What is a Christian?

In Romans 5, we see the stark reminder of our need for a Savior and the satisfying recognition that Jesus has come to save sinners:
8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.
10 For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.

In what is commonly called the Last Supper, which we now commemorate by the act of communion - Jesus highlighted two elements:  He said that His body would be broken; that reminds us that He suffered death so that we might have new life and victory over the power of sin and death.  He also said that His blood would be shed; and we know that His blood cleanses us from sin - through that blood, we have forgiveness, the promise of a new start, the slate wiped clean.  The sacrifice of Jesus shows us that by dying to ourselves, we can acquire His new life.

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In Matthew 26, we read about what Jesus said to His disciples as the events accelerated leading to His death:
1 Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, that He said to His disciples,
2 "You know that after two days is the Passover, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified."

Later, Jesus shared that last meal with His disciples, and provided a vivid image of the significance of what He would experience through the cross:
26 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, "Take, eat; this is My body."
27 Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you.
28 For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
29 But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father's kingdom."

The bread and the cup: representations of Jesus' body and blood and the sacrifice He made.

There has been quite a bit of emphasis during this election season about the so-called "evangelical" vote, as if it were one, big monolithic voting bloc.  The exit polling data has shown that religious voters come with a variety of perspectives.  While some analysts will say that the self-described evangelical may not be an evangelical Christian at all, the folks at Pew Research say that there are some habits of highly effective evangelicals that they have detected as they dig a bit deeper.

The summary on this topic of exit polls and evangelicals says this:

...data from Pew Research Center’s 2014 Religious Landscape Study show that when people identify as “born-again or evangelical” Christians, they also are very likely to report specific beliefs and behaviors that are characteristic of evangelical Protestantism, and this is the case regardless of which political party they support.

Indeed, most self-described evangelicals are quite religiously observant. More than six-in-ten, for example, say they attend religious services at least once a week, and another 16% say they go to church once or twice a month, according to our study. Fully 86% of evangelicals say religion is very important in their lives, and 83% say they pray every day. In addition, six-in-ten self-described born-again and evangelical Christians share their faith with others at least once a month, while an additional 16% say they share their faith at least several times a year.

And, not surprisingly, Pew says that Christians who do not identify with the born-again or evangelical labels are far less religiously active.

There is also the observation that those who identify themselves as “born-again or evangelical” Christians make up 36% of registered voters, compared with 37% who are non-evangelical Christians and 27% who identify with non-Christian faiths or with no religion at all.

Now, Pew points out that their polls and political exit polls are different in this significant way: the Religious Landscape Study asks people whether they are Christian before asking if they think of themselves as born-again or evangelical. By contrast, everyone who takes the exit poll (including religious “nones” and adherents of non-Christian faiths) has the opportunity to identify as a born-again or evangelical Christian.

I think a good question for each of us today as we contemplate the work of Jesus on the cross moves beyond merely whether or not a person describes himself or herself as "evangelical" or even "born again."  The question for us is: what is a Christian?   I believe the Bible teaches that a Christian is a person who has acknowledged Jesus Christ as the Lord of his or her life, believing that God has raised Christ from the dead.  That is based on Romans 10.  It's more than a mental choice, it is the expression of a heart's desire to be truly devoted to God, and to believe that Jesus is alive.

Christianity is more than a religion, it is not a system - we become Christians as we acknowledge the grace of God, enabling us to experience forgiveness and freedom, and accept what God has done through Christ on the cross by faith.

We hear a lot about Christians and evangelicals, especially here in the throes of an election.  But, it's important that we know what a Christian is, and to be assured that we have actually received Christ into our lives.  If you don't know Him, you can pray a simple prayer - acknowledging you are a sinner in need of a Savior, believing in your heart that He is the risen Lord, and confessing Him as your Lord...that is the starting point for an exciting adventure as you follow Jesus, the One who gave His life for you.