What is a Christian?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Jerok
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
J

Jerok

Guest
After discussing with others on a different forum, I found myself asking this question - what is a Christian, is this person a Christian?

One person I’m talking about is non-denominational and believe he has ‘rightly divided’ God’s word. He believes the Bible is God’s word, that Jesus died for our sins, but that Jesus isn’t God, rather the Son of God.

Is believing in Jesus’s divinity a requisite for being a Christian, or is believing he died for our sins enough? Or do you think that ‘Christian’ refers to a lifestyle of love regardless of beliefs.

Basically, what makes a person a Christian?

Thanks 👍
 
Well, according to the glossary of the CCC:
CHRISTIAN: A name derived from Christ himself. The name refers to all those who have been anointed through the gift of the Holy Spirit in Baptism; hence, the followers of Christ, the members of the Christian Church. According to Acts 11:26 “it was in Antioch that the desciples were first called Christians” (1289).
Click to expand...
So it seems to me, anyone with a valid Baptism is a Christian even though their views of the Holy Trinity and the nature of Christ Jesus may be in error.

I realize a “Catholic definition” may not go over well with non-Catholics.
 
You cannot reject Jesus as GOD, and keep the Trinity in tact. And if you reject Jesus as GOD, then you reject the Trinity. So, therefore, if you reject the Trinity by choosing to reject Jesus, you are not a Christian, because you choose not to believe in GOD the Father, GOD the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

You may “think” you are Christian, but you have confused yourself or accepted the confusion of others.

Ironically, one of Father Martin Luthers complaints before he died, and is a complaint which he life, was that “every bar maid in Germany, now thinks they can explain the bible”.

The Catholic faith rests upon the Pope, the Magisterium and the Bible. The first two are capable of explaining the later. However, if you reject the first two, as Father Martin Luther did, and therefore you left only with the Bible “sola scriptura”, then you lose the very foundation of the faith as given by Jesus in Matthew Chapter 16, which through the Holy Spirit can provide the correct path of understanding.
 
Well…

Good OP question. I think there has to be the recognition that there are “good” Christians, “bad” Christians and “marginal” Christians.

At it’s most basic definition, I would say that a Christian is someone who believes in and worships Christ as Lord. Their understand of the Trinity and their baptism “status” may not be present, but methinks they would still be properly called Christian even at a rudimentary level.
 
Jerok said:
After discussing with others on a different forum, I found myself asking this question - what is a Christian, is this person a Christian?

One person I’m talking about is non-denominational and believe he has ‘rightly divided’ God’s word. He believes the Bible is God’s word, that Jesus died for our sins, but that Jesus isn’t God, rather the Son of God.

Is believing in Jesus’s divinity a requisite for being a Christian, or is believing he died for our sins enough? Or do you think that ‘Christian’ refers to a lifestyle of love regardless of beliefs.

Basically, what makes a person a Christian?

Thanks 👍
Click to expand...
Christianity is a religion of the CREED. What separated the early followers of Christ?
There were certain Gnostics that were admittedly beyond reproach by Catholics in relation to moral behavior in the 2nd century. Christianity is a religion of Creed. That is what defines a Christian. Their acknowledgment of the deity of Christ and how that was taught by the early Church and ever since.The Apostles Creed even though not until the 6th century did we have it in its current form originated in the early (1st & 2nd century) Church. The long history of the Apostles Creed and its development has had a close relationship with the liturgy of baptism and the preparation of catechumens.It has always been the Christian practice to require before baptism the profession of faith in the essential doctrines of Jesus Christ. To answer your question what makes a person a Christian has to do with acknowledgment and belief in the Christological and Trinitarian doctrinal elements of the Creed that appear in varied formulas of faith that can be found in early Christian literature. I think studying the history of the Apostles Creed with all the different formulas shows that the doctrinal elements of it were present from the earliest point of Christianity and shed light on what differentiated the earliest Christians.
 
(Responding to OP)

An intriguing question, one I myself have often done “thought experiments” about.

There’s the dictionary def. of a Christian, i.e. “follower of/believer of Jesus Christ.” There’s the creedal def., i.e. someone who wholeheartedly affirms/embraces the Nicene and Apostles’ creeds. These are some of the man-sided defs. Then, there are the biblical defs; John, in his letter, lists 3 qualifications: believes that Jesus is the Christ, & confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh & is the Son of God,.

