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What is a true Christian?

evangelist6589

evangelist6589

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
So what makes someone a true Christian? A Christian is a follower of Christ who has been saved by faith alone, through grace alone not by works (Eph 2:8-10). A Christian is also someone that has repented of sin (Lk 13:3) and submits to the Lordship of Christ (book of James). A Christian is also someone that affirms the essentials of the faith including the view that Jesus is the only way to salvation (John 14:6) and that the Bible is divinely inspired (2 Tim 3:16).

So can a true Christian be "progressive" and hold views on inspiration like so many of the questionable churches in Denver, CO do? Can a true Christian be a pluralist? Can a true christian be affirming? Once I had a phone conversation with a "Progressive American Baptist Pastor" and he was flat out a false convert due to his progressive views not only on the Bible, but on Christ being the only way to salvation. It seems that there is a blurred line on what is a true christian on this board.

I am not saying that non Calvinists are not Christians so please do not go there. Christian leaders like Charles Stanley and Hank Hanagraaf are non-Calvinist but they affirm the essentials, and affirm an essential view on inspiration. So what say you?
 
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TomLaPalm

Member
evangelist6589 said:
So what makes someone a true Christian? A Christian is a follower of Christ who has been saved by faith alone, through grace alone not by works (Eph 2:8-10). A Christian is also someone that has repented of sin (Lk 13:3) and submits to the Lordship of Christ (book of James). A Christian is also someone that affirms the essentials of the faith including the view that Jesus is the only way to salvation (John 14:6) and that the Bible is divinely inspired (2 Tim 3:16).

So can a true Christian be "progressive" and hold views on inspiration like so many of the questionable churches in Denver, CO do? Can a true Christian be a pluralist? Can a true christian be affirming? Once I had a phone conversation with a "Progressive American Baptist Pastor" and he was flat out a false convert due to his progressive views not only on the Bible, but on Christ being the only way to salvation. It seems that there is a blurred line on what is a true christian on this board.

I am not saying that non Calvinists are not Christians so please do not go there. Christian leaders like Charles Stanley and Hank Hanagraaf are non-Calvinist but they affirm the essentials, and affirm an essential view on inspiration. So what say you?
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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
 
Jerome

Jerome

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
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."
 
O

OldRegular

Well-Known Member
evangelist6589 said:
So what makes someone a true Christian? A Christian is a follower of Christ who has been saved by faith alone, through grace alone not by works (Eph 2:8-10). A Christian is also someone that has repented of sin (Lk 13:3) and submits to the Lordship of Christ (book of James). A Christian is also someone that affirms the essentials of the faith including the view that Jesus is the only way to salvation (John 14:6) and that the Bible is divinely inspired (2 Tim 3:16).

So can a true Christian be "progressive" and hold views on inspiration like so many of the questionable churches in Denver, CO do? Can a true Christian be a pluralist? Can a true christian be affirming? Once I had a phone conversation with a "Progressive American Baptist Pastor" and he was flat out a false convert due to his progressive views not only on the Bible, but on Christ being the only way to salvation. It seems that there is a blurred line on what is a true christian on this board.

I am not saying that non Calvinists are not Christians so please do not go there. Christian leaders like Charles Stanley and Hank Hanagraaf are non-Calvinist but they affirm the essentials, and affirm an essential view on inspiration. So what say you?
Click to expand...

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!
 
J

JamesL

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
Jerome said:
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."
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Another example of a so-called giant of the faith who didn't understand the context or meaning of the fruit Jesus spoke of.
 
I

Iconoclast

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
JamesL said:
Another example of a so-called giant of the faith who didn't understand the context or meaning of the fruit Jesus spoke of.
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Of course.....no one can measure up to your posting.....they say people have stopped reading the Metropolitan Tabernacle in favor of your posts!
 
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OldRegular

Well-Known Member
Iconoclast said:
Of course.....no one can measure up to your posting.....they say people have stopped reading the Metropolitan Tabernacle in favor of your posts!
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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!
 
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Iconoclast

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
OldRegular said:
I don't know whether James L considers himself a snowfleke or note/ I might say he is a little flakey but then if people hane stopped reading the Metropolitan Tabernacle in favor of HIS posts he certainly can bragg if not post with authotity!
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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!
 
Internet Theologian

Internet Theologian

Well-Known Member
Iconoclast said:
Well OR.......he sets all teachers aside. Reformers ,puritans, commentators, all fail to meet his standards.
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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.
 
evangelist6589

evangelist6589

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
Internet Theologian said:
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.
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Certain posters reject and despise books and what great men of God have written and this is sad.
 
V

Van

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
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.
 
O

OldRegular

Well-Known Member
evangelist6589 said:
So what makes someone a true Christian? A Christian is a follower of Christ who has been saved by faith alone, through grace alone not by works (Eph 2:8-10). A Christian is also someone that has repented of sin (Lk 13:3) and submits to the Lordship of Christ (book of James). A Christian is also someone that affirms the essentials of the faith including the view that Jesus is the only way to salvation (John 14:6) and that the Bible is divinely inspired (2 Tim 3:16).
Click to expand...
A true Christian is a person saved by the Grace of GOD, period!

evangelist6589 said:
So can a true Christian be "progressive" and hold views on inspiration like so many of the questionable churches in Denver, CO do? Can a true Christian be a pluralist? Can a true christian be affirming? Once I had a phone conversation with a "Progressive American Baptist Pastor" and he was flat out a false convert due to his progressive views not only on the Bible, but on Christ being the only way to salvation. It seems that there is a blurred line on what is a true christian on this board.
Click to expand...
So you are taking over that which GOD has reserved to HIMSELF, Judgment!

evangelist6589 said:
I am not saying that non Calvinists are not Christians so please do not go there. Christian leaders like Charles Stanley and Hank Hanagraaf are non-Calvinist but they affirm the essentials, and affirm an essential view on inspiration. So what say you?
Click to expand...
Very gracious of you not to put these men on the slippert slope to Hell!
 
Jerome

Jerome

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
evangelist6589 said:
Certain posters reject and despise books and what great men of God have written and this is sad.
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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?"
 
A

annsni

Well-Known Member
Site Supporter
Years and years ago, we used to take high school and college youth on 500 mile bike trips. During the day we biked - and biked a lot (some days over 100 miles in the summer heat) and in the evening, we had a short program. From the numerous trips I went on, there were certain things that we just learned because of how it was taught. One of them was the definition of a Christian.

"A Christian. Is one. In whom Christ dwells." - this was said like a little chant as we pedaled. :) So when I see a question like "What is a Christian?" I can easily give the answer.
 
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TomLaPalm

Member
annsni said:
Years and years ago, we used to take high school and college youth on 500 mile bike trips. During the day we biked - and biked a lot (some days over 100 miles in the summer heat) and in the evening, we had a short program. From the numerous trips I went on, there were certain things that we just learned because of how it was taught. One of them was the definition of a Christian.

"A Christian. Is one. In whom Christ dwells." - this was said like a little chant as we pedaled. :) So when I see a question like "What is a Christian?" I can easily give the answer.
Click to expand...


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?
 
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