What is a Christian?

[missmuffet]

A person who is religious? A person that has good works? Do you think their is a difference in the term "Christian" and "Born again Christian?".

What are the characteristics you look for in a person you can trust to teach you the true Word of God? A person whom you can respect as a brother and sister in Christ? What are somethings that put up a red flag and put your discernment on guard?

[Jayne]

That's a lot of questions. 

[1]  "A person who is religious? " Not necessarily.  Everyone is religious.  Everyone worships and idolizes someone or something.  Ever been in the throes of a rock concert, Superbowl game, or Black Friday day-after-Thanksgiving shopping spree?   Now there's some worship going on right there.

[2]  "A person who has good works?"  Again, not necessarily.  Neither a work ethic nor charitable acts are indicative of salvation. 

[3]  "Do you think their is a difference in the term "Christian" and "Born again Christian?". "   No.  You are either a Christian or you are not.  When you are a Christian you are born again.  Some wolves in sheeps' clothing plaster the name Christian all over themselves like any old jalopy covered in bumper stickers, but it's so fake you can spot it a mile away.

[4]  "What are the characteristics you look for in a person you can trust to teach you the true Word of God?"

• Does he or she know the Bible - really know it?
• Does he or she live out the Word?
• Do they, themselves, have a teachable spirit?
• Do they have a testimony of God called them to teach the Word?

[5] " A person whom you can respect as a brother and sister in Christ? "  

• Are they someone I would aspire to be like?
• Are they trustworthy and faithful.
• Do they bear fruit that is evidence of the Holy Spirit?
• Do they just live out the desire to be more like Jesus?

[6] " What are somethings that put up a red flag and put your discernment on guard? " 

• Talking about others behind their backs while sympathizing to their face.
• Giving the air of being "puffed up" by knowedge.
• Having an unteachable Spirit.
• Talking a good talk, but walking a hypocritical walk.
• Meanspiritedness, bitterness, jealousy, and being quick to judge harshly and without mercy.

 

[Churchmouse]

The idea of being born again is part and parcel of being a Christian.  It is a lifestyle that promotes humanity  and humility for the edification of our fellow man according to a preset level ordained by scripture.

[dservant]

23 minutes ago, missmuffet said:

characteristics

good post sister and very relevant today, God will bless you as  “Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back; lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes.

[GoldenEagle]

Today "Christian" can mean a person who has received Christian baptism or is a believer in Jesus Christ and his teachings. Not all Christians are born again. Just as not all Catholics, Orthodox, or Protestants/Evangelicals are born again. Being born again means confessing sin, confessing Jesus as Lord, and believing God raised Him from the dead. It's usually followed by baptism.  

God bless,
GE

[Tristen]

Hi missmuffet,

 

I define a Christian as someone who has sincerely surrendered ownership of their life to Christ as a faith response to His gospel.

 

The fruit of the Holy Spirit will be evident over time in a sincere faith confession. Whereas the works of the flesh will persist or increase over time in someone who is ‘trying Christianity out’.

 

With regards to giving someone influence over my faith, I want someone who will encourage me into the Word of God; to develop my own fellowship with Him. And someone who is not insecure in their faith – i.e. happy to be respectfully challenged based on a Biblical argument because it means I have gone to the Bible and searched out the issue for myself. Humility and the capacity to receive sincere correction is a good sign of sincerity.

Becoming familiar with God’s voice through scripture allows us to assess the validity of most doctrinal claims.

Nevertheless, God can use anyone to teach me. So I have to be careful not to limit God.

 

Insecurity is a major alarm bell for me. Also small compromises (e.g. profuse swearing) tend to reveal the state of a person’s heart. An appetite for the world and the things in the world can be an indication of spiritual sickness. Founding one’s faith too heavily on people rather than God is a trap for many Christians. Being so eager to be accepted by the world that they permit compromise into their faith to make them seem ‘cool’ and progressive to outsiders.

The propensity to question God’s existence when things don’t work out according to expectation is another cause for concern. Since my conversion, when something doesn’t happen the way I think it should, my initial reaction is to assume there was something I didn’t understand. It amazes me how many Christians equate such an experience with, ‘maybe if this didn’t turn out the way I was taught, the whole belief system could be a lie’.

However, we have to remember that sanctification is a process for all of us. We all come from a place of corruption – needing to be saved. We all have weaknesses and temptations to overcome. And I think if we are honest, have all chosen those weaknesses over God’s will at some point.

 

I think the best advice is to be led by the Holy Spirit in such matters.

[Ezra]

1 hour ago, missmuffet said:

A person who is religious? A person that has good works? Do you think their is a difference in the term "Christian" and "Born again Christian?".

I believe there is already another thread on this subject. So perhaps you should tell us how Scripture describes a Christian.

[Ezra]

1 hour ago, Churchmouse said:

The idea of being born again is part and parcel of being a Christian.

This would be the true basis of being a Christian (John 3:3-8):.

3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

4 Nicodemus 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?

5 Jesus 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.

6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

8 The wind bloweth 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.

[Churchmouse]

56 minutes ago, Ezra said:

This would be the true basis of being a Christian (John 3:3-8):.

3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

4 Nicodemus 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?

5 Jesus 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.

6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

8 The wind bloweth 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.

I would also suggest this passage. Matthew 16:24  Then Jesus said to his disciples, "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.

I would think an important part of being born again is the denial of our formal selves and the mindset that went along with that existence.  I call it existence because I don't think you can really really live life unless you understand the reason behind it and we get that from God.

 

I heard a statement that stuck me as rather profound. It is that the two most important days in our lives are the day we were born and the day we learn why we were born and that happened when I found Christ. The rest of the time I was just trying to breath and wait for the next sensation.
 

[missmuffet]

Good answers

In order to recognize what is wrong we first need to recognize what is true.

A true Christian is a disciple of Christ.

A true Christian makes Christ the number one priority in their life.

In a true Christian we see the fruit of the Spirit which is love,joy,peace,patience,kindness,goodness,faithfulness,gentleness and self control. This is the result of the Holy Spirit living in the life of a Christian.