What Makes A Christian?
What does make some one a Christian?
That's been on my mind for a while, because so often there are a million answers to that question. Sometimes we use special church words that don't necessarily make sense to the average person. Is there a formula? Are there certain steps that each person must experience in order to be considered a Christian? The first question really is who cares? Is it something everybody or anybody needs?
I have to go back to the source for these questions. The Bible. I know that there are lots of discussions and intellectual arguments about IF the Bible is true or fiction or if just parts of it are. Let's leave that one alone for now and just start with the belief that the Bible is exactly what it portrays itself to be: A message sent from God. For those of you who aren't into the Bible very much, God sends His message in two ways: 1) By showing us the lives (good and bad) of His special people: Moses, Abraham, etc. 2) Direct teaching: Like Jesus teaching or the letter from the Apostle Paul.
So, here is what I've learned from the Bible about who needs to be a Christian. Answer? EVERYONE
Let me explain. God made us to be with Him. God wasn't lonely or anything. He was enjoying creating. Everything He created (stars, planets, animals) everything was beautiful and really cool. He created people to enjoy and care for what He had created. In fact the Bible records God saying someting special just before he created the first human, "Then god said, 'Let us make man in our image, in our likeness . . .'" (Genesis 1:26). Cool huh? We are made like God in that we have a sense of person hood, we imagine and create, and we have within us a undying spirit. What some people would call an eternal soul.
So what happened. Did God make this screwed up world the way it is? Gross. No that's not what happened. SIN happened. God created humans with the ability to choose. Choose to follow God's ways, His created laws, or to reject God. Well, the first man and woman chose to reject God's ways and follow their own ways. That rebellion was what brought sin into the world. From that moment, every person born was born with sin in their heart. Our seperates us from God. Sin is anything that I think or say or do that goes against God's laws. God is so pure, perfect and holy, that even my best efforts (on my own) are filthy garbage comparied to God. Sin can NOT be removed by good deeds alone.
Sin is a like a crime against God's goodness. Everyday when God views his creation he sees all the evil and junk that human kind has chosen to bring to the goodness He created. Everyday, each of us viaolates God's laws. The punishment for that crime is eternal death in Hell. Don't kid yourself either, if you think that Hell only starts after you die, look around you. Without Christ, life is just plain old screwed up.
If the sin in our hearts is a crime and the punishment for that crime is eternal death (starting now), is there anyway to be pardoned from my crime? Can anyone save me? The problem is that if God just lets us off the hook then He would be a corrupt judge. So God entered the world as a baby. Baby Jesus grew up to be a sinless man. In fact Jesus is completely God and completely man. Weird, but if you are God, what's the big deal right?
Jesus was on the earth teaching the way to have eternal life and it ticked off a bunch of religious fakes, so they killed him buy nailing Him to a cross (go watch the movie The Passion). Hah, the trick's on them, this was God's plan. The Bible says that on the cross Jesus became sin for me. Jesus paid the penalty through suffering and dying on the cross. But, that's not the end. Paying the price for sin, Jesus died and rose again.
We celebrate Jesus raising from the grave on Easter Sunday. Dying on the cross He canceled my debt of sin. Rising from the dead He canceled the power of death. Now all that's left is for you to excercise the power of choice that God has given you. Everyone who gives their life to Jesus will have eternal life. Life eternal is enjoying God forever. Starting now.
That's the abreviated teaching. More later.
Questions? Add a comment, visit our message board or e-mail me at adam@sojournband.com Ada
That's been on my mind for a while, because so often there are a million answers to that question. Sometimes we use special church words that don't necessarily make sense to the average person. Is there a formula? Are there certain steps that each person must experience in order to be considered a Christian? The first question really is who cares? Is it something everybody or anybody needs?
I have to go back to the source for these questions. The Bible. I know that there are lots of discussions and intellectual arguments about IF the Bible is true or fiction or if just parts of it are. Let's leave that one alone for now and just start with the belief that the Bible is exactly what it portrays itself to be: A message sent from God. For those of you who aren't into the Bible very much, God sends His message in two ways: 1) By showing us the lives (good and bad) of His special people: Moses, Abraham, etc. 2) Direct teaching: Like Jesus teaching or the letter from the Apostle Paul.
So, here is what I've learned from the Bible about who needs to be a Christian. Answer? EVERYONE
Let me explain. God made us to be with Him. God wasn't lonely or anything. He was enjoying creating. Everything He created (stars, planets, animals) everything was beautiful and really cool. He created people to enjoy and care for what He had created. In fact the Bible records God saying someting special just before he created the first human, "Then god said, 'Let us make man in our image, in our likeness . . .'" (Genesis 1:26). Cool huh? We are made like God in that we have a sense of person hood, we imagine and create, and we have within us a undying spirit. What some people would call an eternal soul.
So what happened. Did God make this screwed up world the way it is? Gross. No that's not what happened. SIN happened. God created humans with the ability to choose. Choose to follow God's ways, His created laws, or to reject God. Well, the first man and woman chose to reject God's ways and follow their own ways. That rebellion was what brought sin into the world. From that moment, every person born was born with sin in their heart. Our seperates us from God. Sin is anything that I think or say or do that goes against God's laws. God is so pure, perfect and holy, that even my best efforts (on my own) are filthy garbage comparied to God. Sin can NOT be removed by good deeds alone.
Sin is a like a crime against God's goodness. Everyday when God views his creation he sees all the evil and junk that human kind has chosen to bring to the goodness He created. Everyday, each of us viaolates God's laws. The punishment for that crime is eternal death in Hell. Don't kid yourself either, if you think that Hell only starts after you die, look around you. Without Christ, life is just plain old screwed up.
If the sin in our hearts is a crime and the punishment for that crime is eternal death (starting now), is there anyway to be pardoned from my crime? Can anyone save me? The problem is that if God just lets us off the hook then He would be a corrupt judge. So God entered the world as a baby. Baby Jesus grew up to be a sinless man. In fact Jesus is completely God and completely man. Weird, but if you are God, what's the big deal right?
Jesus was on the earth teaching the way to have eternal life and it ticked off a bunch of religious fakes, so they killed him buy nailing Him to a cross (go watch the movie The Passion). Hah, the trick's on them, this was God's plan. The Bible says that on the cross Jesus became sin for me. Jesus paid the penalty through suffering and dying on the cross. But, that's not the end. Paying the price for sin, Jesus died and rose again.
We celebrate Jesus raising from the grave on Easter Sunday. Dying on the cross He canceled my debt of sin. Rising from the dead He canceled the power of death. Now all that's left is for you to excercise the power of choice that God has given you. Everyone who gives their life to Jesus will have eternal life. Life eternal is enjoying God forever. Starting now.
That's the abreviated teaching. More later.
Questions? Add a comment, visit our message board or e-mail me at adam@sojournband.com Ada
posted by Sojourn @ 7:28 PM
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