What does it mean to be Christian?

Christians are people who have accepted God’s unconditional love for themselves and for the whole Creation; and, in response to God’s graciousness, have responded to Jesus’ call to costly discipleship. Through the sacrament of Baptism, they have been incorporated into Christ’s body, the Church; and seek to follow in the way of Christ every day of their lives.

Christians are not perfect. We have received the message of the Good News (gospel) in Jesus Christ that God loves us despite ourselves and God forgives us no matter what. All we need to do is to acknowledge our dependence on God, Holy Trinity, Creator, Christ and Spirit; and, in the power of the Holy Spirit seek to live out our new life in Christ everyday.

Christian discipleship calls us to love God with our whole hearts, minds, bodies and souls; and to love our neighbours (whether friends or strangers, allies or enemies) as we love ourselves.

The Christian Life is one of worship, witness and service. As the body of Christ, we worship God together and, through that worship, are formed as God’s people. In the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, we are fed as God’s people on the way.

In the whole of our lives, we are called to live out our identity as the people of God. Being Christian has implications for how we live in our families; the way we do our work; the issues that are important to us; our hopes for our children, our friends, our communities… Christians seek to live out the values of God’s realm—justice, peace, reconciliation and the integrity of Creation. The Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-12 NRSV) have long been understood as a powerful and poetic statement of what that might mean:

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you
and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.
Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven,
for in the same way they persecuted the prophets
who were before you.