Son of God needs the word just as the baby needs food for growth; sons of God needs the word of God for spiritual growth. In the gospel of John, when Jesus met Nicodemus, He told him to be born again, John 3:3. From this we learn that when a person accepts Christ, he is a new being who needs to be fed on the word of God, Paul says such a person is a baby who needs ‘milk’ not ‘solid food’ for spiritual growth; 1 Cor 3:1-2.
Many people in the world have found themselves being called Christians, but when asked why they are called Christians they cannot give an answer. I have met many people in this ministry when i ask them why they are called Christian their answers have been different: I am baptized in the church, i attend the church services every Sunday, I participate in church activities, I wedded in the church and so many more answers. It is good to understand something before you start using it or being called together with. To understand who is a Christian we need to know how this name came to existence. We are going to know this by answering a few questions: i) who is a Christian? ii) How does one become a Christian? iii) What is required of a Christian?
Christians were first called by the people who were not Christians at Antioch. (Acts11:26). These people had been known earlier during the time of Christ as disciples, the follower of Christ. They were also being called children of God, the name that had come from the old people who God had called ‘my chosen nation’ and my precious people (Deuteronomy 7:6). Peter also used this name in his letter as God’s special possession (1Peter 2:9). The name is also connected to Christ Himself.
A Christian is an adherent of Christ; one committed to Christ; a follower of Christ. From Christian existence, we realize that Christians are God’s people, His own special possession who are to proclaim the praises of the God who called them. They are called His own possession to be committed in proclaiming the praise of Hm. When you become committed to do something you are agreeing to terms and conditions. When you become committed to somebody, you do what that person does and what he/she likes. Jesus said I do what my father tells me to do (John 5:19), I say what my father tells me to say everything rotates on God (John 12:49) , I do nothing of my own initiative (John 8:28). From these definition we find that for you to be a Christian you must be committed to follow Christ and walk the way He walked, speak the language spoke and do everything the way He did. He said to his disciple “whoever believes in me will do the works that I have done and even more (John 14:12).
How does one become a Christian? One becomes a Christian by believing in Christ that He is the son of God who came to save the world of sinners and accepting him in his/her life. The bible says “as many received Him he gave them power to become the children of God (John 1:12-13). You are called a child of your father because your blood is your father’s blood even if he denies that you are not his child, the blood will prove whose child you belong. I believe this is also one reason why Jesus had to shade the blood to redeem us and by doing that He was making us children of God. Paul says we are co heirs with Christ meaning we are children from the same family with Him and He is our first born (Romans 8:17). It is by believing that Christ was sent in this world so that through Him we may be called children of God and learn to live like the way He lived.