What is a Christian?

Many people associate being a Christian with a life-style or behavior such as loving people, helping people, or being a good person. Some associate a Christian with religious practices such as church attendance or prayer. Some associate a Christian with what they DON’T do such as abstaining from alcohol, dancing, or other “so called” worldly things. The historic Christian position is as follows: a Christian is a person who has a relationship with God only through Jesus Christ. That relationship is based on God’s grace and only by faith. “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of (human) works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9 English Standard Version).