What belifs make a Christain?

Donray · Post by **Donray** » Fri Dec 20, 2019 8:02 pm

For me to ask a question in another topic I need to understand what beliefs a Christain must have to be called a Christian.

From my understanding in using this board, several online religious course, and my
knowledge on the bible I have come to the following:

There are only two beliefs that all Christians must have:

1: That Mary was a virgin and God created a baby in her.
2: Jesus was crucified and rose from bring dead.

It does matter if you think the bible is 100% true or 100% stories and myths.
It does not matter if ware magic underwear or not.
It does not matter if you are baptized or not.
It does not matter if your gay or not.
It does not matter what rituals you perform.
It does not matter if you belong to one of thousand Christain cults and main religions.
It does not matter if you pray or attend a church.

Nothing else matters.

Am I correct?

Menotu · Post by **Menotu** » Tue Jan 21, 2020 5:05 pm

To be a Christian there are two fronts:
The internal and external.

Speaking externally, it can be anywhere (here, work, school, driving, the bar, killing another, smoking, drinking, etc) all you have to do is say you're a Christian. You don't need to prove it to anyone (unless Christianity is considered against the law or a protected class).

You're smoking at a bar, swearing, lusting over the bar tender and drinking and say "I'm a Christian."
Then what?
People say you're not? So what? What does that do to you?

You argue with your spouse and slap/punch them all the while saying "I'm a Christian."
So what? Because they say "No you're not!" doesn't make you a Christian?

Speaking internally, within your soul/mind/spirit/whatever, you say "I'm a Christian." Only you can make that true if you're honest with yourself. And only you know the truth. What's funny about that, is that the truth....it's not always the same for everyone. You can convince yourself whatever you want if you try hard enough.

Basically, only what you determine yourself to be (or not to be) matters. Nothing anyone else says (outside of legalities of the society you're in) matters.

onewithhim · Post by **onewithhim** » Tue Jan 21, 2020 10:10 pm

[Replying to post 59 by Sojournerofthearth]

So you have nothing to say about my post #58?? Would you kindly read it, if you inadvertently skipped over it?

Thank you.

.

onewithhim · Post by **onewithhim** » Tue Jan 21, 2020 10:33 pm

Menotu wrote: To be a Christian there are two fronts:
The internal and external.

Speaking externally, it can be anywhere (here, work, school, driving, the bar, killing another, smoking, drinking, etc) all you have to do is say you're a Christian. You don't need to prove it to anyone (unless Christianity is considered against the law or a protected class).

You're smoking at a bar, swearing, lusting over the bar tender and drinking and say "I'm a Christian."
Then what?
People say you're not? So what? What does that do to you?

You argue with your spouse and slap/punch them all the while saying "I'm a Christian."
So what? Because they say "No you're not!" doesn't make you a Christian?

Speaking internally, within your soul/mind/spirit/whatever, you say "I'm a Christian." Only you can make that true if you're honest with yourself. And only you know the truth. What's funny about that, is that the truth....it's not always the same for everyone. You can convince yourself whatever you want if you try hard enough.

Basically, only what you determine yourself to be (or not to be) matters. Nothing anyone else says (outside of legalities of the society you're in) matters.

I disagree. The only thing that matters is what Jehovah, the God of the universe, determines you to be. You can delude yourself into thinking you're a Christian and all the while you are doing the debauched things you describe above, and guess what? You are DELUDED. (And I'm not saying YOU, but I'm talking about anybody.)

Didn't Jesus say, "By their fruits you will know them"? (Matt.7:16,20) That is, you can tell who is a real Christian and who is not by what they do. He went on to say:

"Not everyone who calls me their Lord will get into the Kingdom, but only those who are doing the will of my Father in heaven." (Matt.7:21) How much clearer can it be? You have to be doing what God says to do.

.

Sojournerofthearth · Post by **Sojournerofthearth** » Wed Jan 22, 2020 5:59 pm

[Replying to post 62 by onewithhim]

I did read it.

What do you think this means?

Isa 51:15Â But I am the LORD thy God, that divided the sea, whose waves roared: The LORD of hosts is his name.Â
Isa 51:16Â And I have put my words in thy mouth, and I have covered thee in the shadow of mine hand, that I may plant the heavens, and lay the foundations of the earth, and say unto Zion, Thou art my people.Â

Soj

onewithhim · Post by **onewithhim** » Wed Jan 22, 2020 6:24 pm

Sojournerofthearth wrote: [Replying to post 62 by onewithhim]

I did read it.

