To be (a Christian) or not to be (a Christian), that is the question.

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

Colossians 2:6-7 (NRSV)

A person is not a Christian unless they follow Christ. The definition of what it means to follow Christ is summarized in these two simple verses, we are to:

1. Live our lives in him
2. Remain rooted and built up in him
3. Continually be strengthened in the faith
4. Be continually overflowing with thanksgiving.

Someone who claims the name “Christian,” which is claiming the name of Christ, but does not follow Christ as Paul summarized it in Colossians, is a liar and is taking the name of the Lord in vain. The only way to be at peace is to follow Christ, there is no other way. However, the determination of whether a person is a follower of Christ is between the person and Jesus, other humans do not have the authority to judge fairly on these matters.

If a person comes to Christ and begins to follow him, these are the steps to follow. We must remember that we are to come to him just as we are. I have had people tell me that they need to clean their lives up before they make a commitment for Christ but that is the opposite of the way this works. We come to him as a full on sinner that is bound for hell to be redeemed by Jesus Christ, it is his redemption that matters, not our own efforts to clean ourselves up (fyi: we can NEVER clean ourselves up enough).

See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the universe, and not according to Christ.

Colossians 2:8 (NRSV)

Paul goes on to elaborate on the summary by showing that it is not through our own power, or any human effort, that this happens. It is not “according to human tradition” but through Christ that this is done. Leave the judging to the one and only true judge, Jesus Christ, for it is his power that does this, “I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6, NRSV).

We are to follow the instructions that are laid out for us by Jesus Christ himself, through the writers of the Bible, in order to have the power of Christ in our lives today. His is the peace that is not understood by this world, the peace that the world cannot take away. It is the peace that Jesus brought on that first Christmas day that the angels sang about, the peace of the Kingdom of God.