In Acts 11:26, the record says, “…And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.” The term Christian is found only three times in the bible. It is found in the passage cited above, as well as in Acts 26:28 and 1 Peter 4:16. What is a Christian? Many people think they know what a Christian is, but they are mistaken. So, what does it really mean to be a Christian?

The meaning of the word Christian is “a follower or adherent of Christ.” From a fundamental standpoint, that is what a Christian is — someone who is following Christ. There is no middle ground here. Either you are following Christ, or you are not. Jesus said, “He that is not with me is against me…” (Matthew 12:30). There is no such thing as a “fallen away Christian.” There is no such thing as a “not so good Christian.” There are simply two groups of people—Christians and non-Christians. In this article we will see what a Christian is not, and next week we will observe what a Christian is.
 
Those Who Are Not Christians

1. Those who are not in the church. Jesus said, “I will build my church…” (Matthew 16:18). The word church is ekklesia and means “a calling out.” When it is used religiously, referring to the church that Jesus said He would build, it is referring to those called out by God through the means of the gospel of Christ. The gospel is the only way that God calls people out of this sinful world (Romans 1:16; 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14). If you have not obeyed the gospel, you are not a member of the church that Christ built, for all who obey the gospel are added to the church (Acts 2:47). Since the church is made up all the saved, if you are not a member of the church, you are not in a saved condition and are, therefore, lost (2 Thessalonians 1:7-9). So, since there is no such thing as an unsaved Christian, if you are not a member of the church, you simply are not a Christian.

2. Not all “good” people. The quality of goodness is a characteristic of a Christian. You cannot be a Christian without being a good person. Remember, a part of being a Christian is being like Christ, and He was a good person (Acts 10:43-38). However, goodness alone does not make one a Christian. Nicodemus was a good man. He defended Jesus before the Sanhedrin (John 7:50), and he assisted with His burial (John 19:39). Yet even he realized, based upon what he had been taught by Jesus, that being born again had to precede being a Christian in God’s kingdom (John 3:3-5). Then there is Cornelius. He is a perfect example of an unsaved “good” person. He was a devout man who feared God with all his house. He prayed often and gave alms to the people. Still, he was not a Christian (Acts 10:1-6). There was something that this good man had to do to be saved. He had to obey the gospel (Acts 11:11-14; 10:48). Even though one is a good person, he still must obey the gospel before it can be said that he is a Christian.

3. Not all members of the church. We have already seen that one cannot be a Christian outside of the church, but that does not mean that everyone in the church is a Christian. It is possible for those who obey the gospel to fall from grace (Galatians 5:4). Those who fall from grace lose favor with God because they are no longer walking in the light (1 John 1:7). We have biblical examples of some who were in this condition. Simon, the former sorcerer, who believed and was baptized by Philip, fell from grace (Acts 8:13-23). Simon was a member of the church, but his name was removed from the book of life; thus, he ceased to be a Christian. For him to become a Christian again, he was told to repent and pray God. Another example we have is the fornicator mentioned in 1 Corinthians 5. He was a member of the local church at Corinth, but he certainly was not a Christian. He ceased to follow Christ, giving in to the lust of the flesh. The brethren at Corinth continued to extend the right hand of fellowship to him, but he had clearly lost that fellowship with God. Thus, the Corinthians were told to deliver him to Satan for the destruction of the flesh in order that he might repent and once again be saved. Only those in the church who are striving to follow Christ are genuine Christians.