• Hello everybody! We have tons of new awards for the new year that can be requested through our Awards System thanks to Antifa Lockhart! Some are limited-time awards so go claim them before they are gone forever...

    CLICK HERE FOR AWARDS

What Makes A Christian, Christian?



REGISTER TO REMOVE ADS
Status
Not open for further replies.

JustSnilloc

New member
Joined
Dec 25, 2011
Messages
840
Age
32
Location
USA
What about Judas Iscariot?

Jesus hand picked him as his follower. Judas started out with a good heart and truly believed in Jesus. However, in the end he betrayed Jesus. Is he still "saved"? Was he a true christian while with Jesus?

I dunno ^_^ I wouldn't want to mislead you... you can always go to Bible Questions Answered and ask questions, they're pretty good about it

edit: here's the page it has for that question http://www.gotquestions.org/Judas-saved.html

edit#2: here's the page answering the original question... (sort of the original question anyway) Is there such a thing as an ex-Christian?
 
Last edited:

Luap

sans 911
Joined
Oct 8, 2008
Messages
5,233
Awards
6
Age
29
Website
www.facebook.com
True, but someone who actually accepted Christ and didn't fake it would have a hard time to do so (bask in imperfection that is)

Edit: which isn't to say that people don't have their weaknesses when it comes to sin, but it weighs down on them regardless

Edit#2: The stronger the connection a person has with Jesus, results in more temptation that they face... and also the more it weighs on the the further they stray from him (so beginner Christians probably wouldn't have as much of a problem)

There are many Christians who do this. It's the one's who go to church on Sunday, then go home, and then... well nothing, but go back to worldly ways because it's an easier lifestyle. Put bluntly, it's most Christians. Hell, it's, regrettably, me.
 

Forever Atlas

The World Rests On Me
Joined
May 8, 2007
Messages
8,762
Awards
4
Location
Earth 1610
There is a scripture,

John 13: 34, 35 - I am giving YOU a new commandment, that YOU love one another; just as I have loved YOU, that YOU also love one another. By this all will know that YOU are my disciples, if YOU have love among yourselves.”

Aren't Christians supposed to be Jesus' disciples? So, that scripture would have to be something that is evident about the individual and obviously group as well because Jesus himself said "among yourselves" speaking as a group. Some scholars have called this the identifying mark of Christianity.

So? Thoughts?
 

Dogenzaka

PLATINUM USERNAME WINS
Joined
Aug 28, 2006
Messages
17,730
Awards
4
Location
Killing is easy once you forget the taste of sugar
This is a pretty easy question since it's defined in scripture.

A Christian is one who hears the gospel of Jesus Christ, believes it to be true, believes that Christ was God incarnate and that, only through his ultimate sacrifice, is the penalty of sin atoned for, including one's own personal sin. A Christian is one who knows this and repents of their sin (meaning they acknowledge it as hurtful towards their relationship with God, a intrinsic part of their separated nature, and that only God can remove it from their lives, and they CHOOSE to live a life in a manner that glorifies God and rejects sin), chooses to trust God with the task of cleansing it from their lives, and to transform their heart to love Him and others more and more every day. Being a Christian doesn't mean you're perfect. In fact, the whole doctrine relies on the imperfection of human beings and how NO ONE has made themselves righteous in the eyes of God, because as loving as God is, he's also a judge, and good judges can't ignore evil. Being a Christian means that you honestly want to love and be more like Christ was every single day, and that you can only achieve that through submission to God, receiving the Holy Spirit, and meditating on His Word (The Bible). Being a Christian is NOT "behavior modification", it is a transformation of the heart and mind and its will, behavior naturally follows. Being a Christian is all about being madly in love with the Creator who made you (in Biblical standards, marriage between man and woman is a partial image of the relationship between Christ and the Church), knew your wretchedness, and died to save you, because you were that important to Him. Thus, it's not just an acknowledgment of the gospel, it is an acceptance of the Holy Spirit and a decision to walk a new life in God's direction, not sin's direction. Christians will sin, but our sin will not land us in hell, as we've already been purified by our decision to let Christ be our bathwater. Nothing can separate a Christian from God's reach. But we should not seek to sin, as if we still seek to live in a manner that feeds our fleshly, sinful desires, then one must stop and evaluate if they truly love God (because sin hurts God) and truly chose to accept His sacrifice and live for something better. You can't fool God, but you can fool yourself and others. Being a Christian is a matter of the heart and the decision of which master you will serve, yourself, or God. That's why Christ says that one will know his disciples based on their ways, because Christians are meant to be different from the world's standards, even to the point of death. But Christians are NOT saved based by their deeds, they are saved through faith alone in Christ and his work. Good deeds are simply proof of faith perfected in the Christian. Christians also live with the hope that they will unite with God in Heaven, and that a day is coming when evil will be wiped from the earth and all will be judged according to whether they received the gospel or not (which is why the day has yet to come, as God's promised not to return until the gospel has been preached to every corner of the earth, because He wants as many as possible to come to salvation).

