What is a Christian?

"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. Therefore, the life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me" (Gal 2:20).

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation: the old has gone, the new has come!" (2 Cor 5:17).

• Why has Gal 2:20 and 2 Cor 5:17 been regarded as among the best verses that describe what a Christian is?
• How can you tell if you're a Christian?
• How do you know if you're not faking it or deceiving yourself?
• Are you aware of your native estrangement from God (Ps 51:5) or of God's scrutiny of you (Ps 139:1)? 

1. Is a Christian one who only needs to believe to be saved (Gen 15:6; Jn 6:29; 14:1; Ac 16:30-31; Jas 2:19)?
   
• How is a person saved (Jn 3:16, 7; Ac 16:31; Rom 4:5; 5:1; 10:9-10; Eph 2:8-9; Tit 3:5)?
  
2. What does a Christian experience (Ps 139:1, 5, 7; Jn 14:16-17; 15:16; 16:8-10; Rom 8:9; Gal 2:20; 5:22-23)?
3. 
   How does a Christian live (Mt 25:34-36, 37-40; 7:21; Jas 1:22; 2:17-18; Ac 1:8; Eph 4:1-3)?
   

A Christian is not one who just believes correctly (Jn 6:29; Ac 16:31; Jas 2:19), but who also experiences God (Jn 14:16-17; Rom 8:9) and lives it out practically (Jas 1:22; 2:17-18). Thus, a Christian must have Orthodoxy, Orthopathy and Orthopraxy, which should be expressed as Logos, Pathos and Ethos.

• What does Christian faith consist of?

Information (Objective)	Head (Orthodoxy*)	Thinking (Believing)	Cognition (Logos)
Experience (Subjective)	Heart (Orthopathy*)	Feeling	Emotion (Pathos) (Passion)
Reality (Empirical, Observed)	Hands (Orthopraxy*)	Doing (Practicing)	Volition (Ethos) (Action)

The core central communication and proclamation of the four Gospels is the Kingdom and the Cross. 

The story of Christ in the Gospels is that of:

1. Incarnation (Exo 25:8; Jn 1:14, 51; Gen 28:12; 32:24, 30; Mt 1:23; Isa 7:14; 9:6; Jos 5:14; Mic 5:2).
2. Kingdom (Mk 1:15; Mt 6:10, 33; Jn 18:36; Ps 145:13; Isa 2:2-4; 9:6-7; Jer 23:5; Dan 2:44; 7:13-14; Mic 4:1-4; Zec 9:9).
3. Cross (Mt 27:35; Mk 15:24; Lk 23:33; Jn 19:18; 1 Cor 1:23; 2:2; 15:3; Gal 2:20; Isa 53:3, 5; 50:6).
4. Resurrection (Mt 28:6; Job 19:25-26; Ps 16:10; 22:21-22; Isa 25:6, 8; 26:19; 53:10-11; Dan 12:2; Hos 6:2).
5. Ascension (Lk 24:51; Ac 1:9-11; 7:55-56; Ps 110:1; Dan 7:13-14).

• 
  * Orthodoxy is rooted in ancient Greek, combining orthos ("right/straight" or "correct") and doxa (meaning "opinion" or "praise"). It is often translated as "right belief" or "true doctrine," refering to adherence to accepted, classically mainstream, or traditional beliefs.
• * Orthopathy refers to "right feeling" or "correct passion." It is most commonly used in Christian theology and spiritual formation to describe the right ordering of emotions, affections, and desires in alignment with God's will.
• * Orthopraxy (or orthopraxis) refers to "correct practice" or "right action." In Greek (praxis meaning "action"), it is a term mostly used in religious and philosophical studies to describe traditions that prioritize behavioral conduct, rituals, and ethical living over strict adherence to specific doctrines.