What does it really mean to be a Christian? First it means we accept that we need forgiveness and repent of our disobedience to God (sin). We say the Creeds, which outline what we believe as Christians, “I believe in God the Father Almighty…..I believe in God the Son who died and rose to save us… and I believe in the Holy Spirit.” Also, when we become Christians, we begin our journey of changing from being led by our human wants, to being led by God’s will.

This change takes place because we accept the Holy Spirit. We can only believe what we say in the creeds because the Holy Spirit works in us. Paul writes in Romans 8:8-9, ” That’s why those who are still under the control of their old sinful selves, bent on following their old evil desires, can never please God. But you are not like that. You are controlled by your new nature if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that if anyone doesn’t have the Spirit of Christ living in him, he is not a Christian at all.) TLB

We are Christian and we are also human; as a result, we have a battle going on inside us. The battle is between our human desires and God’s will. The more we surrender our lives to the Holy Spirit inside us, the better we become at following God’s will rather than ours.

So Christians are those who have asked for God’s forgiveness, accepted the Holy Spirit into their heart, and can therefore believe Jesus Christ gives them eternal life. As a result, they live their lives by God’s direction and can experience the Joy and Peace of God’s will.

Dear Lord, Thank you for giving us your Holy Spirit to live in us and connect us with you. Help us surrender more fully to do your will and experience the Peace and Joy it provides. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.