--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When a person becomes a Christian, he…" description: "\"When a person becomes a Christian, he doesn’t just join a local church because it’s a good habit for growing in spiritual maturity. He joins a local ch..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cca/mark-dever-3175_body_when-a-person-becomes-a-christian-he-doe_2358831.png" --- # When a person becomes a Christian, he doesn’t just join a… ![“When a person becomes a Christian, he doesn’t just join a local church because it’s a good habit for growing in spiritual maturity. He joins a local church because it’s the expression of what Christ has made him—a member of the body of Christ.” quote by Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cca/mark-dever-3175_body_when-a-person-becomes-a-christian-he-doe_2358831.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cca/mark-dever-3175_body_when-a-person-becomes-a-christian-he-doe_2358831.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cca/mark-dever-3175_body_when-a-person-becomes-a-christian-he-doe_2358831.png) > “When a person becomes a Christian, he doesn’t just join a local church because it’s a good habit for growing in spiritual maturity. He joins a local church because it’s the expression of what Christ has made him—a member of the body of Christ.” [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Christian membership is an expression of identity in Christ, not just a habit. **In simple terms:** Join church as Christ’s member, not habit. Key Takeaway Embrace identity in Christ. Themes faith community identity Mood reflective inspirational Type theological explanatory When to use this quote - church involvement - spiritual maturity - community building Key Concepts ecclesiology spiritual formation Questions to Reflect On - What does being part of Christ’s body mean to you? - How does this shape daily life? A Different Perspective May not address non‑Christian perspectives. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body/) [Body of christ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body-of-christ/) [Christ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christ/) [Christ Member](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christ-member-5768567/) [Christian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christian/) [Church](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/church/) [Expression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expression/) [Good habits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-habits/) [Growing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growing/) [Growing Spiritual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growing-spiritual-974264/) [Habit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/habit/) [Habits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/habits/) [Local church](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/local-church/) [Locals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/locals/) [Made](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/made/) [Maturity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/maturity/) [Members](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/members/) [Person Christian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/person-christian-924936/) [Persons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persons/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Spiritual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spiritual/) [Spiritual maturity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spiritual-maturity/) ## Related quotes > [To me, growing into spiritual maturity is becoming less self-conscious and more God-conscious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-batterson/to-me-growing-into-spiritual-maturity-is-becoming-less-self-conscious/) [Mark Batterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-batterson/) > [It is just a wonderful, wonderful time to be alive and to be able to be part of the ever-growing spiritual awareness that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-anderson/it-is-just-a-wonderful-wonderful-time-to-be-alive-and-to-be-able-to/) [Jon Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-anderson/) > [By growing a spiritual practice, we are given all that we need.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-bernstein/by-growing-a-spiritual-practice-we-are-given-all-that-we-need/) [Gabrielle Bernstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-bernstein/) > [“Growing spiritual is learning what we don’t know the other half is to unlearn everything we do know.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anita-frost/growing-spiritual-is-learning-what-we-don-t-know-the-other-half-is-to/) [Anita Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anita-frost/) > [“Yet the Bible teaches that the local church is the natural environment for discipling. In fact, it teaches that the local church is itself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/yet-the-bible-teaches-that-the-local-church-is-the-natural/) [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) > [It is a shame for a person to have been a Christian for years but not to have advanced beyond the knowledge of his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-epp/it-is-a-shame-for-a-person-to-have-been-a-christian-for-years-but-not/) [Theodore Epp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-epp/) > [“Christian ethics makes sense of human life from a moral perspective, presenting us with a vision of what it means to be a flourishing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-davison/christian-ethics-makes-sense-of-human-life-from-a-moral-perspective/) [Andrew Davison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-davison/) > [“There is no more hateful person than a Christian who thinks you’ve got your theology wrong.