What Makes A Christian A Christian?

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Samuel Pickens

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Feb 10, 2010
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Please let me know what you believe what makes a Christian a Christian be for I respond.

Christ's salvation; His finished work. You cannot work your way to Heaven. When God draws a person to Christ and one accepts Christ as his Lord and Savior, Christ forgives sin and accepts putting one into the family of God. Christ paid the price and his salvation is full and free; it is the gift of God, not of works least any man could boast that he could have part in his own salvation or work his way to Heaven through his own endeavor.

Jehovah Tsidkenu Jesus Christ is Lord
 

TallMan

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A Christian is someone who has received the Holy Spirit because “Christ” or “Messiah” means “anointed one” and the anointing is the Holy Spirit. Romans 8v9 states:-
“ . . . you are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.”

People receive God's Spirit when they accept they need God's help, they want nothing more, they may not understand what he wants to do, but they are desiring his help.

So, it's vital to receive the Holy Spirit, but he is invisible and we cannot trust our own hearts that we are right with God . . .

"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" (Jer. 17v9)


(Jesus warns that many who call Him "Lord" will be told "I never knew you", he's talking about church-goers, not agnostics !). So, God must bare independant witness, the apsotles waited for this, . . .In the New Testament it is known precisely when people receive the Holy Spirit, and when they hadn't . . .

At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit began to be given as never before, making people sons of God. The apostles reported:-
“ . . . they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. . . having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he has shed forth this, which you now SEE and HEAR. . . For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to ALL that are afar off, even AS MANY AS the Lord our God shall call.” (Acts 2v4, 33, 39)

If you were told that what you could "see and hear" (the speaking in tongues) was the promised Holy Spirit, and that this was to you and all who God would call, wouldn’t you expect to speak in tongues, or be told if this was not the case?

With the gentiles:-
“ While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word.” (Acts 10v44)

How did he know ?
“For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God.” (v46)

If it is possible to receive the Spirit and NOT speak in tongues, the apostles were *wrong* to judge that the Spirit had just fallen upon people when they spoke in tongues, logically they could only say that people had *at some unknown time previously* received the Spirit . . . but they didn't.

The way of salvation hasn't changed.
 

Miss Hepburn

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Don't know. Don't know that there is a definition that is not according to someone's concept.
I hate labels.
Wasn't it Constantine that first named the group?
It's just a name - a man made name even if it came long ago.
People fall for "tradition" so much.

So, I'm sure most here will have different ideas.

If I haven't fulfilled someone else's definition do I care? No. Do I care if someone labels me
something other than a Christian -as in, Oooo, she's a: heretic, pagan, non-believer, believer,
Holy Spirit filled - not Holy Spirit filled, Charismatic, Baptist, Jew - it's dizzying.

Who the heck cares.
Men and their words and labels.

My relationship is with the Lord, my Creator, His Son and Holy Spirit - so maybe to someone I'm a Sonian
or a HolySpirtian ---who cares -if I wrote a book maybe in 20 years there could be a few churches with
that very name -the First Sonian Church. See? I write this to show how silly labels are.

:) Miss Hepburn
 

Samuel Pickens

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Feb 10, 2010
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Don't know. Don't know that there is a definition that is not according to someone's concept.
I hate labels.
Wasn't it Constantine that first named the group?

Fourth century and yes they were the catholics and division came into: Roman Catholic and Greek Orthadox Catholic.


It's just a name - a man made name even if it came long ago.
People fall for "tradition" so much.

Baptist is not man-made: John the Baptist....... Christ went to John to be baptised and so the voice came from Heaven and the spirit as a dove sat upon Him. And we are to follow Christ in believers baptism - not man-made. God established ordinances not man and we should observed and in fact we are commanded to follow Christ in His ordinances; Baptism, Communion and some observe foot washing.

It isn't up to you to say; OK, that one is good but I don't like the other. Christ established them and apostles and early Christians observed them as ordinances and Holy Ordinance might I add.

 

rob

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Sep 2, 2009
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Don't know. Don't know that there is a definition that is not according to someone's concept.
I hate labels.
Wasn't it Constantine that first named the group?

Fourth century and yes they were the catholics and division came into: Roman Catholic and Greek Orthadox Catholic.


It's just a name - a man made name even if it came long ago.
People fall for "tradition" so much.

Baptist is not man-made: John the Baptist....... Christ went to John to be baptised and so the voice came from Heaven and the spirit as a dove sat upon Him. And we are to follow Christ in believers baptism - not man-made. God established ordinances not man and we should observed and in fact we are commanded to follow Christ in His ordinances; Baptism, Communion and some observe foot washing.

It isn't up to you to say; OK, that one is good but I don't like the other. Christ established them and apostles and early Christians observed them as ordinances and Holy Ordinance might I add.




God is well ordered, He is not haphazard in naming items especially when it comes to His hearts desire, (The Church).

These days we have believers trying to find out which is the right church. There is only one church and God has ordained for practical reasons that the church is expressed in each locality as "The Church", not of course referring to a meeting place, a brick edifice but rather the believers in that particular locality.To name a church, Baptist, Presbyterian, Anglican, Pentecostal, Methodist, Lutheran, Calathumpian or whatever is devisive to say the least. Some are named after a person, Lutheran, some after a country Anglican, some after a doctine, presbyterian, baptist etc etc
According to the Bible, the churches are named as follows: The Church in Jerusalem (Comprised of all the believers in Jerusalem). The Church in Ephesus (Comprised of all the believers in Ephesus. The Church in Philippi (Comprised of all the believers in Philippi.
Surely God knows what He is doing better than you or I.
Is it not very interesting that in Titus 1:5 Paul told Titus to go and appoint Elders in each city. These words when compared with 'every church' in Acts 14:23, indcate that not only the jurisdiction of a local church is the city in which it is located, but also that in one city there should be only one church. The eldership of a local church should cover the entire city in which the church is located. Such a unique presbytery in a city preserves the unique oneness of the Body of Christ from damage. (Acts 8:1; 13:1; Rom. 16:1; 1 Cor. 1:2; Rev. 1:11).

