non catholics, please give your opinion

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Please, define what you consider to be a ‘real true christian’?
 
If pushed I would say one who has a valid trinitarian baptism, however “Christian” just means you have some element of the truth, not the entirety of it.
 
Nine_Two said:
If pushed I would say one who has a valid trinitarian baptism, however “Christian” just means you have some element of the truth, not the entirety of it.
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I thought Christian means ‘follower of Christ’. Not that we only have part of the truth. As Catholics we have the fullness of truth and we are Christians. Other Christians have elements of it (truth).

I’m sorry I answered this somehow I only read the last part of the thread title.
 
Yeah, what Nine_Two said.

BUT - if people self-identify as Christian, I accept that, unless they are being actually dishonest, which I have never experienced. So while I don’t consider Mormons Christian in the normal sense, I would never tell someone trying to follow Christ as a Mormon that he wasn’t a Christian. I might tell him that he had misunderstood what Christ called him to do or believe.
 
Nine_Two said:
If pushed I would say one who has a valid trinitarian baptism, however “Christian” just means you have some element of the truth, not the entirety of it.
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Good answer!

The Church as a whole may have/teach the fullness of truth; but we as individuals probably don’t. The more certain that an individual believes he has the fullness of truth, the more evident it is to others that he does not.🙂
 
traillius said:
Please, define what you consider to be a ‘real true christian’?
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Those who are “in the flesh” are not “real true Christians.” Those who are “in the Spirit” are real true Christians.

Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.

Romans 8.
 
Please define " in the flesh " as opposed ’ in the spirit ’ as you view the two. How are you distinguishing the two. I consider baptism to be the distinguishing characteristic, what do you define as the difference?
 
traillius said:
Please, define what you consider to be a ‘real true christian’?
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At one point in your life you:

-Heard the Gospel
-Believed the Gospel
-Responded to the Gospel by Repentance and Baptism
-Continue to lead a life of Faith and Repentance through obedience to God’s Word

= Christian
 
catholics too, though any faithful catholic would likely have the same answer as I. Baptism.
 
ckempston said:
At one point in your life you:

-Heard the Gospel
-Believed the Gospel
-Responded to the Gospel by Repentance and Baptism
-Continue to lead a life of Faith and Repentance through obedience to God’s Word

= Christian
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ckempston, are you reverting to or from church of Christ Campbellism?

Why don’t members of that denomination ever recognise it in their headers?

I was raised in the “church of Christ” too before I converted to what I now beleive is the real Church of Christ.

BTW you forgot confess him, I think that would be step two.
 
IMO, a “real, true” Christian, is anyone who professes Christ as the Son of God and Savior of the world, and is really, truely trying to live their faith.
 
traillius said:
Please, define what you consider to be a ‘real true christian’?
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The only true Christians I have ever met are those who rarely, if ever, make a point of telling you they’re Christian. They’re the ones who couldn’t care less about denomination or dogma and are secure enough in their own faith that they don’t feel the need to live their life as an infomercial for a particular church. They don’t have time to worry about whether other people “measure up” as Christians because they’re out in the world walking the walk. You find them building Habitat for Humanity houses and working with homeless shelters. You find them giving jobs in their businesses to ex-cons and other marginal types seeking a second chance. They do these things often at considerable expense and hardship to themselves. I’ve found a very consistent inverse relationship between the decibel level of a person’s Christian identity and their practice of Christ-like behavior.
 
pipper said:
ckempston, are you reverting to or from church of Christ Campbellism?

Why don’t members of that denomination ever recognise it in their headers?

I was raised in the “church of Christ” too before I converted to what I now beleive is the real Church of Christ.

BTW you forgot confess him, I think that would be step two.
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Ah yes, good point. Public confession would come before Baptism, I agree. I’m currently a member of the ICOC, so yeah, that’s basically where I’m at. I had considered considering reverting 🤷, but my reason got the best of me. As I’m not actively considering it, I suppose I should change my religion.
 
I can’t put it better than Martin Luther in his Explanation of the 2nd Article of the Apostles Creed:

"I believe that Jesus Christ, true God, begotten of the Father from eternity, and also true man, born of the Virgin Mary, is my Lord.

He has redeemed me, a lost and condemned creature, purchased and won me from all sin, from death, and from the power of the devil, not with gold or silver, but with his holy precious blood and his innocent sufferings and death.

He did all this so that I would be his own, and live under him in his kingdom, and serve him in eternal righteousness, innocence, and blessedness, just like he has risen from death and lives and rules eternally.

This is most certainly true."
 
Baptized In The Name Of The Father, The Son And The Holy Spirit ***One triune God in 3 persons ***
Living in and loving Christ in The Way He taught.
Loving all humanity as God loves us and treating each and every person as you wish to be treated.
 
A person who seeks to live after the teaching of Jesus of Nazareth, a person who places their trust and faith in this God who revelaed Himself in Jesus of Nazareth to be “Lord” of their lives. A person who “repents” of his past and “changes courses”, exhibiting the Fruit of the Spirit in their lives.

No ritual initiation required.
 
traillius said:
Please, define what you consider to be a ‘real true christian’?
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The bible defines God’s remnant church in Rev12:17And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

Those that keep the commandments and have the testimony of Jesus. BTW the CC does not qualify in that it does not keep the Sabbath commandment.
 
traillius said:
Please define " in the flesh " as opposed ’ in the spirit ’ as you view the two. How are you distinguishing the two. I consider baptism to be the distinguishing characteristic, what do you define as the difference?
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Throughout your life, you have just one body.

When you’re born, there’s just one person inhabiting your body. That’s you.

When “you” is all there is, “you” are “in the flesh.”

For some people, there’s a point in their life where they stop being the only person inhabiting their body. A person called the Holy Spirit- the third person of the Trinity- begins indwelling their bodies as well.

When there are two people inhabiting your body, you are “in the Spirit.” The Holy Spirit doesn’t just indwell you in order to sit there and do nothing, though- He initially transforms you into a person called a Christian and continues to transform you throughout the rest of your life.

The presence (and activity) of the Holy Spirit is a sure sign that you’re a Christian. If you have the Spirit within you, you’re “in the Spirit.”

I do not consider baptism to be the distinguishing characteristic because it’s not a reliable landmark for the time at which a person begins to be “in the Spirit.” For most adults who are baptized, they are baptized well after the Holy Spirit indwells them. For infants, they are baptized well before they can be indwelt by the Holy Spirit. And for those in between, it depends. I grew up in a Protestant church and got immersed in water well before I was ever “in the Spirit.” But somewhere between 6 and 7 years later, I was “in the Spirit” because that’s when the Holy Spirit initially indwelt me.

It happens when God does it. And clearly, He doesn’t always do it at the moment of baptism. I would go as far as saying “usually not.”
 
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