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-bessey/there-is-no-more-hateful-person-than-a-christian-who-thinks-you-ve/) [Sarah Bessey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-bessey/) > [I want people to know that LeCrae the person is a Christian. Just because you put a tag on me or my music that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lecrae/i-want-people-to-know-that-lecrae-the-person-is-a-christian-just/) [LeCrae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lecrae/) > [“A Muslim who prays five times a day and yet beats his wife at home, is no religious person. A Christian who goes to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/a-muslim-who-prays-five-times-a-day-and-yet-beats-his-wife-at-home-is/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [If you're openly living in unrepentant sin, whatever it may be, not just homosexuality, adultery, fornication, premarital sex between heterosexuals, whatever it may be,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-broussard/if-you-re-openly-living-in-unrepentant-sin-whatever-it-may-be-not/) [Chris Broussard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-broussard/) > [If you are not a praying person, you are not a Christian.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bunyan/if-you-are-not-a-praying-person-you-are-not-a-christian/) [John Bunyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bunyan/) > [A person is either a Christian or not; there is no in between state](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-f-w-walther/a-person-is-either-a-christian-or-not-there-is-no-in-between-state/) [C. F. W. Walther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-f-w-walther/) > [Christian art is the expression of the whole life of the whole person as a Christian. What a Christian portrays in his art is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/christian-art-is-the-expression-of-the-whole-life-of-the-whole-person/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The life of faith does not follow automatically when a person becomes a Christian. It requires deliberate action on his part. This is especially…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-macdonald/the-life-of-faith-does-not-follow-automatically-when-a-person-becomes/) [William MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-macdonald/) ## More by Mark Dever > [“not the writings that come from prophets inspired by the one true God revealed in Jesus Christ, then why do we find those passages…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/not-the-writings-that-come-from-prophets-inspired-by-the-one-true-god/) [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) > [I think it's unhelpful to suggest that the task of evangelism is essentially the responsibility of ministers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/i-think-it-s-unhelpful-to-suggest-that-the-task-of-evangelism-is/) [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) > [People forget that there is a big difference between coercion and persuasion. The idea that evangelism is coercive is nonsense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/people-forget-that-there-is-a-big-difference-between-coercion-and/) [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) > [ T\]he church is not a place. It's not a building. It's not a preaching point. It's not a spiritual service provider. It's a people… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/t-he-church-is-not-a-place-it-s-not-a-building-it-s-not-a-preaching/) [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) > [What really concerns me is for Christians to understand the fundamentals of evangelism in a way that is helpful in the contemporary scene.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/what-really-concerns-me-is-for-christians-to-understand-the/) [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) > [Prayer is the preview of God's action.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/prayer-is-the-preview-of-god-s-action/) [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) > [I assume that normally the Lord will be bringing people to himself through the instrumentality of the preached word. However, we have to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/i-assume-that-normally-the-lord-will-be-bringing-people-to-himself/) [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) > [“The motive for discipling others begins in the love of God and nothing less. He has loved us in Christ, and so we love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/the-motive-for-discipling-others-begins-in-the-love-of-god-and/) [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) > [If joy or urgency are missing from our presentation of the gospel, then our testimony to Christ will be missing that sort of fullness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/if-joy-or-urgency-are-missing-from-our-presentation-of-the-gospel/) [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) > [“Yet the Bible teaches that the local church is the natural environment for discipling. In fact, it teaches that the local church is itself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/yet-the-bible-teaches-that-the-local-church-is-the-natural/) [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) > [Sin claims to free but in fact it kills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/sin-claims-to-free-but-in-fact-it-kills/) [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) > [Some believers are faithful in the way that they live, but at the end of the day, they will not share the gospel with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/some-believers-are-faithful-in-the-way-that-they-live-but-at-the-end/) [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) > [We do not fail in our evangelism if we faithfully tell the gospel to someone who is not subsequently converted; we fail only if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/we-do-not-fail-in-our-evangelism-if-we-faithfully-tell-the-gospel-to/) [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) > [Once we see more of our need and understand more of what Christ has done for us, he will become more precious to us.