Regarding 'Footwashing'. In ancient times the Jews wore sandals, and since their roads were dusty, their feet easily became dirty. If, when they came to a feast, they sat at the table and stretched out their feet, the dirt and the smell would certainly frustrate the fellowship. Hence, for the feast to be pleasant they needed foot-washing. TheLord washed His disciples' feet to show then that He loved them to the uttermost (v. 1), and He charged them to do the same to one another in love (vv. 14, 34). Today the world is dirty, and we, the saints, are easily contaminated. For us to maintain pleasant fellowshp with the Lord and with one another, we need spiritual foot-washing ---with the washing Holy 'Sprit, the washing word, and the washing life --- carried out both by the Lord in His love and by one another in love. This is absolutely necessary in order for us to live in the fellowship of the divine life, which is revealed in John's first Epistle, a continuation of the Gospel of John.
 

jerryjohnson

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Baptist is not man-made: John the Baptist....... Christ went to John to be baptised and so the voice came from Heaven and the spirit as a dove sat upon Him. ...[/b][/size]
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SP, you seem to be under the impression that the Baptist denominations are the only correct churches. Is that a correct assumption on my part? Is a person only "Christian" if they are a member of a Baptist church?
 

Samuel Pickens

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Feb 10, 2010
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SP, you seem to be under the impression that the Baptist denominations are the only correct churches. Is that a correct assumption on my part? Is a person only "Christian" if they are a member of a Baptist church?

No; that is not a correct assumption on your part. Althoug the Baptist was started then, they was no denomination. There were AnaBaptist then as well.

With the denominations: you do not have to have a tag to be a Christian. I think there are many Christians in various denominations. Example: a Christain may be in the Church of God, Assembly of God, Methodist, Free-Will Baptist, AnaBaptist (Amish, etc...), Baptist. I even think there that may be Christians in the Catholic Church even though it is a cult orgaization.

A cult is an organization that believes that believes only they are correct and only they are going to Heaven. (leaving out satanic cults). Catholics fall into this category as do Mormons and Church of Christ.

Speaking to a man of ~44 yrs old and he was raised devout catholic and he was taught by Jesuit fathers for 18 years. He accepted Christ and he immediately came out of the Catholic church. He has much knowledge of catholics. He said if a person accepts that is a catholic and reads, prays, studies; he/she will not stay in the catholic church. He says that if a Christian is in a catholic church it is because they are very un-knowledeable. His words. I see merit to his thinking.
 

tengrits

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Feb 18, 2010
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I'm no expert, but this is what I have learned:
Hearing the word, releasing your sins to Jesus, accepting him into your heart,being baptised and washing your old ways way.
Dedication to your relationship with the Lord, and always learning his words to live by. "my people are dead for a lack of knowledge"
Walking the talk, and talking the walk. "faith without works is dead."
Patients, love, humility, prayer.

When I can't go on, I pray harder.
When I can't remember what thiss is all for, I remember just what I used to be, then I pray even harder.
When all else fails around me, and the devil is beating my back, I pray until jesus lifts me off the ground, I wipe the tears from my eyes, and I continue to fight for the Lord as he is fighting for me.

Now if that isn't right, then please send me to a scripture, so that I might be educated further on God's will, and my purpose in Christ.
 

gumby

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May 29, 2009
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Revelation 9:4 sums it up for me. If you love christ and follow the living word thats what makes you a christian.
 

rob

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Sep 2, 2009
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A Christian is:
One who has received Eternal Life, the life of God.
One who is chosen before the foundation of the World. tp be HOLY and without blame before Him in love
One who is pre-destinated unto sonship, through Christ Jesus. This is the good pleasure of God's will.
One who is graced in the beloved (Christ is God's beloved).
One who has received redemption through Christ's blood, the forgiveness of sins.
One in whom the riches of His grace cause us to abound in all wisdom and prudence.
One who is designated as an inheritance, predestinated according to the counsel of God's will.
One who is to the praise of God's glory having first hoped in Chist.
One who is sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise.
One who is a recipient of a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the full knowledge of Chist.
One whose eyes of his heart have been enlightened, to know the hope of God's calling.
One who knows the riches of the glory of His inheritance in us.
One who knows the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe.
One who is in Christ is seated above all rule and authority and power and lordship and every name.
One who is part of the church, which is the Body, the fullness of Christ.
One who is made alive together with Christ.
One who is raised up together with Him and seated together with Him in the heavenlies in Christ.
One in whom God will display in the ages to come the surpassing riches of His grace in His kindness toward us, in Christ. Jesus.
One who is God's masterpiece, created in Christ Jesus
One whose peace is Christ.
One who who has access to the Father by one spirit.
One who is a fellow citizen with the saints and a member of God's household.
One who is being fitted together with others and growing into a holy temple in the Lord.
One in Christ Jesus is a fellow heir and fellow member of the Body of Christ.
One who is being built tobether with others into a dwelling place of God in Spirit.
One in whom Christ is making His home is their heart.
One who progressively is coming to know the knowledge surpassing love of Christ.
One who is being filled with all the fulness of God.
One who is diligent in keeping the onesness of the Spirit in the uniting bond of peace.
One who is being enlightened to know what is the economy of the mystery which throughout the ages has been hidden in God.
etc.