Fairfax Church of Christ

We’re happy you asked, but we think the fairest way to ask the question is to shorten it to the first six words.

First, what is a Christian? A Christian is not much different from anyone else … someone trying to do the best he or she can. He makes mistakes. She may come from a poor family background. She may be rich or poor. He has to go to work each day. She’s asking “why am I here” and maybe asking “what is my place in the world?”. Someone very much like you.

Are there hypocrites? Well, no one is perfect (meaning that she never sins or does wrong), although we believe that when Jesus was human on this earth, he was. Christians are trying to model their lives after Jesus, but no one can do that without failing. The key is that Christians try. And yes, if you look around enough, you’ll find real hypocrites … those who put on a Christian face without really trying to be a Christian … but we don’t think that’s a reason to reject God and Christianity outright. If we’re a fan of a particular sports team and one of the team members doesn’t follow all the rules, we don’t abandon the team.

So how is a Christian different?

• A Christian believes there is a God who created him and created the world, and that this God loves him. He also believes that Satan and hell are real and that Satan is an active force in this world.
• A Christian believes that there is life after death and that one’s behavior on earth determines where one winds up.
• A Christian shares her beliefs with other Christians in church services, classes and social activities.

And what are the benefits?

• When a Christian runs into a personal crisis (such as losing a family member, a divorce, becoming unemployed, and so on), he can lean on other Christians for help and support, and he trusts that God is by his side at all times.
• Fellow Christians are friends with no strings attached.
• You have a truly global support network just about anywhere in the world, wherever there are Christians.
• A Christian can choose to not worry and trust that God has her best interests at heart.
• A Christian life can be a healthier life.

Does this mean it's an utterly carefree life? No. Remember, people aren't perfect. But it's a way of life that can avoid a lot of unnecessary problems.

Are there any obligations? We’re not sure anything comes with zero obligations, so being a Christian is no exception:

• To begin with, we believe it when the Bible says that to be a Christian, a person must be immersed (The following links will take you to Bible text that address this. Note that the number before the colon is the book's chapter, and the number or numbers after the colon indicate specific verses: Mark 16:15-16, Acts 2:36-40,and I Peter 3:18-22).
• Study what God says in the Bible.
• Work to live a moral life that honors God.
• Choose to love your fellow human beings as other Christians choose to love you.
• Serve and help others.

We believe that the life of a Christian is not about following rules. Think about when you have been madly in love with someone. There are things you did that you knew would please the other person. You knew there were things you could do that would upset or irritate that person. You could look at those two lists as sets of rules, but you didn't. You wanted to do the things that pleased and didn't want to do the things that irritated. That's what the Christian life is about. If you love God and want to please him, there are good things that you will want to do because you know it will please him. And you'll feel a desire to avoid the things that don't please him. How do you know what will please or anger him? That's where the Bible study comes in. Don't let the Bible intimidate you. It's got stories of mystery, murder, romance, betrayal, espionage, loyalty, redemption, many which you've seen as movies!

So what do you think now? Do you have questions or need to talk with someone about anything we've said here? Contact us!