But then there’s the God-sided “def.”, i.e. who is truly a Christian in His eyes (since He alone has perfect vision)? That’s the stumper, bec. surely it can’t depend on believing the creeds (they weren’t formulated till well after the Apostles had passed away). Nor would it seem to be dependent on works (don’t go clubbing me to death for that one, I’m not saying good works are totally unimportant in the believer’s life—read on), bec. even the stellar apostle, Paul, still suffered from what I call Romans 7 Syndrome (one I can totally i.d. with, btw). I would cautiously submit that a minimum in His eyes would be putting one’s whole trust in/allegiance toward the historical Jesus who came in the flesh, lived the perfect life that we couldn’t, died the perfect death for our sins, and resurrected for our justification. It would seem a safe bet that without at least that, one can’t very well qualify as a Christian. (Of course, that doesn’t mean that one would necessarily want to worship with just anyone and everyone who claims to hold that belief, but that’s a topic for another thread.😉 )
 
Here are a few definitions:

1.) Anyone who professes to believe in Jesus Christ and follow his teachings

This would include Catholics, Orthodox, Protestants, Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and Unitarians. Pretty wide open - basically, anyone who says they’re a Christian.

2.) Anyone who is “saved”

This is a typical Protestant definition. They tend to view whether or not someone is a Christian not as a matter of whether or not they say they are or whether or not they have been baptized, but as a matter of whether or not they meet the specific Protestant’s criteria for being “saved”.

3.) Anyone who is baptized

This is the Catholic definition. It means that there are faithful Christians and unfaithful Christians. Basically, anyone who calls Christ “Lord, Lord” and has received baptism counts. But, not all of them will enter into his Kingdom. This would also include, however, those with an implicit desire for baptism, like Catechumens. I would not call Catechumens Christian officially because they are not baptized, but they are Christians after a fashion. Of course, Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses have baptism, but because they do not baptism in the name of a consubstantial Trinity, they are not actually baptizing.
 
Jerok said:
After discussing with others on a different forum, I found myself asking this question - what is a Christian, is this person a Christian?

One person I’m talking about is non-denominational and believe he has ‘rightly divided’ God’s word. He believes the Bible is God’s word, that Jesus died for our sins, but that Jesus isn’t God, rather the Son of God.

Is believing in Jesus’s divinity a requisite for being a Christian, or is believing he died for our sins enough? Or do you think that ‘Christian’ refers to a lifestyle of love regardless of beliefs.

Basically, what makes a person a Christian?

Thanks 👍
Click to expand...
Peace and blessing,
“Christian” is a word i would argue that while some hold common belief to its meaning no two have exactly the same as we all have individual relationships with G-d.

Some may say it means following the ways of Yeshua (pbwh)
Some may say belief Yeshua (pbwh) is G-d
and so on …

I have met people who agree on the creed but say we are to fight against those against our values and say those who wont are not Christians.
I have met people who say any who are Christian will never raise a sword and that those who do are not Christian.

For my own self in dealing with others or better said helping others i try to look beyond what they say they are and look for the virtues in that person that are Christ like and help nurture them, i guess in this way i am saying every one has some “I am a Christian” in them regardless to their profession of faith. This keeps the door open for The Holy Spirit to do what sinful me cant.

In summary for me i dont need to judge who is Christian but help people to grow in goodness. i respect it may be different for you.

Brother Jerok I pray this helps you

“I will be what I will be”, you have free will so choose who you see
 
I will tell you the truth.
A Christian follows selected teachings of a man named Jesus, yes the son of god, said 2000 years or so ago

Some others follow what is only written in their hearts, and of which was said, “I will write my words into your heart”

Those people are called many things. But never Christians.

So Jesus says.

Why do you follow me then?
But not follow me now?
When the new wine of today is already in your heart?

And one day.
He will say this to you and look you in the eye.
He will say it to me also.

So follow your heart.
if you call yourself a christian
so that we can all save his time in the future

if you know the fundamentals of what he said
you know how to be
how to love
how to live

if he comes and sees you living in heart
living in spirit. In goodness.

He does not care what you name yourself

Truth known
Truth spoken

But as the pharisees were back then
so are they today

No No, we must not heal on the sabbath
We must worship on a sunday
we must, we must hold to pedantic tradition

No

Jesus will make a mockery of this
If you do not understand how he mocked the religous people of his time
you dont even know yourself
or understand yourself

love people
dont pretend to
dont convince yourself you are

when you dont
love them
not falsely

Love them so that they are NOT enemies

Dont turn the other cheek
Kiss them first, and you wont need to turn it

anyone who can teach what is love
is worth listening to

so did jesus send out his disciples

and so can I teach

and so can you teach

But you all argue at anything that gives you discomfort inside
fear inside

you are perfect in your eyes
because your eyes never change

even Jesus eyes change
 
Had this discussion for A LONG TIME the other day with a friend… insisted you can’t be Catholic and be a Christian…OY VEY…
 
Julian0404 said:
…Ironically, one of Father Martin Luthers complaints before he died, and is a complaint which he life, was that “every bar maid in Germany, now thinks they can explain the bible”…
Click to expand...
This is an interesting quote. Do you remember the source for it?
 
I am not sure this is a useful question.

It seems like it would not have a point other than labeling others as Christian / non-Christian. To what end would that be? A better approach, then determining criteria, would be to simply accept a person’s proclamation that they are Christian and help them with charity to grow deeper in faith.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top