What is a "True Christian"?

[GaryA]

"True Christian" = "Born-again Christian"


John 3:

[SUP]1[/SUP] There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: [SUP]2[/SUP] The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. [SUP]3[/SUP] 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. [SUP]4[/SUP] 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? [SUP]5[/SUP] 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. [SUP]6[/SUP] That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. [SUP]7[/SUP] Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. [SUP]8[/SUP] 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.

 

[GaryA]

What is that saying? I'm going to really mess this up... (this is an extreme paraphrase) something like,

"Anyone less [religious] than me is not a true Christian. Anyone more [religious] than me is in a cult."

Comparing "being a Christian" with "being religious" has dangers of its own...

Nonetheless, the saying certainly illustrates something 'pointed' about the person who says it.

 

[Grace-Like-Rain]

Comparing "being a Christian" with "being religious" has dangers of its own...

Nonetheless, the saying certainly illustrates something 'pointed' about the person who says it.

Yes. I started to say "spiritual" instead, but I think "religious" - the thought behind it - is more accurate. Some Christians judge other Christians by how they outwardly behave. AKA "following the rules of a religion".

 

[coby]

Yes. I started to say "spiritual" instead, but I think "religious" - the thought behind it - is more accurate. Some Christians judge other Christians by how they outwardly behave. AKA "following the rules of a religion".

And there's also: it doesn't matter how you behave or what you believe. When you're not from my church you're not a christian. Haven't seen that one here. Saw it on a Dutch site. Real lovely christian woman. You have to get saved. You're not a christian. Because she's not into the born again language and is reformed and the other one was an evangelical.

 

[zeroturbulence]

I don't know about defining a 'true christian', but here's what I think makes an exceptional christian...

- Turns the other cheek when attacked (Matt. 5:39)

- Gives willingly to the one who takes/stole from them (also Matt. 5:39)

- Blesses and prays for his/her persecutors (Matt. 5:44)

- Loves his/her persecutors (also Matt. 5:44)

- Lends and expects nothing in return (Luke 6:35)

- Looks after the sick (Matt 25:36)

- Visits prisoners (Matt 25:36)

- Clothes the needy (Matt 25:36)

- Refrains from anger and does not go about fretting over things (Psalm 37:8)

- Avoids arguments about scripture and knows that such arguments are fruitless (Titus 3:9)

 

[jennymae]

All this slowpoke talk made me remember an ooooold movie, Tennessee's Partner...Cowpoke...starring Ronald Reagan...

 

[Sargilana]

Just a man who loves and knows God.

 

[sealabeag]

Interesting question. What I'm thinking to myself is "Well, wasn't Judas a Christian, i.e. a follower of Christ?". Sure he was! But as Christ himself says, Judas was lost. So simply identifying as a "follower of Christ", or "Christian", isn't enough. We have to actually do what He tells us to do, and that means a number of things, but I think they can be summed up in one; be like Christ. Don't just follow Him, imitate him. Read the Scriptures, see what he did and what he told us to do, and aim to conform your life to His life and his teaching.

However none of this is possible without His grace and the Spirit both convicting us of sin and guiding us.

 

[Yeraza_Bats]

Believing the Gospel of Jesus Christ is an absolute to be able to call yourself a Christian.

I would say anyone who belongs to an organization who has to make the claim "the bible has been corrupted" is not a Christian.

Not believing that Christ is God in the flesh of a man who died for our sins means you are not a Christian.


Other Christians claiming another Christian is not a "true" Christian, I dunno. Id have to see their reason for making that claim.

Ive kinda noticed that alot of times the arguments about Christ's teachings get kinda messed up and misunderstood. Like in my own personal experience, Ive argued that you cant sin if you believe in Him, and that the bible does have warnings about the believers who let themselves slip away from Him into sinful living ending up in hell. And when making that case, Ive had people make it sound like I believe that we must do "works" in order to be saved.

But of course that wasnt my argument at all, I claimed many times that we are saved by grace through faith, just that we should avoid sinful living as the bible says. But theyll still try to twist it to make it out like I believe that we must accomplish certain requirements for salvation.

So I think alot of that just comes from people getting angry in a debate about the word of God. But there may be justified reasons for someone to make that claim, too. Dunno.