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In our time it is common to hear expressions such as “I believe in something higher,” “I feel God within me,” or “I’m spiritual but not religious.” We live in a culture deeply shaped by subjective experience, where feeling often seems to be the ultimate criterion of truth. However, from an authentic Christian perspective, being Christian goes far beyond feeling something transcendent or intellectually accepting that there is a reality greater than ourselves.
Christianity is not merely emotion, nor a philosophical idea, nor a vague spirituality. It is a real relationship with God that involves knowledge, conversion, obedience, and transformation of life. In other words, being Christian means knowing God personally and freely choosing to obey Him.
This article offers a theological, pastoral, and practical reflection on this fundamental truth of the Christian faith, with a deep yet accessible perspective for today’s believer.
1. The Problem of Christianity Reduced to Feeling
Contemporary man highly values inner experience. This has positive aspects: the human heart seeks God, and the desire for transcendence is inscribed in our nature. However, a real danger arises when faith is reduced solely to emotions or intuitions.
Many people today say:
- “I feel peace, therefore God is with me.”
- “I believe there is something higher.”
- “I have faith in my own way.”
But Christian faith is not founded on changing emotional states. Feelings fluctuate; revealed truth remains.
The Christian Faith Is Objective and Revealed
Christianity is born from a concrete historical revelation: God has manifested Himself in history through the people of Israel and definitively in the person of Jesus Christ. It is not a human idea about the divine, but God’s initiative to reveal Himself and call humanity.
Therefore, being Christian means responding to that revelation, not simply constructing a personal spirituality.
2. Believing That God Exists Is Not Enough: The Warning of James
One of the most forceful biblical texts on this subject is found in the Epistle of James:
“You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble.” (James 2:19)
This statement is theologically profound and pastorally decisive.
What Does This Verse Teach?
James establishes a clear truth:
- Believing that God exists does not save.
- Knowing God intellectually is not enough.
- Even demons recognize the existence and power of God.
Demons possess perfect theological knowledge about God: they know who He is, they know His power and authority. Yet they do not love Him nor obey Him. Their relationship with God is one of rejection.
This means that authentic faith is not merely knowledge nor merely feeling: it is loving obedience.
3. What It Really Means to “Know God”
In biblical thought, “to know” does not mean merely to understand intellectually. It is a relational, personal, and transformative knowledge.
Knowing God Implies:
1. Personal Relationship
God is not an impersonal energy or a cosmic force. He is a living God who calls humanity into communion with Him.
2. Conversion of Heart
Whoever knows God changes his life. Scripture insists that encountering God transforms behaviors, priorities, and desires.
3. Loving Obedience
Knowledge of God leads to fulfilling His will.
Jesus Himself taught this clearly:
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (Jn 14:15).
Christian Theology Summarizes It This Way:
- To know → to love
- To love → to obey
- To obey → to live in God
Without this process, faith remains incomplete.
4. Christian Faith: Total Adherence to God
Christian tradition teaches that authentic faith has three inseparable dimensions.
1. Intellectual Faith (believing revealed truth)
Accepting what God has revealed.
2. Affective Faith (loving God)
It is not enough to know who God is; one must love Him.
3. Practical Faith (obeying God)
Faith must be manifested in works.
When obedience is lacking, faith becomes empty. That is why James also states:
“Faith without works is dead” (Jas 2:26).
5. The History of Christian Thought on Faith and Obedience
From the earliest centuries, the Church has taught that faith implies a transformed life.
The Church Fathers
Early Christians understood faith as a radical change of life. Baptism implied renouncing sin and living according to Christ.
Saint Augustine
He taught that believing is “thinking with assent,” but that assent moves one to love and obey.
Saint Thomas Aquinas
He defined faith as an act of the intellect moved by the will toward God. It is not merely reason nor merely emotion, but total adherence.
Christian tradition has always been clear: authentic faith produces obedience.
6. The Danger of Cultural and Superficial Christianity
In many contemporary contexts there is a troubling phenomenon: nominal Christianity.
- Baptized persons who do not live the faith.
- Believers who reduce God to a feeling.
- Spirituality without moral commitment.
This produces a weak Christianity, incapable of transforming personal life or society.
Consequences of This Reduction
- Moral relativism.
- Faith without conversion.
- Christian life without sacrifice.
- Religiosity centered on personal well-being.
The Gospel, however, speaks of the cross, conversion, and self-giving.
7. Being Christian Means Choosing to Obey God
Here lies the core of the Christian message.
Christian Obedience Is Not Oppression
In modern mentality, obedience appears as a loss of freedom. But in the Christian vision, the opposite is true.
- God knows the truth about the human person.
- His commandments lead to fulfillment.
- Obeying God frees one from sin.
Christian obedience is a response of love, not blind submission.
Christ as the Model
The life of Christ is perfect obedience to the Father. The Christian is called to imitate this attitude.
8. Practical Applications for Daily Life
How can this truth be lived concretely? Theology must translate into life.
1. Seek to Truly Know God
- Read Scripture.
- Study the faith.
- Pursue doctrinal formation.
- Avoid a merely emotional faith.
2. Examine One’s Life
Sincerely ask:
- Does my faith change my decisions?
- Do I live according to the commandments?
- Do I seek God’s will or my own?
3. Practice Concrete Obedience
Obedience is lived in everyday life:
- Honesty at work.
- Fidelity in marriage.
- Forgiveness toward those who wound.
- Defense of truth.
- Charity toward those in need.
4. Persevere When There Are No Emotions
Sometimes nothing is felt in prayer. Authentic faith remains even without sensible consolation.
Fidelity without emotion is a sign of spiritual maturity.
9. Relevance for the Modern World
This message is especially urgent today.
We live in a society where:
- Truth is relativized.
- Morality is subjectivized.
- Religion is privatized.
Christianity offers a radical answer: God is real, He has revealed Himself, and He calls humanity to a transformed life.
The world needs coherent Christians, not merely sentimental believers.
10. The Christian’s Goal: Communion with God
The ultimate goal is not merely to fulfill external norms, but union with God.
Knowing Him, loving Him, and obeying Him leads to eternal communion with Him. This is humanity’s ultimate vocation.
Authentic faith transforms the heart, orders life, and directs the whole of existence toward God.
Conclusion: A Call to True Faith
Being Christian does not simply consist in feeling something spiritual or accepting that a higher being exists. Nor is it enough to know theologically who God is. Scripture affirms this strongly: even the demons believe.
Authentic Christianity is:
- to know God personally,
- to love Him truly,
- and to freely choose to obey Him.
This is the faith that transforms life, renews the heart, and leads to holiness.
The decisive question for every believer is not merely “Do I believe in God?”, but:
Do I live according to His will?
Does my faith change my life?
Have I chosen to obey Him?
This is where the true Christian journey begins.
