Christianity is nominal

To be a Christian is to believe in the name of Jesus. “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

There are some who sound like they are describing the free Gospel of grace in their evangelistic appeals to others. Then, once people are saved, they claim good works “must” and “always” follow their salvation, and if it doesn't, then he is a nominal, “Christian in name only.” That's not the Gospel. That's not freedom. That leaves no room for sanctification or forgiving one another. This is called Lordship Salvation, and it is a great danger in our day.

To be a Christian in name only—the name of Jesus Christ—is to be a Christian. Lance Latham used to say, based on Romans 4:5, that he was 100% confident he could stand there in the pulpit for the rest of his life, never again do another good work, and still know that he was saved and going to heaven. Why? Because he believed in the name of Jesus and that's all it takes to be a Christian. The blood of Jesus covered all his sin: past, present and future.

In aerospace, “nominal” is used to refer to a normative state when things during a launch are going well, as intended. This also applies to the eternal standing of the Christian. The believers in the name of Jesus are saved, and all others who refuse Jesus will suffer eternally for their unforgiven sin.