5. What is a Christian?
By Matt Hilton, 10/05/2024
The word ‘christian’ occurs only three times in the Bible: twice in the book called The Acts of the Apostles, and once in the first letter of the apostle Peter to the churches.
Here is the first occurrence:
… the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch. Acts 11:26b (NKJV)
Antioch was a major city in the country of Syria. Today it is in southern Türkiye and is known as Antakya. In its heyday it was one of the three largest and most important cities of the Greco-Roman world, along with Rome and Alexandria.
Antioch is significant in the history of Christianity because it was one of the first primarily gentile churches, and was also the launching pad for the apostolic ministry of Saul of Tarsus, who is better known as the apostle Paul (see Acts 11:19-26 and Acts 13:1-3)
By the way, you will notice if you read all of Acts chapter 13 that you will come across another city also called Antioch. It was a popular name in ancient times for cities founded or taken over by Greeks. There were at least fifteen of them!
What is important for us in this article, however, is that the statement from Acts 11:26 gives us a definition of what a Christian is – a Christian is a disciple.
So, what is a disciple?
Taught By God
Our English word 'disciple' comes from the Latin verb 'discere', which means ‘to learn’, so a disciple is a learner. But there is a difference between a pupil, or a student, and a disciple.
Pupils and students are primarily interested in learning FACTS or SKILLS.
A disciple, on the other hand, is primarily interested in learning a LIFE-STYLE.
Jesus famously had twelve disciples who went with Him everywhere. They lived in each others pockets, travelled together, ate together, slept together, and ministered together, all the while the Twelve watching everything that Jesus did and listening to everything that Jesus said; learning to think the way He thought, speak the way He spoke, treat people the way He treated them, deal with situations the way He dealt with them, and relate to God the way He related to Him.
Did Jesus have any disciples other than the Twelve? Of course He did, but they were not all as dedicated to following Him, and many turned back when Jesus began to say things that were seen as being controversial:
60When many of his disciples heard it, they said, “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?” 61But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples were grumbling about this, said to them, “Do you take offence at this?" … 66After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. 67So Jesus said to the Twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?” 68Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life”. John 6:60-61, 66-68 (ESVuk)
Following Jesus is not always easy, and if you want to be popular all the time and be thought well of by other people, you will find it particularly challenging:
34And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 35For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it. 36For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? 37For what can a man give in return for his soul? 38For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” Mark 8:34-38 (ESVuk)
Being a Christian is not about being nice to everybody all the time. It’s about being committed to God, faithful to Jesus, and true to the Gospel. That will make you very unpopular at times, because most people want to live in a way that is not Godly, and take exception to anyone suggesting that their lifestyle leaves room for improvement.
Jesus rubbed many people up the wrong way, but not because He was being deliberately controversial or obtuse. He was simply doing what was right and saying what was true. But, as the apostle John so succinctly put it:
19This is the verdict: light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. 21But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God. John 3:19-21 (NIVuk)
As Christians, we are commanded to walk in the light (John 8:12; Ephesians 5:8) and to be the light of the world (Matthew 5:13-15).
Unfortunately, this can result in a worldly backlash, as the apostle Peter warns us:
Suffering for Christ
14If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. 15But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. 16Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name. 1 Peter 4:14-16 (ESVuk – emphasis added)
In the early days of Christianity there were two main sources of persecution:
- Religious Jews, who saw Christianity as a dangerous and wicked heresy;
- Roman culture, which demanded worship of their pagan gods, and even of their emperor.
Christians throughout the world today are being persecuted by many societies, because they do not conform to the prevailing world-view and belief-system of that society, be it religious (such as Islam, Hinduism, or Buddhism) or irreligious (such as Communism or Secular Humanism).
As Paul said to his young assistant, Timothy:
Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted 2 Timothy 3:12 (ESVuk)
However, I don’t want you to think that being a Christian is nothing but suffering.
On the contrary, the reason that over 365 million Christians world-wide (according to Open Doors statistics) are willing to put up with the pain and refuse to deny Christ in order to have an easier life is that following Jesus and living for God brings a fulfilment and a satisfaction that is found in no-one, nothing, and nowhere else.
