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Region: England, Wales and Northern Ireland

RE:QUEST

A space for resources to help RE teachers and their students explore the Christian faith
“A huge resource to treasure.”
Lat Blaylock, Editor, RE Today

We are delighted to share with you our library of resources. You can use the filter feature below to find topics most relevant to your curriculum.

Faith: What is a Christian?

How does someone become a Christian?

Free A man reading Indoor Stock PhotoPerhaps the clue to what a Christian is can be found in the name. The word ‘Christian’ is actually a nickname – it literally means 'little Christ.' It was a nickname given to men and women in the first century who went about talking about Jesus Christ, a Jewish rabbi, prophet and miracle maker who had been crucified by the Romans. They said he was the way to God. They regularly met together to worship him. And as a group, they did their best to follow his teaching and example – helping people in need and giving away their money and possessions to support each other. What makes somebody a Christian? Most Christians would agree that it involves these things:

  • Saying sorry to God for the wrong things they have done (confession)
  • Accepting Jesus' gift of forgiveness and choosing to change the way they live by putting God first (repentance)
  • Believing in Jesus as the Son of God for themselves (faith)
  • Finding out more about how Jesus lived and what he taught, and following his example (obedience)

Becoming a Christian is not a decision to be taken lightly. Even Jesus taught that following him was hard work! People often spend time finding out and making up their own mind before becoming a Christian. Perhaps they will have been to Sunday School, Confirmation classes or an Alpha course. When they make the decision to become a Christian, many people demonstrate this decision to other people by being baptised or confirmed.

Although going to church by itself doesn’t make you a Christian, many people choose to join a local church to help them connect with God and learn more about him, in the company of other people who believe the same things.

Find out more... Christians come in different shapes and sizes. Meet different Christians and hear them explain what their faith means to them here.