There's a bazillion pieces of scripture that refer to all this and I could post them, but you can find it yourself too
Blue Letter Bible - Home Page

Also, I don't think Judas was saved. Not only did he betray Christ, he didn't repent of it. He seemingly had no remorse. Scripture revealed his bad character throughout the whole gospel. He and Jesus both knew what was going to happen, and he still chose to go along with it. That happens to all of us sometimes, when we sin, but he wasn't even sorry. Then he took his own life.

(Luke 22:3) It says that Satan came inside Judas. Judas gave the devil a cozy home in his heart because of his evil desires.

And yeah you guys are right. The devil attacks Christians way more than those who are already on his side.
 
Last edited:

Xickin

Traitor of KHInsider.com
Joined
Mar 28, 2011
Messages
2,310
Awards
44
Age
29
Location
Ontario, Canada
Website
nicholasdoyle6.wixsite.com
I don't think there's a set "True Christianity" .

I agree, I think you have to find your own path to inner peace with your religion, in my opinion thought a good Christian is faithful, kind, understanding, not racist, and most of all ACCEPTING (hint hint KKK)

PS Dogenzaka did you write all that? Or did you copy and paste that from a site?
 

sora364

Inactive until DDD NA Release.
Joined
May 7, 2005
Messages
1,170
Awards
4
Age
34
Location
Where ever you want me to
I am a Christian solely based on the foundational principles established by Biblical text.

1. I believe Yeshua of Nazareth/Lord Jesus Christ is my LORD and SAVIOR and that he died on the cross for the remission of my sins.

2. I maintain a personal relationship with God, and put Him above all things.

3. I repent of my sins.

4. I adhere the the laws of God as much as I feasibly can.


I do not subscribe to ideals set by a clergy or denominational church.
 

Dogenzaka

PLATINUM USERNAME WINS
Joined
Aug 28, 2006
Messages
17,730
Awards
4
Location
Killing is easy once you forget the taste of sugar
I agree, I think you have to find your own path to inner peace with your religion, in my opinion thought a good Christian is faithful, kind, understanding, not racist, and most of all ACCEPTING (hint hint KKK)

PS Dogenzaka did you write all that? Or did you copy and paste that from a site?

I wrote all of that.
 

Forever Atlas

The World Rests On Me
Joined
May 8, 2007
Messages
8,762
Awards
4
Location
Earth 1610
I am a Christian solely based on the foundational principles established by Biblical text.

I do not subscribe to ideals set by a clergy or denominational church.

You know, that's a common thought and practice. But at the same time contradictory. For the Bible says this for Christians:

Hebrews 10: 23-25 - Let us hold fast the public declaration of our hope without wavering, for he is faithful that promised. And let us consider one another to incite to love and fine works, not forsaking the gathering of ourselves together, as some have the custom, but encouraging one another, and all the more so as YOU behold the day drawing near.

