Posted on 08/10/2011 8:11:57 AM PDT by janereinheimer
How would you define "Christian?"
I've been giving this a lot of thought lately. It goes back a couple of weeks when someone made a comment that someone who's been in the news a lot lately was not a "Christian."
I take an existential view of that because I believe that anyone who has had a Christian baptism is a Christian.
Where I depart company from the pious and sanctimonious definitions of others is when their definition of Christian is really a definition of being "Christ-like."
Oh, for sure, I would hope that Christians everywhere would behave in a Christ-like manner. But there are a lot of people who have had a Christian baptism who are far from behaving like Christ did. They are corrupt sinners in need of salvation. They may or may not ever repent of their rotten, sinful lives until they are within minutes of drawing their last breath. But even at that last breath, if they truly repent and ask God for forgiveness, then I believe that our loving, forgiving God will open the gates of heaven and receive that sinner. Just as surely as he will receive the person who has tried hard to lead a Christ-like life.
For instance, C. S. Lewis wasn't exactly known for his faith in God when he got started in his writing career. In fact, he set out in his early writings to prove God didn't exist at all.
Then, voila, an experience touched him. I've not read all that's to be read about Lewis or from Lewis, but I have a deep suspicion that the Holy Spirit got ahold of him because he became one of the most profound Christian writers ever to draw breath.
And then there was that other guy of New Testament fame -remember Saul? He ran around with execution warrants in his pocket so that he could mow down any Christians he happened to come across while he was going thither and yon throughout the lands of what we call the Holy Land. Remember Damascus? Jesus went to Syria to find Saul. Struck him down blind. Then someone drug Saul off to stay at his house while Saul recuperated from that insane notion that all Christians ought to be killed.
Blindness. That's how Jesus got Saul's attention. Well, Jesus healed his blindness. Not only did Saul get his sight back but he got a new, improved name too. From then on, he was called Paul. And fortunately for Christians everywhere, we have Paul. The New Testament would be a pretty slim volume without all the writings of Paul.
He was one grand letter writer, let me tell you!
But back to this sanctimonious person who thinks it's okay to go around making judgments about whether a person is a Christian or not.
She wouldn't agree that someone I went to jail to counsel for the best part of a year and a half was a Christian.* And then one day, out of that miracle place in the universe that we call nowhere, this murderer told me he wanted to take communion.
I told him he'd have to talk with a pastor about repentance if he wanted to do that.
He said he was ready. He wanted communion before he went to trial.
Do you know that I called about ten pastors before I found one who agreed to go to the jail and talk to this person? And yes, the pastor said he'd bring communion just in case the client confessed the sins of double murder.
Where would sinners be if we were not the road back to the Lord when they took the wrong turn?
Isn't sanctimony and piety very un-Christ-like behavior in themselves?
Where would the young teenage girl be if I had refused to see her because she was dabbling in Satanism?*
Or how about the wife who had committed adultery and was afraid to confess her sin to her pastor.* Even though her husband had forgiven her, she was most hopeful that God had too.
How can any one of us ever say that just because someone got off on the wrong path that they weren't Christians anymore?
Rather, it's our job as Christians to pray for sinners that they may somehow find the way back to a loving and forgiving Lord.
We are never, ever supposed to crawl back into our sanctimonious little turtle of a shell and declare a sinner a non-Christian. God does not like that.
*used with permission
P.S. It's discouraging that a very small percentage of pastors, priests and other spiritual leaders shed such a dim shadow across the field of spiritual shepherds who are very compassionate and loving and Christ-like. I thank God that these pastors outnumber those who focus on negativity and unforgiveness with sinners who seek their counsel; with sinners who need most of all to know that their sins are forgiven. There are a great many pastors who do not withhold the Means of Grace to repentant sinners.
The Scriptures are clear. Those whom the Father gave to Jesus (the elect).
But he who merely hears and does not practice doing My words is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation, against which the torrent burst, and immediately it collapsed and fell, and the breaking and ruin of that house was great.
Believing in Christ and living out one’s life FOR Christ are two aspects of the life that is being sanctified. I think it comes back to the wisdom in James. What kind of faith do I have if there is little or nothing that shows that faith? And if I am a true believer and baptized, and show nothing of that belief, do I REALLY believe?
