible tells us in 2 Corinthians 5:17... "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new". This means that once you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, truly accepting Him as Lord by submitting to baptism by immersion in water for the “forgiveness of your sins” and the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit, He then accepts you (Acts 2:38). Then you will want to change things in your life. You will want to become a new "creature" - a new person. He is with you and in you... to empower those life transforming changes.
I've heard a lot of people say that they don't want to give their life to God because they are having too much fun and don't want to stop doing whatever it is they’re doing. It is usually something they perceive to be sinful in their life that they think they will have to give up. Accepting Jesus as your Savior does not mean you "have" to change... God doesn't "make" you change... but God will burden your heart about things in your life that need to be changed. Of course this assumes a two-way relationship is operational between you and God. Then as you learn and grow in your love and devotion for God, you yourself will want to change in order to please Him. You will want to live a life that is pleasing to God simply because you love Him more than anything else.
After baptism, if someone is truly "born again", converted, saved, having accepted Christ as their Savior, their actions and life changes will demonstrate their growing love for God. You can tell the person is a true Christian because you will see noticeable changes in them. What matters is that the heart changes. When the heart transforms... your attitudes, actions and lifestyle changes. These changes do not happen over night. It's an organic progressive transformation, but you should be in steady change always moving towards Christ-like behavior and thinking... if you claim to be a Christian. The genuineness of your Christianhood is born from within you, guided by the Holy Spirit working in consort with your total submission to His will for you.
Anyone who claims the name of Christ should take a long hard look at their life to make sure they are portraying the kind of persona that is pleasing to God. You should also carefully evaluate the church organization you fellowship with and determine if they are teaching Biblical truth. Biblical truth, correct doctrine, without any amplifications, additions, augmenting creeds, or contemporary adjustments for modern times.
You must be in a brotherhood and fellowship with like-minded believers who’s lives are conditioned and lead by the truth of God’s Word. IT DOES MATTER WHAT YOU BELIEVE. Your personal persona as a Christian is very much a reflection of what you are taught and learn from the church you attend. If that body doesn’t aspire to the “highest standards” in doctrine and truth, neither will you in your personal life choices!
Christians aren't perfect by any means. But we should strive to be as Christ-like as a human being can be, so that God can always be saying... "well done my good and faithful servant".
Being Christian is not about trying to please the world, it's about pleasing God. But we do have an obligation to the world to represent the love of Christ and the life of Christ in a way that is consistent and true to the teachings of God. Simply... that it is manifest to the eyes of the world, “in us... by us... and through us”. Christians are walking, talking bill boards for the Living God!
What does being a Christian mean to you?
