Posted on 08/10/2011 8:11:57 AM PDT by janereinheimer
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.
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