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These Things DO NOT Make You a ChristianAccording to the latest figures from Statistics Netherlands (CBS), around 5.7 million Dutch people describe themselves as Christians. Perhaps that applies to you too. You were baptised, you go to church now and then, or you believe ‘there’s something more’. But what if that foundation is less solid than you think?
Today we’re exploring three common reasons why people think they’re Christians: baptism, church attendance and an intellectual faith. We’ll compare these with the Bible and discover a challenging yet liberating truth. Keep watching, because this could well be the most important message you’ll ever hear.
INTRO
We live in a country with a rich Christian history. Our culture has been shaped by it. That’s why many people say: “Yes, I’m a Christian.” But what is that based on? The question isn’t whether you call yourself that, but whether God sees you as His child. Let’s take an honest look at those three foundations.
“I’VE BEEN BAPTISED, SO I’M A CHRISTIAN”
For many, baptism is the defining moment. A beautiful ritual. But does the water automatically make you a child of God?
Compare it to a wedding ring. A ring does not make you married. It is the outward symbol of an inner promise. You wear the ring because you are married; you do not become married by wearing the ring. A ring on the finger of a single person is an empty symbol.
1 Peter 3:21
In the same way, baptism now saves us. Not as a removal of physical impurity, but as an appeal to God for a clear conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
The apostle Peter writes in 1 Peter 3:21 that baptism saves us, but he immediately adds: it is not a matter of washing away physical impurity, but of appealing to God with a clear conscience. The power lies not in the water, but in the faith to which baptism points. If that inner faith is lacking, you are building on tradition rather than on Christ. Faith cannot be inherited from your parents; it is personal.
“I GO TO CHURCH, SO I AM A CHRISTIAN”
“I go every Sunday,” or “I’m there at Christmas and Easter.” It seems logical: you’re in the place where Christians are. But going to church makes you no more a Christian than going to a garage makes you a car.
Jesus warned against this very strongly in the Sermon on the Mount.
Matthew 7:21–23
Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but only those who do the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me on that day: ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your Name, and cast out demons in Your Name, and perform many miracles in Your Name?’ And then I will declare to them openly: ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practise lawlessness.’
He says: “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord’, will enter the Kingdom of Heaven.” There will be people who were active church members, but to whom Jesus will say: “I never knew you.”
It is not a question of whether you know Jesus from a distance, but whether He knows you in a personal relationship. The church is a hospital for sinners, not a museum for saints. Simply being there is not enough; Christ must dwell within you.
‘I BELIEVE IN GOD, SO I AM A CHRISTIAN’
This is the most insidious misconception. In a secular country, ‘believing in God’ sounds like quite something. But the Bible draws a sharp distinction between knowing that God exists and trusting in Him.
James 2:19 puts it bluntly: “You believe that there is one God; you do well. Even the demons believe that – and shudder.”
Let that sink in. Demons believe that God exists. They have flawless theology, but they are not saved. Why not? Because they do not surrender. Their faith is a cold, intellectual acknowledgement without love or obedience. Believing that God exists makes you a theist, but not yet a Christian.
WHAT THEN DOES MAKE YOU A CHRISTIAN?
If rituals, location and reason are not enough, what is? This is where hope begins.
In John 3, Jesus calls it ‘being born again’. It is not a moral improvement, but a spiritual transformation by the Holy Spirit. A resurrection from spiritual death. This happens through two inseparable things: Repentance and Faith.
- Repentance: The Greek word ‘metanoia’ means a complete turning around of your thinking. You acknowledge that you were sitting on the throne and turn away from your sin, towards God.
- Faith: This is more than simply accepting facts. It is placing your complete trust in the work of Jesus on the cross.
Now you might be thinking: is repentance something I have to ‘achieve’ in order to be saved? No. Ephesians 2:8–9 clearly states:
For by grace you have been saved, through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is the gift of God; not by works, so that no one may boast.
It is grace, a gift from God. Repentance and faith are like two sides of the same coin.
Repentance without faith ends in despair.
Faith without conversion is cheap faith.
The Bible always mentions both.
Repentance is letting go of everything you trusted in apart from Christ, and faith is grasping hold of Christ himself.
Acts 3:19
Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away.
Perhaps you’re thinking:
“But I can’t possibly change my own heart, can I?”
And you’re right! But thankfully, God works even that change in your heart.
Ezekiel 36:26–27
I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you… I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes.
We find this promise in
Romans 10:9
If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
CONCLUSION
Perhaps today you are realising that for years you have been relying on the wrong foundation. Perhaps it now feels as though the ground beneath your feet has been swept away. That is all right. Sometimes an old house must be torn down before you can build on the Rock.
This message is not meant to instil fear, but to bring true assurance. The assurance that does not rest in what you do, but in what Christ has done for you.
If this touches your heart, see it as the Holy Spirit waking you up. What now? Jesus’ invitation remains: “Repent and believe.” Start reading the Gospel of John today to discover who Jesus really is. Do you have any questions? Share them in the comments; I’d love to chat with you.
Would you like to know more about how to lay a foundation that really does stand firm? Then watch/read this series on the heart of the Gospel. Stop building on sand, and build on the Rock: Jesus Christ.
