What Makes Someone a Christian?

Most agree that Christianity developed in the context of first-century Judaism. The faith of Christians is centered on Jesus, a Jewish rabbi who, after three years of teaching, died in c. 33 C.E. at the hands of the Romans. Over the centuries, most Christians agreed that the four Gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—were the authoritative accounts of Jesus' life, death, and, most importantly for Christians, what happened after his death. These books are held in the Bible, which is the sacred text of Christians. It holds the record of the relationship between God and humans.