What do you think this means?

Isa 51:15Â But I am the LORD thy God, that divided the sea, whose waves roared: The LORD of hosts is his name.Â
Isa 51:16Â And I have put my words in thy mouth, and I have covered thee in the shadow of mine hand, that I may plant the heavens, and lay the foundations of the earth, and say unto Zion, Thou art my people.Â

Soj

Well, every time we see "LORD" in all upper-case, that is where the Tetragrammaton originally appeared in the Hebrew text. So, keeping that in mind, the Scripture says, "I am Jehovah thy God, that divided the sea, whose waves roared: Jehovah of hosts is his name."

It seems that He is speaking to Israel, and will tell the people what He wishes, so that they can even repeat what He says, and he will protect Israel, who He says are His people. He has always told them that they must keep THEIR end of the bargain and obey Him. He compares Israel to a drunk woman (51:21). It is sad that they will actually fall prey to other nations who will walk all over them.

Checkpoint · Post by **Checkpoint** » Wed Jan 22, 2020 6:42 pm

[Replying to post 65 by onewithhim]

He compares Israel to a drunk woman (51:21). It is sad that they will actually fall prey to other nations who will walk all over them.

Do y0u see from those verses that they are actually saying that will happen to present-day Israel?

Sojournerofthearth · Post by **Sojournerofthearth** » Wed Jan 22, 2020 10:31 pm

[Replying to post 65 by onewithhim]

And plant the heavens? H5193, plant a garden, plant a grove, plant them in the mountain of thine inheritance,
His plan is vastly larger than making everybody live a happy little life on Earth. Why do you think he created the entire universe? The Earth is simply the beginning of things.

Soj

brianbbs67 · Post by **brianbbs67** » Thu Jan 23, 2020 12:34 am

onewithhim wrote:
Sojournerofthearth wrote: [Replying to post 62 by onewithhim]

I did read it.

What do you think this means?

Isa 51:15Â But I am the LORD thy God, that divided the sea, whose waves roared: The LORD of hosts is his name.Â
Isa 51:16Â And I have put my words in thy mouth, and I have covered thee in the shadow of mine hand, that I may plant the heavens, and lay the foundations of the earth, and say unto Zion, Thou art my people.Â

Soj
Well, every time we see "LORD" in all upper-case, that is where the Tetragrammaton originally appeared in the Hebrew text. So, keeping that in mind, the Scripture says, "I am Jehovah thy God, that divided the sea, whose waves roared: Jehovah of hosts is his name."

It seems that He is speaking to Israel, and will tell the people what He wishes, so that they can even repeat what He says, and he will protect Israel, who He says are His people. He has always told them that they must keep THEIR end of the bargain and obey Him. He compares Israel to a drunk woman (51:21). It is sad that they will actually fall prey to other nations who will walk all over them.

But, Christ came first for the lost sheep of Israel. Only, in some translations. We are welcomed into Israel thru christ, not because Judah was cast out, but because christ's death ended the marriage to Israel and made Israel able to renew a covenant. This was the mystery God announced in the OT. Pharisees' saw no way for God to bring Israel back under the law. But, since God wrote the law, a way was found. This passage from Ephesians shows us how we are welcomed into the Covenants of Israel.

11Therefore remember that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called â€œUncircumcisionâ€� by the so-called â€œCircumcision,â€� which is performed in the flesh by human handsâ€” 12remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, 15by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace, 16and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity.

PinSeeker · Post by **PinSeeker** » Thu Jan 23, 2020 12:51 pm

God's Israel is far different than mere physical Israel -- the tiny country on the eastern end of the Great Sea. And it includes far more than mere ethnic Jews.

Grace and peace to all.

Checkpoint · Post by **Checkpoint** » Thu Jan 23, 2020 3:42 pm

PinSeeker wrote:
God's Israel is far different than mere physical Israel -- the tiny country on the eastern end of the Great Sea. And it includes far more than mere ethnic Jews.

Grace and peace to all.

You seem to have just tur0wn this out here...

An interesting subjest, but why here, and why now?

May the Lord bless and keep you, always,