What is a Christian?

[Cosmicwaffle]

First, it is my sincere and honest belief that "Salvation is of The Lord". I believe that God elected his people and the body of Christ before he set his eternal plan into motion.

My conversion and faith in the gospel was given to me by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, who has been with me since birth because Christ had atoned and paid for my sin debt before I was born, and before then even in the mind and purpose of our God. Because of the Spirit I have my faith in Christ: Who he is, what he did, and what he will do. I believe in Christ when he said in John 6:47 "Very truly I tell you, the one who believes has eternal life.". Although I did not properly believe until but two years ago, I still had eternal life because here I now stand, believing fully. I also believe that all men without distinction who believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that he saved them from their sins is a born-again believer.

That is not to say that they believed the first time they heard the gospel, or that after their belief they had a perfect understanding of theology and lived righteous Spirit-led lives. No, but only that they now believe. Make no mistake, that belief and that faith is a supernatural gift from God, and since "Salvation is of The Lord", only HE determines when they will come to faith, how, and what they will do after they receive it. Let us be clear, they were saved before their faith, for The Father elected them, the Son died for them, and the Spirit was with and is most certainly in them. All I know is that our belief in Jesus and our faith in him is a gift, not a working of human will or effort, but of God's Spirit on those Christ died for.

Although the Church separates itself from other "believers" who hold to different theology, it should be unified in the belief that what Christ said rings true, "... The one who believes has eternal life.". Not the one with a perfect knowledge of the divine, not the one who lives a life completely free from the sinful nature within his Adamic body, no, but the one who simply believes! Get this straight, we believe in Christ because we have the Holy Spirit, we have the Holy Spirit because Christ cleansed us from our sin, and he died for us because The Father elected us. Now, the evidence of our election and childhood of God IS our belief. That is who the Church is made of, that is the body of Christ!

We must understand that despite that God has ordained that we all be confused and hold to different theologies. Make no mistake, he did this for a reason we do not yet understand, but we know it is true. Why also do many "believers" live unrighteous lives? Is it not because God ordained it to be so? Yes, he did, but he could have also ordained that this be remedied by the correct teaching of the Gospel. These unrighteous believers probably are waiting for a pastor to tell them they have God living inside them! This would ease the burden of trying to be righteous and please God through our flesh.

The Gospel is that Christ died so we wouldn't have to pay the punishment for our sins, but that we could instead be reconciled to God and be made the objects of his Love and Mercy (A side note, but because "God is Love", does that mean he Loves everything? Even Sin? No, of course not, he Loves what and whom he will. Why did he choose Abram? Why Issac and not Ishmael? Jacob and not Esau? You and not your unbelieving friend? God is not obligated to save any sinner, but he has in order to display his Mercy and Grace.). No works of man could ever satisfy the eternal punishment required for the smallest of sins against an eternal God, that is why the eternal son suffered punishment in our place. Now, when Jesus satisfied the Justice of God, we were considered Holy in his sight, being given the righteousness of Christ himself! That is why the Spirit could indwell you and give you the faith you now have.

As children of God living in fallen bodies we must remember it is God who saves, and only he determines how and when a person will be saved. Before time God ordained you would be what you are: Calvinist, Arminian, Baptist, Pentecostal, Catholic, Universalist. God uses you through what he made you to be, and it is always possible he can yet change you. But we must Love one another as he commanded, for it is our belief in Christ and the Holy Spirit that makes us Children of God, not anything else. Do you believe in Christ? Rest assured you have eternal life with God, whether you know it or not. Do you not believe? It is then uncertain to say if God has elected you, and if you will ever receive the faith.

It is my belief God has hidden these things for his purposes, and if he wishes to now reveal them to whom he will, he may. He is God, the author of Life. Or perhaps I am a heretic leading others and myself to hell, but how are you to discern this? Has God himself spoken from the heavens directly into your ears? Has he granted you an infallible understanding? If not, please consider the words I have written.

With Love to all who hear,
C.

 

[RJ]

My conversion and faith in the gospel was given to me by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, who has been with me since birth because Christ had atoned and paid for my sin debt before I was born,

"Since birth" , I hope you mean your second birth, your spiritual birth and not your physical birth!?

