Guest Fish Catcher Jim Posted April 20, 2015 Share Posted April 20, 2015 In this world full of not only confusion, but intended confusion, it surely makes sense to ask ourselves yet again: what exactly does it mean to be a Christian? I even conceived a short list of questions that might help the undecided (others are welcome to contribute), although those firm in their belief should ignore them and instead answer directly the initial question. 1. Are Christians solely defined by their belief in Jesus as the Son of God and their Savior? 2. Are Christians also defined by their good deeds? If so, how about the other people that do good? 3. What does “good deeds” actually mean? 4. Are Christians absolutely required to believe in the Bible? 5. What exactly does it mean to believe in the Bible? 7. What does it mean to love somebody? 8. Are Christians expected to love the world (not the people, but the world), hate the world, or it’s undecided? 9. What other requirements are there for someone to actually be a Christian, not just claim that he or she is? Thank you for your participation. To be Christ Like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jezikiah Posted April 20, 2015 Group: Members Followers: 1 Topic Count: 6 Topics Per Day: 0.00 Content Count: 65 Content Per Day: 0.02 Reputation: 42 Days Won: 0 Joined: 04/10/2015 Status: Offline Birthday: 02/09/1987 Share Posted April 20, 2015 Christian to believe in God and that he gave his son to die for us that we will live forever in him, and accept Jesus in our hears, and to spread the word and bring others to know him, and to love others and he loves us, and to show the actions of Christ to others. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD Posted May 24, 2015 Group: Worthy Ministers Followers: 0 Topic Count: 908 Topics Per Day: 0.19 Content Count: 9,653 Content Per Day: 2.02 Reputation: 5,837 Days Won: 9 Joined: 04/07/2011 Status: Offline Share Posted May 24, 2015 What it means to be a Christian. 1 John 1:1–2:17 (NASB95) 1What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life— 2and the life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us— 3what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. 4These things we write, so that our joy may be made complete. 5This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. 6If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; 7but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. 8If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us. 1My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; 2and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world. 3By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. 4The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; 5but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him: 6the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked. 7Beloved, I am not writing a new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning; the old commandment is the word which you have heard. 8On the other hand, I am writing a new commandment to you, which is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true Light is already shining. 9The one who says he is in the Light and yet hates his brother is in the darkness until now. 10The one who loves his brother abides in the Light and there is no cause for stumbling in him. 11But the one who hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes. 12I am writing to you, little children, because your sins have been forgiven you for His name’s sake. 13I am writing to you, fathers, because you know Him who has been from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. I have written to you, children, because you know the Father.** 14I have written to you, fathers, because you know Him who has been from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one. 15Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. 17The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever. ** John 5:23 (NASB95) 23so that all will honor the Son even as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him. 1 John 2:23 (NASB95) 23Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father; the one who confesses the Son has the Father also. This is the dilemma of the Jew who rejects Jesus by attempts to maintain a relationship with God. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Your closest friendnt Posted August 3, 2015 Group: Royal Member Followers: 18 Topic Count: 7 Topics Per Day: 0.00 Content Count: 7,859 Content Per Day: 2.41 Reputation: 2,763 Days Won: 3 Joined: 06/05/2015 Status: Offline Share Posted August 3, 2015 Long time ago, there were some people, identified. By their common attire, for men and women, briefly they had common characteristics, that just by looking at them, you were able to tell their nation, and or their specific affiliation with a group within their nation. Every time there is a new movement immitiatly we had an I.D. Problem (unless the new movement comes with their own fashion) So this is the picture: About 2,000 years ago, a new species appear. That species look like a Duck, (perceived to onlooker, that walk like a duck, and that will quack like a Duck). that's why created confusion to the original Ducks, the similarities created a common breading ground, and when the leaders of the Original Ducks objerved a constant migration flow from them to the new species, but not the other way around, they became alarm, they needed to protect their Ducklings and slow down the migration, by naming the new species of ducks, CHRISTIANS, and which species name them selfs" jweis Cristians" or Greek Cristians, Persian Christians, or Egyptians, or pharicians Christians (of the sircumsition ) or Hellenic Christias, or ....or...... As a believer in Jesus Christ, Jesus knows that you belong to him. But there many earthly needs for not only I.D. But for various reasons. Questions as, who is going to marry us or our children, bless us, Babyize us, teach us, sosialize with,support us, and if you care bury us. So there you are, many Christian cultures ahead of you, choose one,. How? How? How? My stomach is turning upside down.!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willa Posted August 3, 2015 Group: Worthy Ministers Followers: 68 Topic Count: 186 Topics Per Day: 0.04 Content Count: 14,247 Content Per Day: 3.33 Reputation: 16,658 Days Won: 30 Joined: 08/14/2012 Status: Offline Share Posted August 3, 2015 I am firm in my beliefs, but chose to answer the question anyhow since several months have elapsed since this was posted (again). 1. The word "believe" in Greek means to trust in, rely on, cling to, adhere to. Believe is not just to give assent or know about. It is an active faith that does not waver but relies on Jesus in every day details of life. That is how the just shall live by his faith. He trusts in God's Word, the Bible, and he trusts in God's character as revealed in the Bible. 2. Christians' good deeds are evidence of Christ's love dwelling within them. They love others as they love themselves but also may love them sacrificially. Brotherly love is liking and enjoying our brothers and sisters in Christ. Godly love goes a step farther and serves them as Christ did. Other people's good deeds are not motivated and directed by God's loving Holy Spirit. They are motivated for more selfish reasons, such as to earn God's favor or to get people to like them, to look good, or because they think it is expected of them. 1 Cor . 