on the label "Christian"

"Have you accepted Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior?"

It's a question that most people are familiar with. In some, it stirs up feelings of annoyance. In others, it stirs guilt or even anger. The question has been asked so much that it may have become cliché. Nevertheless, it is the most important question a person will ever answer. Christians are those who have personally accepted and ever seek to maintain Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

Saved from what?
If every Christian believes that Jesus is their savior, then they must believe they were in danger of something from which they needed to be saved. What would be the purpose of a savior if there was nothing to be saved from? Christians are saved from their sins. Put simply, sins are bad things done or good things left undone. Ultimately, God defines what is sin and God hates sin. When Christians say that they are saved from their sins, they are usually referring to being saved from the punishment due their sins. Christians believe that sin is punishable by an everlasting sentence in hell. Literally. Christians believe they are saved from hell and saved to everlasting life. The way that Christians become saved is called the gospel. I'll cover this in detail when I talk about "Evangelical". For now, suffice it to say that a person is saved by Jesus. We see this clearly at the beginning of Matthew's account of the gospel: Matthew 1:21

...you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.

What now, My Lord?
Christians have Jesus as Lord of their lives. This is not commonly used terminology today. When I was growing up, I recall hearing the phrase "what now, my Lord?" when I played "Lords of the Realm". In this video game, I would play the part of a ruler of several provinces. I would manage labor, raise armies, grow crops, and attack and conquer neighboring territories. (I was especially good at the conquering). I had control over my lands and the people that lived there. They did what I wanted them to (except when I didn't feed them and they rioted...). The point is, Jesus is Lord of the Christian's life. They do not make decisions for themselves without first seeking to know what Jesus would have them do. Consider this well known psalm:

23:1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
3 He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
for his name's sake.

Most people who know this psalm know of the soothing phrases "he leads me beside still waters" and "He restores my soul". It is important to see these in context, though. The Lord is the Christian's "Shepherd". The Christian is led by Him in paths of righteousness. This is for his name's sake, the Christian doesn't do things from selfish motives, but for Jesus' sake. This is affirmed in the Great Commission at the end of Matthew's account of the gospel: Matthew 28:18-20

18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

But wait... there's more!

There are other things, too, that are true among Christians. Christians hold the bible to be the word of God. Christians believe in the true and living God who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (called the Trinity). Christians worship God. Christians are baptized. Christians are members of a local Church. Christians love one another. I'll explain what I mean with these in later posts as I am able. For now, I'll suffice it to say that Christianity is about Christ, what He has done to bring man to God and what He calls men to do in light of this.

Applying the label.
I am a Christian. I believe that Jesus is the Messiah and that he has saved and will save his people from their sins. I believe that he has saved me from my sins through his perfect life on earth, death, and resurrection.

If the above were a mere assent and ended here, it would be nothing but a dead theology. A living theology leads to change in a person's life.

I hold Jesus to be the Lord of my life. I'm in no way a perfect servant, but I seek to do his will in my life daily.