Being a Christian...
First of all, what many in the world do not know or understand is, that quoting Scriptures DOES NOT make you a Christian; saying you believe in God, yet denying the power thereof DOES NOT make you a Christian; Being a nice compassionate caring person DOES NOT make you a Christian; Doing good deeds DOES NOT make you a Christian; Being raised in a home where your parents took you or made you attend church every Sunday DOES NOT make you a Christian; attending church on special occasions as an EMC (Easter, Mother’s Day ,Christmas) church member DOES NOT make you a Christian; not given to smoking, cursing, drinking or drugging DOES NOTmake you a Christian.Being a Christian is a spiritual happening on the inside of a person’s whole being (mind,body,soul,and spirit), and in his/her life and is a life-style change, that bring about a spiritual change, in a committed personal relationship connected to Jesus Christ in His Spirit with our spirit, and in truth; a person who has confessed his/her sins before God and turned away from those sins, has faith to believe that Jesus Christ paid their sin debt in a suffering death on the cross, to reconcile us back to God; therefore, there is NOW no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, who no longer walk (live) according to the flesh, but walk (live) according to the Spirit of God. This person is connected in a relationship with Christ, and is as Jesus says, YOU MUST BE BORN AGAIN! John chapter 3
A Christian is a person who has been REGENERATED by the Spirit of God and has been water baptized and resurrected as a new creature in Christ, which means born again in the Spirit and baptized in the water. The old creature (nature) has passed away, and behold that person is made new, filled (joined) with the holy Spirit of God, and set apart, called and seen as righteous in the eyes of God, because that person has taken on God's righteousness.
The Christian has no questions about following the teaching of Jesus Christ, and believes by faith that Jesus is God incarnated, the Creator of the universe; He/she is a public witness of this Gospel of Jesus Christ to all people freely professing and confessing his /her faith not just in words but life-style and deeds, believing in what Jesus has said, "For what will a man give in exchange for his soul? 38"For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels." Mark chapter 8
So, what then is REGENERATION?... glad you asked... Regeneration means to BE BORN AGAIN OR TO BE RESTORED FROM THE OLD SIN NATURE TO THE NEW SPIRITUAL NATURE IN CHRIST Jesus ... born again from above by God, through the washing away of our inner-man by the Holy Spirit, and forgiven by God of ALL sins. A person who has been regenerated the Holy Spirit takes up residence in the body (spirit) that person who has repented of their sins, and asked (invited) Jesus Christ to come into their heart. As Jesus let's the disciples know in John chapters 14 & 15. The Holy Spirit helps the believer to live as God has commanded us to live, He convicts our hearts of our sins when we sin, so that we can immediately repent and remain righteous (in good standing)before God.
Regeneration is the spiritual change in a person riding us of our sin nature and this enables us to respond to God by faith. Our minds are illuminated, our will to do things our way is no longer our mindset, sin is no longer of interest, and we have a new nature in Christ. Regeneration brings about a new disposition and a personal relationship with Jesus Christ is experienced. God opens up His knowledge, understanding and wisdom in Christ to us, and we are secure in life here on earth and eternal life in heaven. THIS IS WHAT BEING A TRUE CHRISTIAN IS ALL ABOUT!!
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Comments (10)
We are are peoples under one Sun could be that for some of us see the Sun has gray blue red white or black .
Maybe you could take a look at his writings with an open mind ?
Walk good ...
Before people become Hindu, Muslims, Christian.......he became
True human......it's our inner fears who turn us towards God.
I. Say we pray God with deep believe in. God .we never come
In trouble....I pray to God all religion people live with peace.
God is great....no matter of which religion.
Here is a sample, from an email conversation I had:
Friend: You do good works. I do good works. Does the motivation/source for our inspiration to do so really matter that much? We differ on chosen rituals, that's all. If one feels compelled to think, that one's or one's group's chosen method of "spirituality" is the "only way" (for attainment of spiritual uplift, etc.), and that everyone else must be persuaded to follow, it is an admission of a sense of entitlement and superiority.
That's where the organized church and I parted ways. I finally had to reject the elitism if it all. That doesn't make it "wrong," only different from the ways I found to pay tribute to what I came to see as "the creating force" that made all possible. Am I "evil?" Are you "good?" Am I "good?" Are you "evil?" Are any such designations useful? Perhaps, perhaps not.
Me: Regarding good works, yes, I believe our motivation and the source of the inspiration matters. If it is for our self benefit or glory, it still does the other good, but it is necessarily tainted by our own selfishness and ego. If our motive is totally pure, which would be hard to pull off as we usually have some type of motivation, it would be good but there is a motivation that is superior. If you remember your Scripture teaching, it is not "good works" by themselves that are of importance but our uniting ourselves with God to do His work that He has chosen for us to do. That way we open ourselves for Him to work through us in much more powerfully creative ways..."
the conversation went on, hopefully to discuss again what it meant to be a Christian, as you outlined here, to be born again into a new life and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit...
Sad so many people believe that just being "a good person" is all it will take to enter Heaven.
Thank you for all your comments, and may God richly bless each of you.
I believe so much that we need to have a change if heart.. To bend our will to Gods. To hand over out hearts to Him.
God bless you for all the good you do.
Yeah, it is only a good sound tree that is planted deep, nurtured, rooted and grounded that cannot be moved... John Paine?...
Fly, Why would you think what Paine has written in his writings would be an "eye opener" for me? And/or what is it you think my eyes should be opened into? Paine wasn't a Christian believer, so what wisdom would I gain from his apostate writings? I mean, what are/is his inspirational claim (s) to fame?
From what I have read of this man, he wasn't welled liked for his writings or as a person, with only six people(not even family) attending his funeral, and no one knows what happened to his remains after they were dug up from a grave here in America and returned back to England according to what I've read. It is speculated that his remains were thrown away forever, and to this day, no one knows what happened to his bones, and they weren't claimed by family or buried... that within its self is not such a good report for anyone, had he been a respected writer or revolutionary of social value, change and means.
But I'll say this to you, if you read any one of the four books of the Gospels about Jesus whether it be Matthew, Mark, Luke or John, with an open mind... then, I will take a look to read of John Paine's writings what few there are... how 'bout that?... and then, we will share and determine whose eyes will be open by what you read with an open mind about Jesus the Christ, or if my eyes will be open to what I read in Paine's writings.
Only problem, what is it that you would that I should read that will open my eyes? Also, why should my eyes be opened in the reading of Paine's material, and to what? If his material didn't open too many eyes doing the time his work was published, I doubt if there is much to open anybody's eye in the 21st century.
Thanks again for your comment, enjoyed your sharing.
True as you speak...
Wallop:I believe so much that we need to have a change if heart.. To bend our will to Gods. To hand over out hearts to Him.