Like Paul the Apostle
The apostle Paul was going to be assassinated by the Jewish extremists but, being a Roman citizen, he was able to appeal to Caesar for judgement, which saved him from being murdered, but left him in Roman custody, which meant being held in chains.
During a preliminary hearing before the Roman governor Festus and the Jewish king Agrippa, the following exchange took place, with Paul speaking first:
22“To this day I have had the help that comes from God, and so I stand here testifying both to small and great, saying nothing but what the prophets and Moses said would come to pass: 23that the Christ must suffer and that, by being the first to rise from the dead, he would proclaim light both to our people [the Jews] and to the Gentiles.”
24And as he was saying these things in his defence, Festus said with a loud voice, “Paul, you are out of your mind; your great learning is driving you out of your mind.” 25But Paul said, “I am not out of my mind, most excellent Festus, but I am speaking true and rational words. 26For the king knows about these things, and to him I speak boldly. For I am persuaded that none of these things has escaped his notice, for this has not been done in a corner. 27King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you believe.” 28And Agrippa said to Paul, “In a short time would you persuade me to be a Christian?” 29And Paul said, “Whether short or long, I would to God that not only you but also all who hear me this day might become such as I am—except for these chains.”
Acts 26:22-29 (ESVuk – emphasis and annotation added)
So, what was Paul, that he should want you and me and everyone else to be such as he was?
Here is a summary of the main changes that will take place in your life and the main benefits that you will experience if you surrender your life to Jesus Christ today. Like Paul, this is what you will become:
Forgiven, Reconciled, and Justified
As we’ve already seen, what keeps us from having a relationship with God is our sin. Every human being is a sinner – even saints of God. The apostles John and Paul both remind us of this:
8If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:8-9 (ESVuk)
15The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. 16But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. 1 Timothy 1:15-16 (ESVuk)
Note that John does not say, “we HAD no sin”. He says, “we HAVE no sin”. And Paul does not say, “I WAS the foremost of sinners” but, “I AM the foremost of sinners”.
So what’s the difference between a sinner and a saint?
The answer is that a saint is a sinner who has been FORGIVEN.
Is that all there is to it, then?
Of course not. Forgiveness is only the beginning.
But we need to understand that the forgiveness of God is radical. He wants to get to the root of the problem. God never says, “OK, I’ll forgive you – but I won’t forget!” On the contrary, sin forgiven is sin forgotten. The entry is blotted out of the book. As far as God is concerned, it never happened:
He does not retain his anger for ever,
because he delights in steadfast love.
19He will again have compassion on us;
he will tread our iniquities underfoot.
You will cast all our sins
into the depths of the sea.
Micah 7:18b-19 (ESVuk)A Dutch lady called Corrie Ten Boom, who knew God very well, remarked that He will then put up a sign saying, “NO FISHING”!
John the Baptist was sent by God as the prophet who would announce the coming of Christ to the Jewish people. Listen to what he had to say in relation to this:
The next day [John the Baptist] saw Jesus coming towards him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” John 1:29 (ESVuk – emphasis and annotation added)
As far as God is concerned, forgiveness does not mean, "OK, we won't bring this up again". It means, "It's gone; it's been taken away; it never happened".
The Bible often refers to sin as something which incurs debt that we owe to God but cannot pay. On the cross, Jesus was able to cancel that debt:
13And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him [Christ Jesus], having forgiven us all our trespasses, 14by cancelling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. Colossians 2:13-14 (ESVuk – emphasis and annotation added)
Now, forgiveness – or the cancellation of that debt – is not automatic. Before you can be forgiven, before the debt can be cancelled, there’s something that you have to do that no-one else can do for you:
And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:38 (ESVuk – emphasis added)
(We will look at baptism and receiving the Holy Spirit in another article.)
To repent means to realise that you’re heading in the wrong direction, to perform a U-turn, and to start heading in the right direction.
When you show that you’re willing to turn away from your selfish lifestyle and to start walking with God, He will give you all of the help that you need in order to do so successfully.
God wants you to be successful in every area of your life. He does NOT want you to lose or to fail. He wants you to be victorious. He wants you to be a winner.
