141. What Does it Mean to Be a Christian?

Send us a text

What does it truly mean to be a Christian? It's a deceptively simple question that quickly cuts to the heart of faith. Many people identify as Christians while missing the essence of what following Jesus entails.

The Coffee Talk series tackles this fundamental question by stripping away cultural Christianity to reveal authentic faith. The word "Christian" itself means "follower of Christ" – not just someone who intellectually agrees with certain doctrines or attends religious services. True Christianity begins with believing Jesus is God's Son who died and rose again, but extends far beyond mental assent into daily surrender and obedience. It's about direction rather than perfection.

When someone genuinely follows Jesus, they experience spiritual rebirth. This isn't mere behavior modification but heart transformation where the Holy Spirit creates something entirely new within. A Christian repents of sin, pursues holiness, and walks by the Spirit rather than fleshly desires. They become connected to other believers as part of Christ's body, serving and growing together in community. Most importantly, authentic faith produces visible fruit – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control developing over time.

Whether you've been a believer for years or are still searching, this episode invites you to examine what following Jesus truly means. Is your faith producing fruit or just words? Are you living as though Jesus is Lord or merely a helpful addition to your life? Join us for an honest conversation about moving beyond religious culture into genuine relationship with Christ. Share this episode with someone looking to deepen their faith journey, and connect with us on Instagram, Facebook, or YouTube for more encouragement!

Support the show

Thank You for Joining Us!

For the full show notes, including links to any resources mentioned, please visit The Radiant Mission Blog.

Follow along on social media:
Instagram
Facebook

Enjoying the show? Please refer it to a friend :)

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:32):
The Hello and welcome to the Radiant Mission Podcast.
My name is Rebecca Toomey andwe are currently in a series
called Coffee Talk, where we arediving into big spiritual
questions over a warm cup ofcoffee or tea and a whole lot of
honesty.
So today's question is one thatseems simple on the surface,

(00:55):
but it gets really real reallyfast.
What does it mean to be aChristian?
Is it just about going tochurch, praying a prayer, saying
you believe in God, or is theresomething deeper?
Whether you've been a believerfor years or you are still

(01:15):
searching right now, thisepisode is for you.
Let's break it down.
We are going to go back to theheart of the gospel for this one
down.
We are going to go back to theheart of the gospel for this one
.
So let's start with.
A Christian believes in Jesusand follows him.
The word Christian comes fromthe Greek Christianos, which

(01:36):
means follower of Christ.
But here's the thing you canbelieve in God go to church and
still not be following Jesus.
John 14, 6,.
Jesus said I am the way, thetruth and the life.
No one comes to the Fatherexcept through me.
Being a Christian starts withbelieving that Jesus is the Son

(01:59):
of God and that he died for yoursins and he rose again.
But it doesn't end there.
It means you follow him, youlet him lead you and you obey
his word.
You say yes, even when it'shard.
It's not about perfection, it'sabout direction.
And just a little fun fact Ihave mentioned this in episodes

(02:23):
in the past the originalfollowers of Jesus were called
the way, the way to God,following Jesus, right, and so
sometimes you'll hear on thispodcast, we actually use the
term believers a lot, becausethe word Christian can get

(02:46):
muddied.
That's why I wanted to havethis conversation today, to talk
about what it truly means to bea Christian, because there are
a lot of people out there thatwill say they are Christians but
are not following Jesus.
So be aware of that.
Let's talk a little bit moreabout what it means to be a
Christian.
A Christian has been born again,and this phrase can feel

(03:08):
outdated or misunderstood, butit's directly from Jesus, from
his own words, john 3, 3,.
Truly, I tell you, no one cansee the kingdom of God unless
they are born again.
Kingdom of God unless they areborn again.