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/once-we-see-more-of-our-need-and-understand-more-of-what-christ-has/) [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) > [Unfortunately, many of our churches calibrate their life to these nominal Christians. The predictable result is that you get fake, hypocritical churches that confuse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/unfortunately-many-of-our-churches-calibrate-their-life-to-these/) [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) [Explore all 137 Mark Dever quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) ## More Body quotes > [Most of us are convinced that we are our egos, which is who we think we are. The ego is part of our incarnation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-dass/most-of-us-are-convinced-that-we-are-our-egos-which-is-who-we-think/) [Ram Dass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-dass/) > [The very purpose for being in this body, for every one of us, is to live and rejoice in that virgin area, that untouched,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/the-very-purpose-for-being-in-this-body-for-every-one-of-us-is-to/) [Sri Sri Ravi Shankar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/) > [Because of the womb being a central phenomenon in the feminine body, the whole psychology of woman differs: she is non-aggressive, non-inquiring, non-questioning, non-doubting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/because-of-the-womb-being-a-central-phenomenon-in-the-feminine-body/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [When you're scared - and I mean really scared, not just hearing a noise in the night, or standing toe to toe with someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gordon-smith/when-you-re-scared-and-i-mean-really-scared-not-just-hearing-a-noise/) [Alexander Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gordon-smith/) > [I've used the Phoenix Centrifuge to replicate what the body's going to go through on the flight up. I've also done some gravity tests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/i-ve-used-the-phoenix-centrifuge-to-replicate-what-the-body-s-going/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [Practically all animals which move fast in a homogeneous medium have found means of giving their body a streamlined shape, thereby reducing friction to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/practically-all-animals-which-move-fast-in-a-homogeneous-medium-have/) [Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/) > [If the media is sending girls the message that their value lies in their bodies, this can only leave them feeling disempowered and distract…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-siebel-newsom/if-the-media-is-sending-girls-the-message-that-their-value-lies-in/) [Jennifer Siebel Newsom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-siebel-newsom/) > [Boys and boys' body image and clothes have become just as important an issue for boys as for girls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosalind-wiseman/boys-and-boys-body-image-and-clothes-have-become-just-as-important-an/) [Rosalind Wiseman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosalind-wiseman/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [Racism is a cancer. You cannot ignore it and it'll go away. If you ignore cancer, it simply metastasizes and consumes the whole body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-davis/racism-is-a-cancer-you-cannot-ignore-it-and-it-ll-go-away-if-you/) [Daryl Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-davis/) > [America, you're sending girls a mixed message. On one hand, you're saying to have positive body image and love who we are; on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adora-svitak/america-you-re-sending-girls-a-mixed-message-on-one-hand-you-re/) [Adora Svitak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adora-svitak/) > [I read a couple of books about neuroscience and the relationship between the mind and the body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-kinnaman/i-read-a-couple-of-books-about-neuroscience-and-the-relationship/) [Joel Kinnaman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-kinnaman/) > [If japa is maintained, no useless talk during work will be possible. The mind will always remain peaceful. Modern day diseases are mostly psychosomatic.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mata-amritanandamayi/if-japa-is-maintained-no-useless-talk-during-work-will-be-possible/) [Mata Amritanandamayi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mata-amritanandamayi/) > [It is the incongruous thing in my entire life, this isolation.. ... My work requires it - but I myself have no need or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marsden-hartley/it-is-the-incongruous-thing-in-my-entire-life-this-isolation-my-work/) [Marsden Hartley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marsden-hartley/) > [My friends, this body - perhaps more than any other gathering in human history - now faces that difficult task.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/my-friends-this-body-perhaps-more-than-any-other-gathering-in-human/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) [Browse all 20,814 Body quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When a person becomes a Christian, he doesn’t just join a local church because it’s a good habit for growing in spiritual maturity. He joins a local church because it’s the expression of what Christ has made him—a member of the body of Christ.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Mark Dever" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/when-a-person-becomes-a-christian-he-doesn-t-just-join-a-local-church/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Body" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/when-a-person-becomes-a-christian-he-doesn-t-just-join-a-local-church/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cca/mark-dever-3175_body_when-a-person-becomes-a-christian-he-doe_2358831.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cca/mark-dever-3175_body_when-a-person-becomes-a-christian-he-doe_2358831.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cca/mark-dever-3175_body_when-a-person-becomes-a-christian-he-doe_2358831.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When a person becomes a Christian, he doesn’t just join a local church because it’s a good habit for growing…” — Mark Dever", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Mark Dever", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When a person becomes a Christian,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/when-a-person-becomes-a-christian-he-doesn-t-just-join-a-local-church/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/when-a-person-becomes-a-christian-he-doesn-t-just-join-a-local-church/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```