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What is false Christianity?
Please share with me - what is false Christianity and how do you know you are a real Christian?
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by RoyW on
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David,
I believe false Christianity begins with false teaching. Religion appears to be an effort by man to please God through lifestyle. That might even include an act of killing a white man simply because he is hated by some. A religion that would support someone because of their race would obviously be a false religion. However, that is not Christianity. I do think Christianity is vulnerable to similar problems. Sometimes we think focusing on lifestyle is what Christianity is all about. Obviously, we know that is not right. Christianity is all those who belong to God through Jesus Christ. I think this will be a good discussion and can go in a lot of directions. I will interject that I believe that too much emphasis on works can lead us down the wrong path.
Roy
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Permalink Reply by David Velasquez on
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Roy,
For sure, false teaching will lead to false practice. False Christianity involves the mentality that thinks that our works are meritorious to our salvation.
>>I will interject that I believe that too much emphasis on works can lead us down the wrong path
How then beloved do we reconcile your statement with:
Romans 8:29 (New International Version)
29For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers
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Yes, David,
Our Lord leads us away from the quagmire of this evil world. He leads His sheep beside still waters and into green pastures. The second part of your question is how do we know if we are a Christian. Jesus lived on this earth 2,000 years ago. Many people saw and reported the things He did including His death on a cruel cross to take away our sins. They reported that on the third day He rose from the dead. They have reported that He claimed to be God's Son and even God Himself. That report, of course, is found in the four Gospels. Many people then and later believed in either what they saw or what they heard from the eyewitnesses themselves. People saw Him doing only what God could do. He was either a fraud or was, in fact, who He said He was. Do you believe He was truly God the Son?
The Apostles continued to preach the news that Jesus had come to save us from our sins and restore us to God. The news spread to the Gentile world and many accepted the news as true. They were told that to believe in Him meant truly being born again as a new child of God. The experience meant to them they were now a part of God's family and had been chosen as His own. The Message has been passed down from one generation to another. Some attempted to distort it, destroy it, malign it and restrict it but we still have the original Message today.
A firestorm of controversy has been created over the Message but there are still those who are convinced every word of that Gospel Message is true. The Gospel tells them if they believe are saved from their sins. David, I am one of them that believe. I am convinced that the Words of that Message are absolutely true. I believe all knowledge must be measured by the Message.
Faith in Him changes the believer. I think that may just be a key of knowing whether or not a person really believes. If he says he believes and yet finds no change of desire or purpose, James would tell us that he is not really a believer. Believing does not mean that the individual would not still struggle against his carnal nature but it would mean that his entire perspective towards life would be changed. His mindset is not set upon the things of this world but upon the things of His Kingdom. He no longer seeks wealth and power for his own purposes but seeks to serve His Lord in whatever capacity predetermined for him.
Are you a believer? Has your perspective on life been completely changed? Do you judge truth based on His Word? If so, my opinion would be that yes, you are a Christian.
To the believer nothing is more important than serving his Lord. Now, about that sanctification process. That is a completely different discussion. There are some of us that were raised to believe there is a place you can get where you are completely devoted to Him. It is called sanctification. I believe in that work and believe it is a total work of the Holy Spirit. But that is not the discussion of this forum.
I praise the Lord for the Gospel. I am confident that it is completely true. I believe all those who receive Him are saved from all their sins. Blessed be the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Roy
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Right on - you rock!
No wonder i like you a little bit hahaha
No man, love you lots Pastor Roy. :)
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Wicus,
Amen to "living the Word."
>>seems I still have a long way to go
Don't tripped man; we are all in the same boat. The process is a life long process. :)
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Permalink Reply by Carla on
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Wow David... good question!
Well.. Let me start here...
Real Christianity is not works--it's not what we do.
Real Christianity is not being 'good enough'-none of us will ever be good enough.
Real Christianity is loving Jesus...and putting Him first in all things.. or is that just a surrendered Christian?
Is there such a thing as a carnal Christian? (just another question to stir things up here)
Real Christianity is that we are saved by Grace through Faith...because of the work Christ has done on the Cross on our behalf.
i don't know how to answer this..because anything i say could be perceived as judging---it could be used against me in a court of law..hahaha
I guess False Christianity could be summarized as the opposite of this:
1Cr 15:1 Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand,
1Cr 15:2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast [fn] the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain.
1Cr 15:3 For I delivered to you [fn] as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
1Cr 15:4 and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,
This is a question in the negative... So here's my answer in the negative: False Christianity is NOT the gospel of Jesus Christ.
I almost forgot the second part of the question.. How do I know I'm a Christian. Because I have faith that Jesus paid the price for me. The work Jesus did is what covers me.. His pure blood that HE shed covers me and cleanses me. I am saved by my faith...and God's Grace. By the way.. my faith is also a gift from God.. It all comes from Him. He's a loving Father who takes us in and dies on our behalf so that we may be in right relationship with Him...He longs to be reconciled with His Creation. That's what makes me a Christian.
Blessings, Carla
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Carla,
You never know where the rabbit is going to run. You said:
Is there such a thing as a carnal Christian? (just another question to stir things up here)
I'm questioning is there such a thing as a Christian that is not carnal?
Roy
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Roy,
>>I'm questioning is there such a thing as a Christian that is not carnal?
Let me throw these verses in here and this vid and tell me what you think?
Rom 8:7 Because the carnal mind is enmity (hostile - hatred) against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
1 Cor 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness to him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
Prov 16:25 There is a way that seemeth right to a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.
Gen 6:5 And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
Isa 55:8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, says the LORD. 9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
The mind of any and every human being, of itself, is evil and contrary to the mind of God. In fact, the apostle Paul, who had the spirit of God in him, had battles with this very mind...
Rom 7:18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.
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Roy.. I see your point.. These scriptures tells us however, that as believers we are New Creations...
2 Corinthians 5:17 (NAS)
17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.
Romans 6:4 (NAS)
4 Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.
We've been born again because it was the will of God:
John 1:13 (NAS)
13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
We won't live in sinless perfection..but with God's help and our steady obedience and surrender...we will sin less and less....We now have the power to choose godly behaviours.
So to answer my own question.. Yes i believe there is such a thing as a carnal Christian.
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Permalink Reply by The Shearer. on
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Hi Carla,....Real Christianity is not works --- its not what we do......mmmmmm ? http://www.b4prayer.org/doers_of_the_word.htm and this one http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parable_of_the_Wise_and_the_Foolish_Bu... this was meant to be under your first post ,sorry ,but im sure you worked that out.
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