(03:28):
To be born again means thatsomething inside of you has
changed.
It's not about behaviormodification.
It's about a transformation ofyour heart.
You become a new creation.
Second Corinthians, 517,.
If anyone is in Christ, the newcreation has come.
The old has gone and the new ishere.
You might look the same on theoutside as we do, but

(03:52):
everything's different on theinside.
Next, a Christian repents of sinand pursues holiness.
Here's where things get real.
Being a Christian doesn't meanyou are perfect.
It doesn't mean that you don'tstay in sin.
Acts 3.19 says repent then andturn to God so that your sins

(04:16):
may be wiped out.
Repentance isn't just feelingsorry, it's turning away from
your sin and towards God.
True faith produces a desire tobe holy, to obey, to let go of
sin, because you found somethingbetter in Jesus.

(04:36):
Grace isn't a license to keepsinning.
It's the power to walk free.
And next, a Christian walks bythe Spirit and not by the flesh.
When you become a Christian,you receive the Holy Spirit and
he changes everything.
Galatians 5.16,.
So I say walk by the Spirit andyou will not gratify the

(05:00):
desires of the flesh.
You're no longer ruled by yourown nature.
You're led by God's Spirit.
He convicts you, comforts you,guides you, empowers you.
It doesn't mean that life getseasier, but it does mean that
you will never walk alone.
Number five a Christian belongsto the body of Christ.

(05:23):
Christianity is not a solojourney.
In 1 Corinthians 12 27,.
Now you are the body of Christand each one of you is a part of
it.
God designed us for community,for encouragement,
accountability and spiritualgrowth.
And being a Christian meansloving the church, loving those

(05:44):
around us, the other believersthat are in our community, even
when it's messy.
It means serving others, usingyour gifts and building up the
body of Christ.
I personally am a huge fan ofsmall groups.
I think it is a wonderful wayfor us to commune with one
another and grow together in thebody of Christ.

(06:06):
Number six a Christian bearsfruit.
You can say you're a Christian,but your life will eventually
show it.
Matthew 7, 16,.
By their fruit you willrecognize them and, of course,
the fruit of the spirit love,joy, peace, patience, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness,gentleness and self-control.
Patience, kindness, goodness,faithfulness, gentleness and

(06:30):
self-control they're evidence ofa heart changed by God.
You're not saved by works.
You are saved for good works.
And again, this doesn't meanthat these things suddenly
become easy.
I myself struggle with patienceand self-control many times,
but with God by my side andprayer and my family praying for

(06:54):
me.
The Lord is walking beside me,helping me with these things.
So, as we close today, what doesit mean to be a Christian?
You believe in Jesus as Saviorand Lord.
You've been born again by theHoly Spirit.
You turn from sin and walk inobedience.
You're growing in holiness andbearing fruit.

(07:16):
You're connected to the body ofChrist and you are following
Jesus every single day.
And if you are on this journeyright now or you're not quite
there and you would like to be Iwould love to invite you to
invite Jesus into your heart.
There is a very simple prayerthat you can pray and it goes

(07:37):
something like this Dear Lord, Icome to you today.
I know that I am a sinner andneed your forgiveness.
I believe that you died on thecross for my sins and rose again
.
I believe that you died on thecross for my sins and rose again
.
I now invite you into my heartand my life to be my Lord and
Savior.
Thank you for your love and thegift of eternal life, amen.

(07:58):
Now let's close with a fewreflection questions today.
Have I truly been born again orhave I just been around church
culture?
Is my faith producing fruit orjust words?
What sin do I need to repent ofand surrender to Jesus?
Am I living like Jesus is myLord or just my helper?
Now, if this episode challengedyou or encouraged you, be sure

(08:22):
to share it with a friend orsomeone that is looking to go
deeper in their faith walk, andif you're just beginning your
journey with Jesus, know thatyou are loved, seen and called.
Thank you for tuning in and forbeing on this journey with us.
If you'd like to stay connectedoutside of the podcast, join me
on Instagram at the RadiantMission, facebook at the Radiant
Mission Podcast, or YouTube bysearching for my name Rebecca

(08:46):
Toomey, t-w-o-m-e-y.
And today I am going to closewith Romans 10.9.
If you declare with your mouthJesus is Lord and believe in
your heart that God raised himfrom the dead, you will be saved
.
Wishing you a radiant week,I'll see you next time.
Bye everyone.