A Real Christian
by Mike James
Many Christians today believe you are a Christian if you believe that Jesus lived and died for us and rose from the dead. Scriptures cited for this idea are Romans 10:9, 1 Corinthians 2:2, and John 3:16. Now let me be clear, I agree with these scriptures, but what does it mean to believe in someone or something?
Well, think about it from this perspective: if you genuinely love someone, do you act on your love? Do you do things for the other person to help them in your relationship? I'm sure you do, as I'm about to run to the grocery store to pick up something my wife has asked me to buy. I drove my daughter to school this morning and will pick her up this afternoon for the same reason. Love is not just a feeling or emotion; it is an action for the other.
So, when we say we believe in God, we would all agree we love God too. If we love God, we obviously should be living our lives to show God our love. How do we show our love for God? Well, there are many other scriptures that can help us with that besides the ones cited above. I don't think any evangelicals would disagree that if we confess and believe in Jesus, we should also repent and be baptized (Acts 2:38).
Well, what about Acts 24:14, which tells us Christians should also believe everything that is written in the law and the prophets? Or how about 1 Timothy 3:16, which tells us all Scripture is profitable for doctrine, reproof, and instruction in righteousness? The writer only had the Old Testament Scriptures in mind when he wrote this because the New Testament had not been written yet. Now we might find some disagreement with our other Christian friends.
We need to remember one or two scriptures do not make a doctrine. We need to be aware of all the relevant scriptures that deal with an issue to better understand how we should view something.
Keeping this in mind, let us look at Romans 8:9. Here, we read if we don't have God's Spirit, we are not really Christians. Now how can we be sure we have God's Spirit? Well, some would argue if you bear spiritual fruit, you have God's Spirit. The spiritual fruit is described in Galatians 5:22-23. It includes love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. But once again, is that the only proof of God's Holy Spirit in you? I could argue many good people in history have exemplified these characteristics, and they did not have God's Holy Spirit. Men like Mahatma Gandhi and the Dali Lama have had these characteristics, as have many others who believe in false religions.
So, if it is about who has the Holy Spirit, what else does the Bible reveal to us about how you might know if you have it? Well over, in Acts 5:32, we read that God gives His Holy Spirit to those who are obedient to Him. Now put that scripture together with John 14:15: "If ye love me, keep my commandments." Are you starting to see a bit of a pattern now?
Let's move over to 1 John 2:6 and see that if we abide in the true God, we ought to walk or live as he lived. Let's move back to John 15:10 now and see that Christ is reiterating the need to keep the commandments of God if you truly love God. I could offer several similar scriptures, and perhaps I will in a longer article in The International News.
But let's bring this blog to a conclusion by summing up why we should consider all these scriptures rather than just a few. In John 4:23-24 we read we must worship God in Spirit and in truth. So obviously, if you are a Christian, you have God's Spirit, and it helps you worship God, but what about the truth? Just what is the truth? We can probably get into a debate about that, but how about the biblical definition?
The Bible tells us in John 17:17-19 that God's Word is truth. Now I believe that to be true, so when I try to define what a Christian is, I need to keep all that truth in mind and not just some of it. God also tells us His Spirit will help us understand His truth (John 14:25-26; 2 Timothy 2:15). Now that presents a problem because Christians don't all believe the same thing.
We in the CGI believe in observing the Sabbath, Holy Days, and God's law; we don't believe we are conscious in death, and so on. Does what you believe as doctrine matter in determining if you are a Christian or not? Well, I guess it does when you look at Scripture.