I am so thankful that God can see the insides of people. There are people who look squeaky clean on the outside but inside are deader than dead. And, Jesus talked about just such a thing to the religious leaders of his time.
In the meantime, I have met many people who will tell you they are a Christian but it is more of a cultural thing and they know little of the man whose name they walk under.
And this is the purpose of your post? Or what? That sinner can repent? Or to advertise your counseling skills?
Therefore, anyone who has had a cult baptism is a what? cultist? That said, recognizing that a person who is part of a cult is not a Christian has nothing to do with reaching to the unsaved or to backsliding Christians. Yes, even to the cultists themselves! "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance" .
I just re-read this post and there is a flaw in the statements made. Neither Saul NOR Lewis were believers in Jesus Christ when they did the wrong they did (e.g., Saul persecuting believers). Therefore, these are not good examples to use.
And just because a person goes through the outward rituals of faith and fools the crowd means nothing. Like I said, God knows the heart. God sees whether circumcision of the heart has taken place or not.
loving others, being Christ-like and being a forgiving person are all tied together, IMO
My point is that sinful Christians have no right to say that other sinful Christians are not Christians. Only god knows the hearts of man.
One who truly believes that Jesus Christ is Lord and savior, the way the truth and the light, the only way to the father, believes he was fully god and fully man who came to earth Messiah to fulfill scriptures and die in exchange for our sins so that we could get access to the father even as sinners. characteristics that are observable by man are generally a changed life that they live for his glory. This can be acted out a number of ways but feeding his sheep and spreading the gospel are the most common. Agape!
As for that fellow Saul of Tarsus / Paul of the New Testament — IMO ,and this goes for CS Lewis— or the guy who wrote Ben Hur— or Josh McDowell— or any other — a Christian ought Not be judged for what he was when a sinner. But for what he became when he became a new Creation. The dif
between the Christian— and the unbeliever is the one who believes in Jesus -if they repent of their sins —and confess their sins— and seek the face of the LORD and His Mercy the Christian is forgiven. And has eternal life. If one professes to be a Christian but advocates and seeks to advance what Christ did NOT They may be a lot of things —but IMO they are not “in Christ” and in that moment act more like a child of darkness than as a Christian/Christ man.
Many of the individuals I see are Christian but have bought into the great “LIE” of Satan. The lie being that we can server the Lord while living like the culture. You asked what makes a person a Christian. The scriptures make it clear that the individual that confesses with his mouth and believes in his heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. Romans 10:9-10.
We need to make ourselves available to any and all that we run into because we never know when the Holy Spirit will use us as a conduit for God's love.
1 Samuel 24:13 As the old saying goes, ‘From evildoers come evil deeds,’ so my hand will not touch you.
Proverbs 20:11 Even a child is known by his actions, by whether his conduct is pure and right.
Matthew 7:20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
Matthew 12:33 “Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit.
Luke 6:43 “No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit.
Luke 6:44 Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers.
Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
James 2:18 But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.
Amen! Christians come to the Lord fully willing to re-invent their sinful lives into purposeful building of God’s Kingdom here on earth — these are the good fruits that James was talking about.
While one might be able to define what makes a person a Christian, I think proving the converse might be impossible. No one knows the heart of another perfectly.
we are all one bad decision away from wearing prison garb
That’s a humbling thought and oh so true. We must be ever-vigilant against the devil. Sometimes I think he works a lot harder than we do.
I would also be wary of using Baptism as a way to tell if someone is Christian or not. Mark 16:16 “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.”
Notice the word believes? It’s faith. If you truly believe, your actions will follow. If you get baptized without belief ( and this verse indicates it’s possible), you can lie all you want, but you can’t play games with the Lord.we are saved by Grace through faith and Baptism is something we then do out of joy and obedience to the Lord and as a public proclamation of that faith to the world. To look strictly at the act of baptism as a way to determine someone’s faith is simply checking a box to get Christian street
Creds. Pharisees did this too. Be wary of using this as your measure, friend. Agape!
I suggest the Scriptures themselves are pretty clear on the question so that none us sinners need be judgmental in our definitions.
Only God knows what’s in our hearts. And His forgiveness is perfect and loving.
We must be washed anew in the blood of the Lamb each and every day because our hearts are dirty and sinful.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.