What does it mean to say that I am a Christian? Some people might respond with a reference to their denomination. If I were to do that, I would say that I was raised as a Methodist, then became an Episcopalian, then moved into Anglicanism. But that is not what it means to be a Christian.
So what does it mean? Others might respond with descriptions of the good deeds they do. If I were to do that, I could list the hours of service or the amount of donations that I give to the church. But that is not what it means to be a Christian.
So what does it mean? Some might respond with vague acknowledgments that there must be a creator being who put everything together. But that is not what it means to be a Christian.
So what does it mean?
A Christian is someone who believes that:
Jesus is the Son of God;
Our own shortcomings keeps us out of relationship with God;
Jesus, the only perfect human being, received the punishment for all our shortcomings when He died for us;
Jesus came to life again and went up into heaven;
Anyone who will accept Jesus's sacrifice for all of his/her own shortcomings can have a relationship with God through Jesus;
Anyone who wants a relationship with God must follow the example of Jesus's earthly life and teachings.
So are Christians perfect, or special, or better than other people? Hardly. As a matter of fact, choosing to become a Christian will (or should) make you aware of just how imperfect you are. The best example of this can be found in the life of a 1st century Jewish religious leader by the name of Saul. His self-proclaimed purpose in life was to find, arrest and jail every Christian he could find. In his mind, the imperfection (or sins) of these Christians was something that should not be tolerated. Saul later became a Christian himself, changed his name to Paul, and eventually became known as one of the most important Christians who ever lived. In spite of this, though, he would refer to himself as the "chiefest of sinners".
My decision to live as a Christian means that I try to live as much like Jesus as I can. As Jesus was merciful and kind, I should try to be. As Jesus was honest, bold and truthful, I should strive to be. As Jesus was so close in His relationship with God that He could call him "Daddy God", I should make every effort to be.
I know that I will never be perfect this side of heaven, but I also know that my life changed forever for the better when I chose to follow Jesus.