one who has chosen to follow Jesus Christ, pursuing a life of principled obedience to whatsoever he commanded, out of love for Him, and gratitude for his saving grace.

There is no such thing as a Christian who has not come under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Many people who call Jesus "Lord,"
while living for themselves alone, are deluded in thinking they are Christians. Our Lord clearly indicates that they are not.

Matthew 28:19-20 | Mark 8:34-38 | Luke 9:57-62 | John 6
Matt 7:15-27 | John 14:21-24 | John 15:10 | 1 John 2:3-6; 5:2 | Acts 20:21

A Christian is one who has responded to the call of the Gospel by clearly manifesting

• repentance towards God, the Father - turning from sin out of grief and sorrow at having offended Him by disobeying His commands;
• faith in Jesus Christ the Son - whole-souled commitment to Him; through the Holy Spirit - His convicting and life-giving power.
  

"Inviting Jesus into your heart" is not the Gospel invitation. Neither is "accept Jesus as your personal Savior." Christian salvation is personal. Christ will reign in a Christian's heart by faith. But the Bible never uses these concepts in Gospel invitations. Scripture always uses the more direct language of repentance and faith.

What did the apostles preach?

Acts 2:37-39 | Acts 14:15 | Acts 20:21 | Acts 26:20 | 1 Thess 1:5-7
Romans 1-8 | Acts 16;25-34 | Acts 17:30-31 | Acts 19:18-19
Ephesians 1:13-14 | Titus 3:3-7

A Christian is one who trusts in Jesus Christ alone for the forgiveness of their sins, based upon Christ's perfect obedience to the law [his active obedience] and substituting himself as an atonement for those sins [his passive obedience] the Father having poured out His wrath upon Christ, rather than pour out his wrath upon them. [Christ suffers on the cross, what they would suffer in hell]

Our fundamental problem is not that we are separated from God.
Rather, we are under the wrath of God: his holy revulsion against that which is the contradiction of his being. We are, primarily, guilty sinners deserving eternal punishment [hell]. We have a legal problem; a forensic concern. We are, as a result of that, alienated sinners, separated from the life and blessing of God. We have an existential problem resulting from our legal one; one touching our felt experience.

But God, because of His great love for us, has provided a "sacrifice that makes atonement" in the death of Jesus. God's wrath is poured out upon His Son, instead of us. Through faith in Christ we can be declared righteous: having Christ's righteousness put to our account, merited by His active and passive obedience, even as our Sins - the legal penalty due our sins, that is - were put to Christ's account. That is the substantive heart of the gospel proclamation.
It is primarily legal and forensic, not existential.

Read Romans 1-8
Romans 3:24-26, 4:4-11, 5:17-19, 8:1 | 1 Corinthians 6:11
2 Corinthians 5:19-21 | Galatians 3:6, 11 | Phillipians 3:9 | Titus 3:5
Psalm 32:1 | Isaiah 12:1-2 | Acts 10:42; 13:38-39

A Christian is one who has been born anew of the Spirit to a life increasingly marked by

• spiritual-mindedness - making every thought subject to God's Word,
• spiritual fruitfulness - manifesting patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, joy, self-control, and love - the supreme mark of the Christian - as demonstrated in one's daily conduct.
  

There are no non-spiritual or semi-spiritual Christians. The so-called "carnal Christian" is most likely not a Christian at all; rather, a product of "decisional regeneration" and the modern preoccupation with emotional appeals, sentiment and alter calls.

Neither can one genuinely claim to be born of God while holding others in contempt; having hatred in one's heart. The distinguishing marks of one who has been born again will be observed, in ever-increasing ways.

Romans 8 | Galatians 5

1 Cor 1-3 - in what way were the Corinthians carnal?

John 3:1-8 | Romans 12:1 | Titus 2:9-14; 3:4-7 | 1 John 4:20-21
Acts 2:38-39 | Galatians 3:2-14

We should remember the larger context of the gospel's proclamation. While it is clearly good news about a persons individual salvation, it has even more profound implications, including: the restoration of the cosmos, the coming of the eternal kingdom of God, the victory over Satan and his agents, and the assurance of a new heavens and new earth where righteousness dwells - absolutely.

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