 

[Cosmicwaffle]

"Since birth" , I hope you mean your second birth, your spiritual birth and not your physical birth!?

When I say he was with me, I simply mean he was watching over me. I was already a child of God, but I had not yet received the power and faith by his indwelling. And when I say I was already a child of God, I mean Christ had already died for me even though I had no belief or faith in it. I personally became a child when I received the Spirit, but I have always been a child in the eyes of God, who eternally destined that I would be the object of his love and grace.

 

[RJ]

When I say he was with me, I simply mean he was watching over me. I was already a child of God, but I had not yet received the power and faith by his indwelling. And when I say I was already a child of God, I mean Christ had already died for me even though I had no belief or faith in it. I personally became a child when I received the Spirit, but I have always been a child in the eyes of God, who eternally destined that I would be the object of his love and grace.

Colossians 1: 27....To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

I like what you say but we should make no mistake that it is a mystery. At best our salvation is just another mystery as to how it exactly happens but be assured you choosing or not choosing makes the difference. God may have ordained your salvation from the foundation of the world but the choice was still yours.

John 1: 12-13 “
But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
You choose to recieve him and believe in his name, God doesn't make you.

 

[Cosmicwaffle]

Colossians 1: 27....To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

I like what you say but we should make no mistake that it is a mystery. At best our salvation is just another mystery as to how it exactly happens but be assured you choosing or not choosing makes the difference. God may have ordained your salvation from the foundation of the world but the choice was still yours.

John 1: 12-13 “
But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
You choose to recieve him and believe in his name, God doesn't make you.

Well of course it was my decision, but I would have never made that decision were it not because of God's Spirit. Do not mistake me for saying that God forced me, but his Spirit rested on me and I chose according to my own will to believe. That is not to say God cannot mold and shape our wills to how he desires, he made us after all.

 

[RJ]

That is not to say God cannot mold and shape our wills to how he desires, he made us after all.

Yes our omnipotent God can do anything and he gives each of us our own measure of faith and it is by faith that I say he absolutely does not influence our wills to choose anything but to do good.

 

[Edward]

A Heart Of Flesh
Ezekiel tells us that we need to have a heart of flesh. And this heart of flesh can only come from God. This heart of flesh is in contrast to a heart of stone that so many people have. How can we get this heart of flesh?

The Meaning of a Heart of Flesh
In Ezekiel 36, God was talking to the Israelites and telling them what He would do for them when they came back to Him. Then He said: “Ezekiel 36:26 (NIV): “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.”

The Hebrew word for “flesh” (bawsawr) does refer to the body that we have. However if we look at the root from which bawsawr comes from, we can more clearly understand what God is talking about. It comes from the Hebrew word “basar” that means “to be fresh, to announce, preach, show forth good tidings.”

In other words, God will take our old heart of stone and replace it with a heart that is soft and pliable and full of good things. Understand that the word “heart” comes from the Hebrew word “lebab” that refers to our feelings, our will and even our intellect. Thus, it refers to the center of our very being, or who we really are.

This is Important for Us
This is something that we need to understand in these last days. If we want to win people over to Christ so they will not have to go through the Tribulation, we need them to see Christ in us. We need people to look at us and see our lack of fear, our love for everyone else, the peace that we have amidst all the turmoil that is around us.

We need people to look at us and say: “I want what you have.” The only way we are going to win people to Jesus in these last days is to show them through our actions that we have peace within us and confidence that God is going to win. We need people to look at us and ask: “Why are you so happy in the midst of all the tragedy that is happening all around us?”

Give Them a New Counselor
Believe it or not, we are all being guided around by some type of a spiritual guide. Deep within each of us is a longing for God. And if we don’t actively seek out God, other spirits will fill that longing that is inside of us. I know that is hard for many to accept, but if the one inside you that is giving you counsel is not God, then it is an evil spirit.

And remember, the only way for God to be living inside of you is to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior. When this happens, then the Holy Spirit can come and live inside of you. When the Holy Spirit is living in you, then no evil spirit can live there.


You Will Never Eliminate Evil Temptations
Once we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, Satan and his demons are actually going to work even harder to get us to go against God’s will for us. When we accept Jesus, Satan and his demons become very upset with us. But, do not worry, when we have the Holy Spirit living in us, all they can do is to tempt us.

