What is a true Christian?

Jhn 14:6

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
1Jo 5:12

He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.

Jesus said one way and a clear distinction of having life or not

 

The OP brings to mind this anecdote from Charles Spurgeon's Autobiography. Spurgeon tells of one who

"said to me, one day, that he knew how many children of God there were in the parish were he lived; there were exactly five. I was curious to learn their names, so I asked him who the five were, and much to my amusement he began by saying, 'There is myself.' I stopped him at this point, with the query whether he was quite sure about the first one. Since then, his character has gone I know not where, but certainly he will get on better without it than with it; yet he was the first on his own list, and a few others of the same black sort made up the five. There were, in the other places of worship to which he did not go, men, whose characters for integrity and uprightness, ay, and for spirituality and prayerfulness, would have been degraded by being put into comparison with his; yet he set himself up as judge in Israel, and pretended to know exactly how many people of God were in the village. 'The Lord knoweth them that are His.' I bless God that I have learned to have very little respect for the vision of the man with the measuring line. When I see an angel with it, I am glad enough; but when I see a man with it, I tell him that he must give me a warrant from God, and show me how he is to know the elect by any other method than that laid down by our Lord Jesus Christ: "By their fruits shall ye know them."

 

A Christian, that is, a Child of God is one who has been chosen and saved by GOD. That salvation is posible only because of the shed blood of Jesus Christ! A Christian understands that it is GOD alone who saves hm and it is GOD alone who will judge man!

 

Another example of a so-called giant of the faith who didn't understand the context or meaning of the fruit Jesus spoke of.

 

Of course.....no one can measure up to your posting.....they say people have stopped reading the Metropolitan Tabernacle in favor of your posts!

 

I don't know whether James L considers himself a snowfleke or not. I might say he is a little flakey but then if people have stopped reading the Metropolitan Tabernacle in favor of HIS posts he certainly can bragg, if not post, with authotity!

 

Well OR.......he sets all teachers aside. Reformers ,puritans, commentators, all fail to meet his standards.
Many a post starts out with how everyone else is wrong, or missed a key word, or something else and then like mighty mouse.....here he comes to save the day.
He explained to me that he is much smarter than I am and that For that reason I could not understand anything he posted because the thoughts were beyond me....I think he was right.....I never understand his posts.
I hope I can get enough from the other regular posters!

 

He is not the only one on here who ridicules and shows disdain for those great men of God and those who employ their works.

OP: 2 Corinthians 3:18ff describes a believer, 1 Thessalonians 1:1ff, and also the book of 1 John as well.

 

Returning to topic, rather than bashing those who hold differing view, a Christian is someone God transferred from the realm of darkness into the kingdom of His Son. They have undergone the circumcision of Christ, and have be regenerated, made alive together with Christ. They may not hold all the "right" doctrines, but God credited their wholehearted love and devotion to Christ as righteousness. They have been born anew as a spiritual child of God, thus justified and made righteous through the washing of regeneration. But only God knows for sure who these are!

Thus the actual question is how do we recognize those who have been spiritually born anew. One way for sure is how they express their love for their siblings in Christ. So those who post with malice and ridicule may be Christians, but they do not seem to be bearing the fruit of the Spirit.

 

Correct, but they certainly want you and others to listen to themselves, don't they?

It is the epitome of arrogance.

 

I may tell someone not to listen to Benny Hinn, or Joyce Meyer, or Joel Osteen, or even some on this board. Biggrin But Ray Comfort?

 

Ray Comfort, Ray Comfort you say, never heard of him!

 

A true Christian is a person saved by the Grace of GOD, period!

So you are taking over that which GOD has reserved to HIMSELF, Judgment!

Very gracious of you not to put these men on the slippert slope to Hell!

 

http://www.albertmohler.com/2006/10/06/by-their-books-we-shall-know-them/

"To a great extent, our personal libraries betray our true identities and interests. A minister’s library, taken as a whole, will likely reveal a portrait of theological conviction and vision. Whose works have front place on the shelves, Martyn Lloyd-Jones or John Shelby Spong? Charles Spurgeon or Harry Emerson Fosdick? Karl Barth or Carl Henry? John MacArthur or Joel Osteen?"

 

Why does Christ dwell in you? not what you did for Christ to dwell there but what is the reason He does He dwell in you as a Christian?