So ... Where would we gather together? Which church, group, denomination subscribes or practices the teachings of the Bible that you say you base your Christianity off of?
 

sora364

Inactive until DDD NA Release.
Joined
May 7, 2005
Messages
1,170
Awards
4
Age
34
Location
Where ever you want me to
You know, that's a common thought and practice. But at the same time contradictory. For the Bible says this for Christians:

Hebrews 10: 23-25 - Let us hold fast the public declaration of our hope without wavering, for he is faithful that promised. And let us consider one another to incite to love and fine works, not forsaking the gathering of ourselves together, as some have the custom, but encouraging one another, and all the more so as YOU behold the day drawing near.

So ... Where would we gather together? Which church, group, denomination subscribes or practices the teachings of the Bible that you say you base your Christianity off of?

Dogenzaka narrated my thoughts. As I said, I consider myself a Christian. Not a Jehovah's Witness, Catholic, Seven Day Adventist, Baptist, Methodist, etc. I take the Bible for what it is, not a congregation's interpretation of it. I will not put a label on my Christianity-as adhering to the notions of what a church says instead of God himself is outrageous.

The Church is already disjointed, and no longer stands together as one body due to conflicting beliefs. I read the Bible, and I make my own interpretations whilst comparing it to others. Quite frankly, I believe no denomination is inherently "correct." I do attend Chruch ever so often for worship, because for that purpose: all our intentions are the same: praise to the Father and the Son.

How exactly is that contradictory?
 

Xickin

Traitor of KHInsider.com
Joined
Mar 28, 2011
Messages
2,310
Awards
44
Age
29
Location
Ontario, Canada
Website
nicholasdoyle6.wixsite.com
I feel like I'm Christian, not only because I was baptized Christian, but also because I try to do my best and follow the 10 commandments and avoid the 7 deadly sins, and as well as remember that Jesus Christ died for our sins so we should always thank him
 

Forever Atlas

The World Rests On Me
Joined
May 8, 2007
Messages
8,762
Awards
4
Location
Earth 1610
So, to sum up what a lot of you have been saying, you can still be a Christian even if you disregard half of what the Bible says?
 

Taylor

Gold Member
Joined
May 12, 2007
Messages
7,095
Awards
9
So, to sum up what a lot of you have been saying, you can still be a Christian even if you disregard half of what the Bible says?

To go beyond that, I read quite a number of posts, and it sounds like what makes a person "Christian" is simply what makes a person "religious". There's a difference between the two, people.
 

Forever Atlas

The World Rests On Me
Joined
May 8, 2007
Messages
8,762
Awards
4
Location
Earth 1610
To go beyond that, I read quite a number of posts, and it sounds like what makes a person "Christian" is simply what makes a person "religious". There's a difference between the two, people.

Right.

You can be an athlete but that doesn't mean you are a MLB player. There are specific criteria you must meet and certain actions you have to perform in order to be considered one; Not just "know how to play/play baseball."
 

JustSnilloc

New member
Joined
Dec 25, 2011
Messages
840
Age
32
Location
USA
So ... Where would we gather together? Which church, group, denomination subscribes or practices the teachings of the Bible that you say you base your Christianity off of?

An Blind Christian is a Christian, an Ignorant Christian is a Christian, A Short Christian is a Christian, and a Christian is a Christian...

Basically this, people have different views on how things should be done... If you told a tribal man, and a city man to both get dinner ready for the evening, they would have entirely different processes by which they did it, but they would still both be getting dinner ready...

All this to say, people tend to do things differently, even if it's the same thing... Ergo, as long as whoever is preaching from the bible (and not against it) would be fine to "gather under"

So, to sum up what a lot of you have been saying, you can still be a Christian even if you disregard half of what the Bible says?

To be honest, the New Testament made the Old Testament mostly irrelevant so yeah...

To go further though, it doesn't matter how much you know it's about whether or not you've accepted Christ
 

Forever Atlas

The World Rests On Me
Joined
May 8, 2007
Messages
8,762
Awards
4
Location
Earth 1610
An Blind Christian is a Christian, an Ignorant Christian is a Christian, A Short Christian is a Christian, and a Christian is a Christian...