And with the Holy Spirit as our new Counselor, He will guide us away from those temptations. However, we do have to listen to Him. We can still ignore Him and go our own way. But don’t! Allow the Holy Spirit to counsel you in all that you do.

Receive Your Heart of Flesh
Allow God to change your heart of stone into a heart of flesh. Allow God to mold you into the very being of love that He wants you to be. Allow God to be able to use you in these last days. Let God work through you to win others to Christ.

You will know if you have received this heart of flesh by your actions. The fruit that flows from you will show what is inside of you. If you are harsh, bitter, lose your temper easily, want to control others, etc. then you must realize that the one counseling you is not the Holy Spirit.

Remember what God said in Galatians 5:22-23 (NIV): “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” If God has given you a heart of flesh, then this is the fruit that you will be presenting to others.

Even Christians Need To Receive This Heart of Flesh
Believe it or not, we can accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior and still reject the counsel of the Holy Spirit. Remember, we can know who our counselor is by the fruit that flows from our lives. The problem is that we often don’t recognize the fruit that is flowing from us. This is why we need to talk to other born-again Christians.

Allow other born-again Christians to show us what they see coming out of us. Listen to what they tell us because they will see what we cannot see. Remember, if our counselor is not the Holy Spirit, that counselor will have blinded us so that we cannot see what is coming forth from us.

The Solution
Spend time in prayer with God, through Jesus. Allow Him to show you what is coming forth from your flesh. Find a good Bible-believing Church and start attending. Find a warm born-again Christian and ask him/her to counsel you. Let God work through His children to help you in your walk through life.

A Heart Of Flesh | bibleanswerstodayblog.com


You Asked:
Has God himself spoken from the heavens directly into your ears? YES, God is spoken to all believers through scripture and through the Holy Spirit that dwells in us. Once you surrender complete control of your life over to God, God will be speaking to you through scripture in the Holy Spirit will be guiding you in Life. But how to hear and see the voice of God is a whole other topic.


God Bless

 

[Rev T.S.Perkins]

Does not the word say that God knew us and designed us before our mothers womb ? Yes it does ! So we are born with the influence if God on us how ever I don't see how salvation was accomplished as any great mystery ,,It WAS the cross and no other ! Yes we must chose this day whom we serve but until that day salvation awaits all ! ...Rev

 

[RJ]

Does not the word say that God knew us and designed us before our mothers womb ? Yes it does ! So we are born with the influence if God on us how ever I don't see how salvation was accomplished as any great mystery ,,It WAS the cross and no other ! Yes we must chose this day whom we serve but until that day salvation awaits all ! ...Rev

Rev, I have no arguments with the majority what you say above and never will! But, with regards to our salvation and a mystery, you either don't understand me or we disagree.
We are saved by faith in Jesus Christ alone and God said that it was sufficient. Now, I am sure you would agree that the defining sign of our salvation is God's deposit of the Holy Spirit
in us. God's actual act of giving us the Holy Spirit and how he gets inside us is a mystery.If you can explain how that transition and subsequent regeneration actually happens, then I will not call it a mystery! But there are these:

• Ephesian 1:9;
• 1 Corinthians 4:1
• And of-course there is this: Colossians 1:29
• 

 

[Edward]

.If you can explain how that transition and subsequent regeneration actually happens, then I will not call it a mystery! But there are these:

Hi RJ,

Try watching this video it my answer your questions about the Holy spirit. But "I believe in order that I my understand" hope this clears up your mystery.

My God bless you with the abundance of the Holy Spirit overflowing through you.

 

[RJ]

Hi RJ,

Try watching this video it my answer your questions about the Holy spirit. But "I believe in order that I my understand" hope this clears up your mystery.

My God bless you with the abundance of the Holy Spirit overflowing through you.

Thanks and the video was very interesting but I was not looking for some nor did I need an explanation. And the very thought of any man explaining how one of God's miracles actually happened, no offense, is repulsive to me. Just like no human man can look at God's face and live, nor can he explain away any of God's miracles!

 

[rag4aCrown]

greetings in the Lord Jesus;
replying to the OP; What is a Christian?
a follower of Christ... now who has picked up their cross and followed in His example unto death?