What is a Christian - Part 2

Last time, we tore down a few of the false ideas about what makes someone a Christian — all the outer stuff we like to polish up and call faith. Today, I want to swing the light toward what does define a Christian. Not the noise, not the merch, not the vibes — but the backbone of what we actually believe.

And to do that, we have to go old school. Way before denominations, celebrity pastors, or livestreams — back when the church was still figuring out how to explain the faith without everyone twisting it up.

That’s where something called the Apostles’ Creed came in.

Now, I know — for some people, that word “creed” sounds stiff or religious. But this one isn’t about empty ritual. It’s about clarity. It’s a summary — a set of “stakes in the ground” that the earliest believers used to say, This is what we stand on. This is what it means to belong to Jesus.

And the truth is, a lot of Christians today couldn’t tell you what’s even in it.

The Creed That Built a Church

Here’s how it starts:

“I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth.”

Stop right there. It begins with belief — not opinion, not theory — belief. And not belief in just any god, but in God the Father Almighty, the One who created everything. The Creed starts by saying, “He’s the source. We’re not.”

It draws a hard line between the Creator and creation. We didn’t invent Him; He invented us. And that truth alone separates Christianity from every self-made religion that puts humans at the center.

Then it continues:

“I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord…”

That one sentence packs more power than a library of theology books. Jesus isn’t just a good man, a teacher, or a prophet. He’s God’s only Son. And the word “Lord” means something too — it means He’s in charge. He’s the authority, not an accessory to our lives.

Everything else in the Creed flows from that:

“…who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; He descended to hell; the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended to heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from there He will come to judge the living and the dead.”

It’s the Gospel in one breath — incarnation, crucifixion, resurrection, and return. The Creed doesn’t waste time on feelings or denominational debates. It’s not worried about worship styles, coffee bars, or who’s playing guitar. It’s focused on the heart of Christianity: who Jesus is, what He did, and what He’s still doing.

A Faith With a Spine

That’s what makes the Creed so important — it gives Christianity a spine. Without it, faith turns into a fog of opinions and experiences. Everybody builds their own “version of Jesus” and then wonders why nothing fits together.

The Creed pulls it back to bedrock. It says: This is what Christians believe. Period.

And that matters. Because when you don’t know what you believe, you’ll believe anything.

That’s how false doctrines, watered-down gospels, and cultural Christianity sneak in. The Apostles’ Creed is like a guardrail — it keeps you anchored to truth when everything else is trying to drift you off course.

Now, that doesn’t mean creeds save you. Only Jesus does that. But creeds help keep your belief about Jesus accurate — so that the faith you claim actually lines up with the faith He taught.

The Core vs. the Periphery

Here’s something we forget: not every church disagreement is about something that defines Christianity. Some things are what I’d call peripheral issues — like how baptism should be done, or which instruments belong in worship, or how often you take communion.

Those things matter, sure, but they don’t make or break your salvation. They’re the outer edges. The core — the stuff that makes you an actual Christian — is what the Apostles’ Creed captures:

God the Father as Creator

Jesus Christ as His divine Son

The Holy Spirit as present and active

The forgiveness of sins

The resurrection of the body

And life everlasting

If you pull those pieces out, you’re not left with Christianity. You’re left with something that just sounds Christian.

Why This Still Matters

We live in a world that loves to reinvent everything — even God. People build their own versions of faith, their own “spiritual brand,” like it’s a Spotify playlist. The danger is, if your version of Christianity doesn’t line up with what Jesus and the apostles actually taught, then you’re following an echo, not the real thing.

The Creed reminds us that truth isn’t up for rebranding. It’s not an accessory to culture — it’s the foundation beneath it. When you say the words, “I believe in God the Father Almighty… and in Jesus Christ His only Son…” you’re not repeating an old poem. You’re declaring allegiance to the same King who spoke creation into existence and walked out of the grave.

That’s why I love it. It’s simple, powerful, and unshakable. It’s what holds the faith together when everything else is falling apart.

So What Does That Mean for Us?

It means being a Christian isn’t just about belonging to a group. It’s about belonging to truth.

It means we don’t get to edit the parts of the Gospel we don’t like.

It means our faith isn’t built on how we feel today — it’s built on who God is, period.

And it means when the world shifts, we don’t have to. Because we’re standing on something older and stronger than all of it.

In Part 3, we’ll take this from belief to relationship — because knowing about the truth and actually living in it are two very different things. We’ll talk about what happens when you come to Jesus as you are, mess and all, and why you don’t have to “clean up before the shower.”