During the Last Supper with His disciples on the eve of His crucifixion, Jesus told them that to open the door to repentance and forgiveness was what He came for:
27And [the Lord Jesus] took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, 28for this is my blood of the [new] covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. Matthew 26:27-28 (ESVuk – emphasis and annotation added)
46and [the Lord Jesus] said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, 47and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. Luke 24:46-47 (ESVuk – emphasis added)
A key concept in Christianity is GRACE. God deals with us, not as our behaviour deserves, but in a way which will enable us to turn around our lives and become righteous, holy, pure, and true to Him. He wants us all to become like Jesus, but it’s impossible for us to achieve that in our own ability. We need as much help from God as we can get, and He is not withholding that help. On the contrary, He’s LAVISHING it upon us, as apostle Paul reminds us:
7In him [Christ Jesus] we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 8which he lavished upon us … Ephesians 1:7-8a (ESVuk – emphasis and annotation added)
Reconciled and Justified
Our sins have thrust a wedge between ourselves and God. That relationship is broken. We’re not speaking to each other. There is a need for RECONCILIATION.
To be RECONCILED means that the relationship which had been broken has now been restored. You are no longer at logger-heads with each other, but are at peace with each other once more.
To be JUSTIFIED means that God no longer takes your wrong-doings into account, but as the supreme Judge of the supreme court of the universe, He has declared you to be righteous in His sight.
An easy way to understand JUSTIFIED is to say that it’s JUST as IF I’D never sinned.
Paul deals with this subject at length in his letter to the Romans. Here are a few extracts:
8but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. 11More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. Romans 5:8-11 (ESVuk – emphasis added)
3For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.” 4Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. 5And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness Romans 4:3-5 (ESVuk – emphasis added)
24 … [we] believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, 25who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification. Romans 4:24b-25 (ESVuk – emphasis added)
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 5:1 (ESVuk – emphasis added)
18Therefore, as [Adam’s] one trespass led to condemnation for all men [when he ate the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil], so [Christ’s] one act of righteousness [on the cross] leads to justification and life for all men. 19For as by the one man [Adam]'s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man [Jesus]'s obedience the many will be made righteous. Romans 5:18-19 (ESVuk – emphasis and annotation added)
17Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 18All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Romans 8:17-19 (ESVuk – emphasis added)
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. 10For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. Romans 10:9-10 (ESVuk – emphasis added)
Born Again as a Child of God
Salvation is not just about being forgiven and having our relationship with God restored. It’s about entering into a brand new relationship with God, which no-one can have unless they come to God the Father through God the Son – Jesus Christ:
6Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me. 7If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him.” John 14:6-7 (NASB)
Before you surrender your life to Christ, God is a distant authority figure, but once you have been brought by Jesus and the Holy Spirit into His presence to be forgiven, reconciled, and justified, you all of a sudden find that you know Him as your FATHER:
13For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. Romans 8:13-17 (ESVuk)
In that passage, Paul talks about us being ADOPTED as sons.
(By the way, in Paul’s day and in Roman culture, a rich or powerful man might adopt a younger man to be his heir or his successor, not because the younger man was an orphan and needed a father, but because the older man trusted him to further the family honour or the family estate or his own good name. In those days, sons had more familial rights than daughters did, so even if you’re a woman or a girl, as a Christian today, God confers on you all of the rights of a son.)
However, you are not only being adopted. This is not merely a legal transaction. You are actually and literally becoming a child of God:
12But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. John 1:12-13 (ESVuk – emphasis added)
As Jesus Himself testified in His conversation with the Jewish teacher called Nicodemus:
3Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” … 7Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ 8The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” John 3:3,7,8 (ESVuk – emphasis added)
Here are some more quotes from the apostles Peter, Paul, and John:
3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you … 23since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God 1 Peter 1:3-4,23 (ESVuk – emphasis added)
14Do all things without grumbling or questioning, 15that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world Philippians 2:14-15 (ESVuk – emphasis added)
1See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. 3All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure. 1 John 3:1-3 (NIVuk – emphasis added)
Saved
Having been forgiven, justified, reconciled, born again, and adopted as a son with full rights of inheritance from your Father God, you are now SAVED.
In ancient times, a SAVIOUR was perhaps the king of a neighbouring country who was committed to coming to your rescue should you be attacked by an enemy who was too strong for you to fight on your own.
