People on this board throw around the term Christian verses non Christian. What exactly are the requirements to be a Christian?
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People on this board throw around the term Christian verses non Christian. What exactly are the requirements to be a Christian?
John 5: 24 says, "Truly, I say to you, he who hears My words and believes in Him who sent Me, has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgement, but has p***ed from death to life."Quote:
John 6: 29 says, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent."
Romans 10: 9 says, "That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved."
So a Christian is defined by having faith in the true Jesus and nothing else?Quote:
John 5: 24 says, "Truly, I say to you, he who hears My words and believes in Him who sent Me, has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgement, but has p***ed from death to life."
John 6: 29 says, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent."
Romans 10: 9 says, "That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved."
I would say that according to the Bible, yes. But, as you wisely stated, it must be faith in the One True God, not an idol of our own imagination. Just like Galatians 1: 6-10 states. :)
Certainly Christians will naturally have a life consistent with their beliefs and over time they will become more and more Christlike via sanctification. But does anyone feel that there are any actions or works required in addition to your faith to be considered a Christian?
Actions or works? No. We cannot earn our salvation. Eph. 2:10 says that Christ has prepared us to DO works but we are not saved BY works.
"Nothing in my hand I bring; simply to thy cross I cling."
Just curious here, but how do you get faith in the true Jesus "and nothing else" out of those scriptures.
Snow- John 6: 29 states that the work of God is to believe in Him whom He sent. Our own works of righteousness are like filthy rags before God. We only become righteous when we acknowledge and accept what He did for us. 2 Corinthians 5: 21 tells us that Christ became sin for us, to take our deserved punishment, so we could be reconciled with God. Our works, filthy rags, could never allow us to reconciled to the Father.
I don't believe Jesus' atonement is sufficient to absolve you of all personal responsibility.Quote:
Snow- John 6: 29 states that the work of God is to believe in Him whom He sent. Our own works of righteousness are like filthy rags before God. We only become righteous when we acknowledge and accept what He did for us. 2 Corinthians 5: 21 tells us that Christ became sin for us, to take our deserved punishment, so we could be reconciled with God. Our works, filthy rags, could never allow us to reconciled to the Father.
Do you think God accepts filthy rags?
Jim from your comment above it appears that there are only a small percentage of Christians who are really Christians. Can you tell me the criteria you use to determine who is and who is not really a Christian?
What could possibly be more important in knowing the exact criteria for being a Christian? How could a person know what is required if he has no idea what is required? I am a little surprised at the lack of responses from some of our long term posters.
We are Christians because of the resurrection.
No other teaching in the Bible stands as important that this one single idea.
That Christ died, and was raised again in an immortal body of flesh and bone.
Now, after this, there are some other very important ideas that mark us Christians out.
The Trinity, salvation my Grace though faith, baptism, the holy Meal...the use of the Bible as canon...
Good thread here Billyray. I found every answer good, but for me there is but one truth that defines what being a Christian is. And given the culture that we are living in this truth is an absolute, for today the word "christian" has any number of definitions, and some of those definitions are totally repugnant to me.Quote:
The one truth for me to be a christian is simply this, "you must be born again." That is, the old is p***ed away, all things have become new. Being born from above. It is such a simple yet profoundly life changing event.
One who has never been born again is not a christian, he or she may claim to be a christian, but inevitably, they cannot be based upon this one truth.
Thanks be to Him who made this rebirth possible. ĦA El sea la gloria!
dfoJC
Interesting that any 'Christian" believes there are "requirements" to be a Christian.
So, the question becomes--would you consider the Good Samaritan a "Christian" or not?
I agree.Quote:
Good thread here Billyray. I found every answer good, but for me there is but one truth that defines what being a Christian is. And given the culture that we are living in this truth is an absolute, for today the word "christian" has any number of definitions, and some of those definitions are totally repugnant to me.
The one truth for me to be a christian is simply this, "you must be born again." That is, the old is p***ed away, all things have become new. Being born from above. It is such a simple yet profoundly life changing event.
One who has never been born again is not a christian, he or she may claim to be a christian, but inevitably, they cannot be based upon this one truth.
Thanks be to Him who made this rebirth possible. ĦA El sea la gloria!
dfoJC
Do you believe that being "born again" is a work of God and not of man, i.e. that God is the one responsible for regeneration?
BigJ you have a good point and a point that I am trying to get at with this thread. You are a least consistent with your theological position. You believe in works and actions in addition to faith so when you said that I was not a Christian it was based on the belief that I did not display certain works/actions. However when Jim said that I was not a Christian this goes against what he believes theologically thus it is inconsistent on his part. Agree?
