All Christians have answered this question at some time or other. How we answer is determined by our concept of God and our understanding of how the plan of redemption works. In so many cases, our answer seems to indicate that we had something to do with our salvation – that we had control over the process – when the Bible repeatedly states that salvation belongs to the Lord.
Many people who profess to be a Christian say something like, “I’m proud to be a Christian.” Or when one of our children makes a public profession of faith and is baptized, we say something like, “My dear child, I am so proud of you.” Yet a clear understanding of salvation and of the process of redemption makes it very clear that there is no pride associated with becoming or being a Christian.
Below I have listed my answer to this question of why I am a Christian based on Scripture. Some of my answers may overlap or sound repetitive, but to get all of my thoughts in, that seemed necessary, simply because I could not think of a better way to express the thoughts.
You may not agree with my answers, or you may have other thoughts that are similar that might extend the list. I welcome your input and hope that you will share your comments.
Why I Am a Christian
- I am a Christian, not because of my goodness, but because of God’s grace.
Eph. 2:8; 1 Cor. 1:4; Titus 3:5
- I am a Christian, not because I pursued God, but because God pursued me.
Psalm 23:6; Ezek. 34:11-12; John 4:23; Luke 15:4; Rom. 9:30
- I am a Christian, not because I chose Christ when I was ready, but because God in Christ chose me before the foundation of the world.
Eph. 1:4; Rom. 8:29; 2 Thess. 2:13; 1 Pet. 2:9; John 15:16, 19; Acts 13:48; Psalm 139:16
- I am a Christian, not because I loved God, but because God loved me first.
Rom. 5:8; Eph. 3:2-5; 1 John 4:10, 19
- I am a Christian, not because I possessed within myself enough faith to believe, but because God enabled me to believe through the faith found in Christ.
Eph. 2:8; Gal. 2:16; 1 Tim. 1:13-14
- I am a Christian, not because by my own power I decided to believe His word, but because hearing His word empowered me to believe by instilling or inciting faith in my heart.
Rom. 10:17; Rom. 1:16; 1 Cor. 1:18; 4:7; Col. 1:4-6
- I am a Christian, not because I invited Jesus into my heart, but because God called me into His kingdom.
John 6:44; Rom. 8:30; 9:4; 1 Cor. 1:9; 1 Thess. 2:12; 2 Thess. 2:14
- I am a Christian, not because I sought to discover God, but because Christ chose to reveal the Father to me and to give me life.
Matt. 11:27; Luke 10:22; John 5:21
- I am a Christian, not because I believe Christianity to be the most reasonable choice among world religions, but because the Holy Spirit blew into my heart and bestowed the gift of life through a new birth.
John 3:3-8; John 6:63; Rom. 8:10; 2 Cor. 3:6
- I am a Christian, not because I confessed that I am a sinner, but because the Holy Spirit empowered me to confess Christ as Lord.
Rom. 10:9; 1 Cor. 12:3; 1 John 4:2
- I am a Christian, not because I decided to repent of my sin, but because God granted me the gift of repentance, enabling me to repent from my sin.
Acts 5:31; 11:18; Romans 2:4; 2 Tim. 2:24-26
- I am a Christian, not by my will, but by the will of God.
John 1:12-13; Rom. 9:15-16; James 1:18; 1 Pet. 1:23
- I am a Christian, not because of where or to whom I was born, but because I was born again by the will and the word of God.
John 3:5; 1 Peter 1:2, 23; 1 John 5:1
- I am a Christian, not because I gave myself to Christ, but because God gave me to Christ.
John 6:37; 10:27-29; 17:2, 9, 11, 24; 18:9
NOTES
If you click on any of the links above, you can read the context of each scripture by clicking on the bars beside each reference.
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