(See 2 Kings 13:5 and 14:27 for a Biblical example.)
A modern example might be where Ukraine looks to NATO to fight on its behalf against Russia. (I am writing this in July 2024.) Ukraine still has to fight, but it is not fighting alone. NATO, to some extent, is the saviour of Ukraine.
Paul shows us that both God the Father and Jesus Christ are our Saviour:
4But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Saviour appeared, 5he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, 6whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Saviour Titus 3:4-6 (ESVuk – emphasis added)
(The Holy Spirit, who is the third person of the Godhead, is also very active in our salvation, but is never referred to as our Saviour.)
Every Christian is faced daily by three powerful and persistent enemies: the WORLD, the FLESH, and the DEVIL.
Without the help of God – without the continual flow of His GRACE – we would not be able to prevail against these foes.
God fights for us, but we still have to do our part. Our part is to have FAITH in God and by faith to receive His GRACE:
4But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ — by grace you have been saved — 6and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus … 8For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God Ephesians 2:4-6,8 (ESVuk – emphasis added)
Jesus stated it quite succinctly:
Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved Mark 16:16a (ESVuk – emphasis added)
There are many religions in the world and many “ways”, but the Bible makes it clear that there is only one way to find salvation, or to be saved, and that is through Jesus Christ alone:
I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. John 10:9 (ESVuk - emphasis added)
And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord [Jesus Christ] shall be saved. Acts 2:21 (ESVuk – emphasis and annotation added)
And there is salvation in no one else [but Jesus Christ], for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. Acts 4:12 (ESVuk – emphasis and annotation added)
If you truly believe something, you won’t keep quiet about it; you’ll tell somebody, or anybody, or everybody.
If you truly believe in Jesus, you won’t be keeping it a secret. If you don’t talk about it, do you really believe?
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. 10For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. Romans 10:9-10 (ESVuk – emphasis added)
1Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you — unless you believed in vain. 1 Corinthians 5:1-2 (ESVuk – emphasis added)
And, in case you were wondering whether maybe God didn’t really want YOU to be saved, have a look at these verses and see if you can see yourself in them:
3This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Saviour, 4who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 1 Timothy 2:3-4 (ESVuk – emphasis added)
For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Romans 10:13 (ESVuk – emphasis added)
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. John 3:17 (ESVuk - emphasis added)
If you’re still not sure, try reading them again but this time replace ‘all people’, ‘everyone’, and ‘the world’ with your own name.
It’s really as personal as that. Jesus and His Father want YOU to be saved.
Empowered
If you’re going out to fight an enemy, you need the type of power that’s going to be effective against that enemy. It’s no good approaching a gun-man with a pen-knife or a military tank with a shotgun.
We are facing spiritual enemies, and physical power is no use. We need spiritual power to go into combat against spiritual foes.
David understood this when he faced Goliath. Listen to what he said:
45Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand … that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, 47and that all this assembly may know that the LORD saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the LORD's, and he will give you into our hand.” 1 Samuel 17:45-46a, 46b-47 (ESVuk)
David approached the battle with Goliath the giant in an attitude of FAITH IN GOD.
He knew that he could not rely on his own strength or ability, but he also knew that he was not fighting his own battle. He was fighting God’s battle, and so he was confident that God would give him the victory.
If God empowered David to defeat Goliath, do you think He might also empower you to defeat the enemies that come across your path?
Of course He will. Listen to the apostle John:
4For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. 5Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? 1 John 5:4-5 (ESVuk)
4Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. 1 John 4:4 (ESVuk)
There is a time to stand still and watch God destroy our enemies, as He did for Moses and the Israelites (Exodus 14:13-14), but more often than not, like David, we have to roll up our sleeves, put a stone in our sling, and run toward the battle line. Paul tells us:
3For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. 4For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. 5We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 (ESVuk – emphasis added)
So often the spiritual battle is one of words, beliefs, arguments, lies, controversies. But it is vital that we always remember that this is not a physical war, and we cannot win by ‘waging war according to the flesh’. Our opponents are spiritual beings, not fleshly human beings:
10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11Put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13Therefore take up the whole armour of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Ephesians 6:10-13 (ESVuk – emphasis added)
When David went out to meet Goliath, he was wearing no armour. At least, he was wearing no natural armour, but he was hidden behind the whole armour of God – the divine protection that is given to everyone who goes out to battle in the Lord’s name and for His glory.