That's like saying there are blind, ignorant, short retail sales men. A sales man is a sales man. Okay? What makes him a retail sales man? You can just claim it?

Basically this, people have different views on how things should be done... If you told a tribal man, and a city man to both get dinner ready for the evening, they would have entirely different processes by which they did it, but they would still both be getting dinner ready...

That makes no sense in this conversation. Really....

All this to say, people tend to do things differently, even if it's the same thing... Ergo, as long as whoever is preaching from the bible (and not against it) would be fine to "gather under"

So, even if I do not have the proper training, a license, much knowledge, or even practice medicine, but I know it exists to a degree, I'm a doctor.

To be honest, the New Testament made the Old Testament mostly irrelevant so yeah...

Oh, really? Then why did Jesus base 90% of his teachings off of the OT directly quoting from it time after time?

To go further though, it doesn't matter how much you know it's about whether or not you've accepted Christ

So, it doesn't matter how much medical knowledge I have, as long as I accept that medicine works, I am a doctor.

Word.
 

JustSnilloc

New member
Joined
Dec 25, 2011
Messages
840
Age
32
Location
USA
That's like saying there are blind, ignorant, short retail sales men. A sales man is a sales man. Okay? What makes him a retail sales man? You can just claim it?

Selling Retail ;)

That makes no sense in this conversation. Really....

What I mean is, though there are different ways to do one thing, that one thing still gets done

So, even if I do not have the proper training, a license, much knowledge, or even practice medicine, but I know it exists to a degree, I'm a doctor.

Nope, you're confusing Christianity with a trained profession... It's more comparable to a state of being

Oh, really? Then why did Jesus base 90% of his teachings off of the OT directly quoting from it time after time?

Wouldn't you if you were him? It's what the people understood, it's called catering to your audience

So, it doesn't matter how much medical knowledge I have, as long as I accept that medicine works, I am a doctor.

Already explained it above, but... Accepting that medicine works, is basically faith that man knows what he's doing, it has nothing to do with the ability to administer it...

Also going a bit further on the "State of Being" thing, consider becoming a Christian comparable to metamorphosis, except it's a spiritual metamorphosis...

A frog starts out as a tadpole, but not because it believes itself to be so, instead it's because it is indeed a tadpole. Later in life it becomes a frog, not because it has any special "frog" knowledge, but because a change has occurred. For Christians, that change is accepting Christ
 

sora364

Inactive until DDD NA Release.
Joined
May 7, 2005
Messages
1,170
Awards
4
Age
34
Location
Where ever you want me to
So, to sum up what a lot of you have been saying, you can still be a Christian even if you disregard half of what the Bible says?

This is a fairly sanctimonious sentiment. No one is "disregarding what half of the Bible says." Just because someone does to subscribe to your own idealized manufactured image of worship, does not entail them to be any less favorable to the Lord. And that is the only perspective worth valuing.


A Christian is defined by his relationship with the Lord. It is illustrated through faith, repentance, humility, and obedience. A Christian is nurtured from every word which enunciates from God's mouth; and we try to keep his commandants-yet we all fall short of His glory.

Satan tempted Yeshua with scripture, yet does this mean Satan was a Christian? Demons know scripture, does that mean that they have salvation? NO. Yes, it is imperative that we as Christians study God's word; but how we practice what we do know and maintain our standing with God is what truthfully matters. Nothing else.
 

Memory Master

Gold Member
Joined
Nov 28, 2008
Messages
6,422
Awards
1
Belief in Jesus Christ and that he died and rose from the grave for our sins. Belief in the Trinity and that Jesus is God the Son incarnate in human form. Coming to Christ with a humble heart to ask for forgiveness of your sins and from that point forward follow him as best you can and to have a relationship in your heart with him.

That is what it takes to be a true Christian, simple as that.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top