Since when has a christian here ever said that there are no "requirements to be a Christian.. If that were the case I would call you a Christian or a Moslem a Christian. You have to Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ as He is revealed in His word the Bible to be a Christian.. The Moslem believes that Jesus was a prophet, the member of the LDS church believes Him to be a created being that became a god by obedience to laws and ordinances.. No difference really, both say He is a creation of God.. But do they hold that He is GOD, THE GOD, the creator of all things? NO! As long as mormonism holds that doctrine of the nature of Jesus it is a non christian religion. As long as it hold the earmarks of a religious cult (Extra biblical revelation and strong centralized leadership) it is a cult.. Mormonism is therefore a non-christian cult..Quote:
As far as a born again child of God not being a Christian that is a misstatement that shows serious misunderstanding.. As long as there are such people here that cause division within the body of Christ they will be treated as an unbeliever.. Not that they are an unbeliever.. IHS jim
Jim I believe in the Lord Jesus Christ yet you have labeled me a non Christian. Don't you think that this is an inconsistency on your part? Or do you believe that additional works/actions are required?
Both sides have labeled me a non Christian. I think that it is only fair that both sides give me (and others who might benefit) the requirements to be a Christian. This seems like a simple yet fair request. Don't you think?
Yes. When a person begins to study the Word and gains understanding of the whole Biblical concept of Salvation it is quite clear that it is, and only can be, a work of God. No man can "regenerate" himself. Men have tried, and in the end the "regeneration" is nothing more than a temporal behavioral change. No lasting effect. No relationship with God restored. Nothing but a very soulish undertaking. It in no way allows a man to enter into the new and living covenant which salvation is a part of.Quote:
Be blessed,
dfoJC
I agree with you 100%. A man can't make himself born again rather it is a work of God.Quote:
Yes. When a person begins to study the Word and gains understanding of the whole Biblical concept of Salvation it is quite clear that it is, and only can be, a work of God. No man can "regenerate" himself. Men have tried, and in the end the "regeneration" is nothing more than a temporal behavioral change. No lasting effect. No relationship with God restored. Nothing but a very soulish undertaking. It in no way allows a man to enter into the new and living covenant which salvation is a part of.
Be blessed,
dfoJC
KING JAMES VERSION
John 3
3Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
4Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?
5Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
6That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
7Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
8The wind ****eth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.
So, by your definition--was the Good Samaritan a "Christian" or not?Quote:
I agree with you 100%. A man can't make himself born again rather it is a work of God.
KING JAMES VERSION
John 3
3Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
4Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?
5Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
6That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
7Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
8The wind ****eth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.
A person is a Christian if he has faith in Christ and is regenerated (regenerated then faith or faith then regenerated depending on an individual's belief). If he is not then he is not a Christian.Quote:
But you and Jim are the ones who throw around Christian verses non Christian so I am awaiting more information from both of you.
So, according to you, was the Good Samaritan "regenerated" or not? What is your criteria to determine regeneration?Quote:
A person is a Christian if he has faith in Christ and is regenerated (regenerated then faith or faith then regenerated depending on an individual's belief). If he is not then he is not a Christian.
But you and Jim are the ones who throw around Christian verses non Christian so I am awaiting more information from both of you.
Quote:
Ok, the answer is this-
It don't matter squat what part of the Bible is true or what part is just a fake story, as long as the Resurrection of Christ is real.
This means that all of the bible could be totally true, 100% translated correctly, and yet it would be a moot point if the story of the Resurrection of Christ was a lie.
This also means that the whole Bible would be just a big fat lie, and you would not matter as long as the story of the resurrection was true.
This shows you that there is a Christian religion only because of the resurrection....take away the resurrection from our religion and the Christian Church becomes just a big joke...
We become Christians when we believe in the resurrection.
There is no other means.....
no other issue,,,
no other question,,,
no other teaching that we also have to believe in that makes us Christians.
The moment you believe in the resurrection of Christ, you become a member of the Body of Christ...and can be called "Christian"
The same goes for not believing the resurrection.
You can believe in all the other things we Christians believe in, but if you dont believe in the resurrection of Christ you are not a Christian....
There....that should be very clear now as to what I mean....
Any questions?.
He is an example for how to live and how to act around people in need..Quote:
But i dont think Jesus was saying anything about the faith of the guy.
There was a conversation that Jesus had with a lady Samaritan and he tells her that her faith worships what they do not know, and then points her to the Jews that do worship what they know....
If this is the way Jesus felt about all Samaritans, then the answer to your question is "No",,,,,
No Fig- I do not think filthy rags would be something that God would accept. Yet this is what the Bible tells us are works are to God. (Isiah 64: 6) Thank God we are saved by grace and not of works. (Ephesians 2: 8-9) I hope this helps. :)
In many ways we are like Barabbas.Quote:
We know we are guilty.