(For the details of the whole armour of God, please read verses 14-20 of Ephesians chapter 6.)
So, where does this divine power come from, and how do we obtain it?
It comes to us through the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Godhead, who comes to dwell within us when we become children of God.
John the Baptist said:
33I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ John 1:33 (ESVuk – emphasis added)
Jesus conferred His own power upon His apostles when He sent them out to minister in His name:
1And he called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, 2and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal. Luke 9:1-2 (ESVuk – emphasis added)
19Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. Luke 10:19 (ESVuk – emphasis added)
After His death and resurrection, however, He sent the Holy Spirit to empower them:
49And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high. Luke 24:49 (ESVuk – emphasis added)
8But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. Acts 1:8 (ESVuk – emphasis added)
But it was not only the apostles who were empowered in this way:
8And Stephen, full of grace and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people. Acts 6:8 (ESVuk – emphasis added)
5Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed to them the Christ. 6And the crowds with one accord paid attention to what was being said by Philip when they heard him and saw the signs that he did. 7For unclean spirits, crying out with a loud voice, came out of many who had them, and many who were paralysed or lame were healed. Acts 8:5-7 (ESVuk – emphasis added)
This same power is promised to ALL who believe, not just some special people:
15And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. 16Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. 17And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.” Mark 16:15-18 (ESVuk – emphasis added)
Paul expected everyone in the church to be moving in the power of God:
19But I will come to you soon, if the Lord wills, and I will find out not the talk of these arrogant people but their power. 20For the kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power. 1 Coritnthians 4:19-20 (ESVuk – emphasis added)
19and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power towards us who believe, according to the working of his great might 20that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places Ephesians 1:19-20 (ESVuk – emphasis added)
4Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; 6and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. 7To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 1 Corinthians 12:4-7 (ESVuk – emphasis added)
But the power of God is not something that we can call upon, like a genie in a bottle, to get what we want out of life. The key to this power is faith, and the foundation of faith is submission and obedience to the will of God.
In fact, the power of God is found in the Gospel itself:
16For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes Romans 1:16a (ESVuk – emphasis added)
Eternal – Alive For Ever
God is eternal, so it makes sense that His children should inherit that attribute from Him when they’re born again. We can have eternal life in Him.
But what is eternal life? What does it look like?
The answer to that is that nobody knows. This is what the apostle John says about it:
1See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. 3And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure. 1 John 3:1-3 (ESVuk – emphasis added)
(‘When He appears’ is when Jesus returns to this world to establish His kingdom here and rule over all of the nations of the earth.)
If the apostle who walked so closely with Jesus all of his life had not seen ‘what we will be’, then it’s unlikely that any of us will have that revelation.
The closest we can get to it is what Jesus says in what is known as His 'high-priestly prayer' in John's Gospel chapter 17:
1When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, 2since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. 3And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. John 17:1-3 (ESVuk – emphasis added)
Whatever ‘eternal life’ might turn out to be, we can be certain of one thing: if God is giving it to us, it’s a good thing, because everything that God gives is good.
Here are a few scriptures that make reference to it:
16“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 35The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand. 36Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him. John 3:16,35-36 (ESVuk – emphasis added)
24Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgement, but has passed from death to life. John 5:24 (ESVuk – emphasis added)
40For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. 44No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. 47Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. John 6:40,44,47 (ESVuk – emphasis added)
25Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. John 12:25 (ESVuk – emphasis added)
7to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, he will give eternal life; 8but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. Romans 2:7-8 (ESVuk – emphasis added)
22But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. 23For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:22-23 (ESVuk – emphasis added)
8For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. Galatians 6:8 (ESVuk – emphasis added)
12Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 1 Timothy 6:12 (ESVuk – emphasis added)
24Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you too will abide in the Son and in the Father. 25And this is the promise that he made to us—eternal life. 1 John 2:24-25 (ESVuk – emphasis added)
11And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. 13I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life. 1 John 5:11-12 (ESVuk – emphasis added)
21keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. Jude 1:21 (ESVuk – emphasis added)