13:3 and though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing. This is speaking of the the love produced by God's indwelling Holy Spirit in Believers. I think # 2 answers # 3. Good deeds in God's eyes are motivated and directed by His loving Holy Spirit. They were deeds prepared before the foundation of the world for Christians to fulfill. One is sharing the way of salvation with others because we care about them and where their lives are taking them. 4. Christians are absolutely required to believe that Christ is who He says He is: Jesus is the only begotten Son of God Who was with God the Father before the universe was created; He claimed to be the I AM that spoke out of Moses' burning bush, claiming to be God and YHWH Jehovah, but calling Himself I Am that I Am. He also calls Himself Son of Man, a title for the Messiah, and The Son of God. If Jesus believed the Bible, we also should. But all that is really required is to believe that He was God in human flesh and bones, that He suffered and died for your sins on the cross that you might be forgiven, that He arose from the dead and was seen by many people. He ascended into heaven to pray for us, and to ask the Father that His Holy Spirit might be sent back to dwell in Believers; there He was restored to his former glory.. 1 Corinthians 15:3-4. John 16 & 17 5. Believe means to trust in and rely upon. I rely on the promises of God contained in the Bible. I rely on the truth in it and the revelation of God's character in it. I see the evidence of its veracity in the good it produces in the lives of others and my own life. 6. The Greeks had many words for love. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 NKJV states: Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up (arrogant); does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, hopes all things, endures all things. This is the kind of love produced by God's Holy Spirit in believers. 7. Christians hate the world and the evil in it which opposes God. Christians have pity and compassion on sinful worldly people. 8. We are told to repent, which means to change our minds about Jesus and to desire to follow Him instead of giving in to our selfish, sinful ways. We determine to live for and serve Him instead of living for ourselves or some false ideal or religion. This is a decision, but evidence of that decision will naturally follow. Even the thief on the cross showed he had repented when he ceased to taunt Jesus but recognized Who He IS, and asked Him to remember him when He comes into His Kingdom. Romans 10:9-10 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. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. Having said these things, all Christians are slowly being conformed to the likeness of Christ. None has "arrived" at that perfect state this side of heaven. All of us have lapses when we say or do something unChristlike. This keeps us going back to God, confessing our sins and asking Him to cleanse our hearts. Often others can see our sins but we are blind to them because God hasn't revealed them yet. If God revealed to us all the ugliness of our sinful nature and imperfection to us at one time, we would be overwhelmed. He chips away at our old nature little by little so that the nature of Christ can be revealed in us. He is the Treasure in our earthen vessels (with feet made of clay). 2 Cor. 4:7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SINNERSAVED Posted August 8, 2015 Group: Removed from Forums for Breaking Terms of Service Followers: 6 Topic Count: 150 Topics Per Day: 0.05 Content Count: 2,195 Content Per Day: 0.69 Reputation: 2,409 Days Won: 14 Joined: 07/30/2015 Status: Offline Share Posted August 8, 2015 That's a great question, and many will point to a person going to church maybe? or a person that says he or her is a Christian? or someone that says you have to do good works, ? this is the standard of today, but now if you go to church does that really make you a Christian ? absolutely not! what made a Christian in the times of jesus is where it all started , for it is a person that has surrendered himself or herself to jesus and the father God in heaven, a person that reads the bible for the most part, now around the world it is those that hear the words of God and follow him, it is about denying your self as a person of this world and to understand through scripture that we are sinful and in a need of a savior, to see ones life to know that we cannot do on our own for we need to depend and be strengthen by the lord jesus we are thankful for all that we have and all that is given to us as God provides. and through the good times and through the bad times we hold on to the faith of the everlasting love our father in heaven has for us,we do things in secret for others not drawing attention to our selves and we do what we can for the needy and the less fortunate, we don't get angry and we don't hate, we stay in control of our selves for the holy spirit guides us, and shows us where we need to be,we don't love the world and all of its material things for the love of the world is a enemy to God, we follow the teachings of jesus and do not give in to the world for the world is of the evil and the lawless one , and try to stay the course of love and compassion for our fellow neighbor, we do to others as jesus would want us too, we do not fear for he is with us , he is in us and we are to do as needed for we are bought with a price, and to serve him with all that we are and all that we have even until the death , this is our service that is required, if you do not deny the self and pick up your cross you cannot follow him, our God is a loving and compassionate God and we follow him for the promises set forth by his word, for he is worthy to be praise from the lowest of the valley to the highest of mountain tops, we follow a true and just God, righteous in all his ways, and we do this by choice, for jesus died for you and for me and this needs to be followed by our lives toward the truth of life, for we are only here as a vapor and then it be eternal with jesus forever in the kingdom, but we must as Christians acknowledge our sins repent and turn from our worldly ways and the old man, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind and soul and by walking in the spirit you will walk in the right path that has been establish by the great and holy god, anything other then this is not of God, for the real Christian understands the word of God, and understands the real cost ! of following jesus, in spirit and in truth only , this is what every christian character should look like, thank you that is my take of what I believe, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robin hood Posted August 13, 2015 Group: Junior Member Followers: 0 Topic Count: 5 Topics Per Day: 0.00 Content Count: 105 Content Per Day: 0.03 Reputation: 106 Days Won: 0 Joined: 08/13/2015 Status: Offline Share Posted August 13, 2015 To be a Christian is to be a disciple of the Christ . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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