We stand convicted.
We are condemned to die for our sin....to pay for full price for our evil.
Then just before the sentence is carried out, the door to our jail cell opens, and a guy walks in to take our place and we walk out and are set free.
Totally free from any of the consequences of our past actions...
Jesus took our place...the full punishment that was our, is paid for by him completely.
Jesus went to the cross.
Barabbas went home...
I find this interesting because this question---who is a Christian reminds me very much of the question asked of Christ by the Pharisees "who is my neighbor." The Pharisees wanted to define their "neighbor" by religion as well, so it is interesting to note that Christ defined "neighbor" by behavior and chose someone who was distinctly not of their religion to make His point. You say, " I don't think Jesus was saying anything about the faith of the guy"---I believe He was making that very point regarding what it means to follow Christ (have faith) because wasn't that the question in the first place?Quote:
He is an example for how to live and how to act around people in need..
But i dont think Jesus was saying anything about the faith of the guy.
There was a conversation that Jesus had with a lady Samaritan and he tells her that her faith worships what they do not know, and then points her to the Jews that do worship what they know....
If this is the way Jesus felt about all Samaritans, then the answer to your question is "No",,,,,
...
there was a clear point to the story, its found in the style Jesus used to teach here....
In today's more modern world we might change the story so that the "good neighbor" is the owner of a porno movie house.
or perhaps the ****sexual ...
The idea is that you take someone known to be at the far end of the religious/moral spectrum and make them the shining "example".
But we cant go to far with this story, for as we saw when Jesus talked to the Samaritan woman at the well, Jesus never said that the Samaritan religion was pleasing to God..
In fact Jesus seems to be very condemning of the religion of the Samaritans.
if I were to use the same story telling style that Jesus did, I could easly tell a story of coming to a Message Forum and finding only hate and anger from the so-called Christians, yet finding good conversation, reasonable arguments, and respectful manners from the Mormons....
If I had to give examples of what forum manners are the most pleasing to God?...it would be the manners of the Mormons......
[These don't really apply because Samaritan speaks to race/religion and not behavior. It might better apply to Mormon or Muslim or Jew. :)Quote:
QUOTE=alanmolstad;88907]...
there was a clear point to the story, its found in the style Jesus used to teach here....
In today's more modern world we might change the story so that the "good neighbor" is the owner of a porno movie house.
or perhaps the ****sexual ...
When Christ spoke to the Samaritan woman at the well, He discussed with her her behavior that was unpleasing to Him.Quote:
The idea is that you take someone known to be at the far end of the religious/moral spectrum and make them the shining "example".
But we cant go to far with this story, for as we saw when Jesus talked to the Samaritan woman at the well, Jesus never said that the Samaritan religion was pleasing to God..
The Samaritans are the mixed descendants of the Israelites who did not belong to the House of Judah or Benjamin. They were mixed with all of the "conquering nations." It is interesting to note that there are many prophecies regarding this "Northern Kingdom" and that they will eventually regain their birthright.Quote:
In fact Jesus seems to be very condemning of the religion of the Samaritans.
Is that what you are finding?Quote:
if I were to use the same story telling style that Jesus did, I could easly tell a story of coming to a Message Forum and finding only hate and anger from the so-called Christians, yet finding good conversation, reasonable arguments, and respectful manners from the Mormons....
Thank you.Quote:
If I had to give examples of what forum manners are the most pleasing to God?...it would be the manners of the Mormons......
No, and I want you to think about this for a moment....Quote:
Jesus picked out the most hated and unlikely person to serve as the only one in the story that acted rightly...
Jesus also took the religiously correct and the type of people who were considered the very people who should know how to act, and he made them the villains in the story...
So you now, in your own mind, try to think of the last type of person on earth you would expect to at in a correct manner?.....
The Drug dealer....?
The Abortion doctor...?
Darth Vader....?
It doesn't matter who, as long as they are the last person of earth the people listening to your story would expect you to use as a "shining example".........
This was the effect Jesus was shooting for by his story...he wanted people to see the contradiction in expectation and what they then heard...
Now think of the person you would expect to find acting correctly?
Police officer...."?
Teacher.....?
Mormon Prophet.....?
and make them the villain in your story....
THAT is when you see how hard it was for some people to listen to the story Jesus told.
Remember, at the end of this story, and by telling it, Jesus set himself up to be killed later...
That's it right there fig. You believe Christ's sacrifice was insufficient and somehow its up to you to make up for what you believe He did not do. . Although its true we are responsible for our own actions, Christ's sacrifice was more than sufficient to save us if we put complete trust and faith in Him and not our works.
Read up on your history of the Samaritans and the Jews---it is more like the Hadfields and McCoys than like the puritans and the savages.