What is a Christian
When I look around my life, and the people in it, I wonder what defines each individual … what is the essence of who each person is. If one could strip away all the peripherals, what is the one thing that would be left?
When I look at some of the people that are in my ‘world’, the term “Christian” comes to mind, as it is a label that a fair amount of people I know identify themselves as such. For example, I occasionally host in a Christian chat room … and there is one host that uses that question as perhaps one of the first out of her mouth … ‘Are you a Christian?’ … and I wonder how that affects the other. (Now there’s a whole entry on its own!! ~ how to be ‘in the world’, how to tear down the walls of the ‘church’ and relocate it in society and not behind closed doors … how to destroy the Christian ghettos that are all over … but I digress … ) I know that in discussion with others that know of a Christian by label only, there is some confusion as to what a Christian is … in fact, I sometimes think that if you were to pull 10 ‘Christians’ together and ask what a Christian is, you’d get 10 different answers. After all, look at Dan Brown (the writer of The DaVinci Code); he claims to be a Christian and I seriously wonder by what definition!!!
On a board that I occasionally post (the TBAA.com message board under ‘Jayme’), there was once a young girl who posted this question .. “I am a Christian but I don’t know what that means.” And it got me thinking … so I dug deep and tried to put my thoughts into words … This was the result (with some editing):
It seems to me that it is part of all human nature, regardless of who you are and what you believe, to ask some hard questions about existence ... such as "Who am I?" and "Why am I here?" and "What happens after death?" As one traces these questions through time and culture, there seems to be a seeking of something bigger than humanity. I believe that this is because God has placed an atom of Him within each of us and it is this atom that seeks reconnection with God ... thus, throughout time and regardless of culture, there is a searching to find and connect with a 'God' of some sort. When I say that I believe that ‘God is in me’, there is now a physical concreteness to this than a merely a simple metaphoric or symbolic comment. It is important, when answering this question that it is understood that this yearning to connect with something bigger than ourselves goes beyond any label (such as ‘Christianity’) we attach to it. One can acknowledge this and seek connection to 'God' or reject God and seek answers to this from solely within the self, but it is there as part of the collective human experience, and how you answer this and live the answer is where the distinctions lie.
If you pull back, and look generally at humanity, there have been a variety of ways to answer these big questions, which generally have now become the world's major religions, offshoots of these, and a bunch of 'do-it-yourself spiritual schmorgasbords' where the individual picks and chooses what s/he feels to be right and which resonates true with their inner spirit. Of course, another way is to reject it all ... and I'll leave that at that.
One of the major world religions is Christianity. I'm not going to say anything in regards to the other religions and choices and such, for I am not knowledgeable enough on them to make such a statement, nor am I God to pass that judgment, nor is that the point of this thread. What I will say is that they all come with a history and a story as part of the spiritual fabric of humanity and I believe their beliefs and followers must be respected as such. I do not have to agree with them, but (according to my faith) I DO have to genuinely love them as God has loved me and respect them as fellow citizens and partners on this planet we all call 'home'.
Focus on Christianity: There is a lot of commonality between Christianity and other world faiths - such as love and respect and seeking connection to and with God and having a sacred text and answering the question 'what happens after death'. (ie. the sacred text is not the same, but they all HAVE at least one and they might not have the same answer for 'what happens after death' but they all HAVE an answer.) However, there are a few tenets that are different. I feel comfortable saying that if you do not believe what I elaborate on as follows, then, in my opinion, you are not what the label 'Christian' means and identifies you as. Likewise, if you do not believe this then I believe that I have no say in your world-view other than to try to understand it from your point of view and love you in spite of the differences between us, and hope that we can still engage in discussion.
#1 - A Christian believes in the Trinity - This is where one acknowledges that God is God, "The All that Is"; that God is real in the beings/entities of Jesus the Christ (God incarnate in man - 100% human AND 100% Divine simultaneously) and the Holy Spirit (God in man pointing back to Christ and opening intimacy with God through Jesus). These three are three different and separate entities for three separate and specific purposes, yet they are the same. Confusing, I know. Think of it this way ... if all our existence were only in 2 dimensions (height and width), our existence would be like a piece of paper ... no depth. If you poke three fingers through this (remember, no depth), you would have 3 separate circles. Like the three separate entities of God. But when you add the dimension of depth (now you have height, width AND depth), you can discover and realize that these three circles are actually part of ONE hand ... if you now take this into the 'God-context', I believe that in the realm of God there are more than 3 or 4 dimensions ... and since all we know is the three (height, width, depth) plus one (time), it is impossible for us to fully comprehend how God can be Three yet One in the Trinity.
#2 - A Christian believes that you were born into sin and you continue to sin and all this sin is not within your power to purify. This basically means that sin isn't about a scale ... but more that all sin is equal. It is not about a ladder image - lower on the rungs is more 'sinful' and higher on the rungs is 'less' ... ie. a serial killer being more sinful than Mother Theresa ... BUT a belief that sin is sin ... and regardless of what you do and regardless of how 'good' you are, there is NOTHING you can DO that will purify you of your sin. A good image is like the Grand Canyon. And we are all on one side. There is nothing any one of us can do that will enable us to make the leap over the canyon on our own steam, without the aid of something else. All of us, regardless of how far we can jump all end up in the same place - the bottom and dead. There is nothing YOU can DO to save yourself from death.
#3 - A Christian believes that Jesus’ death was/is for the atonement of ALL sin. This refers to believing with your whole heart and mind and being and soul that it is only in the acknowledgement and acceptance of Jesus Christ's crucifixion and resurrection that you are made clean of all your sin. The dictionary defines 'atonement' in the Christian context as "The reconciliation of God and humans brought about by the redemptive life and death of Jesus" ... basically saying that God is pure and will not look on evil, thus Jesus, being God incarnate, took on all of sin and reconciled humanity with God. Those who acknowledge this (Christians believe) are "washed clean by the blood (ie sacrifice) of the Lamb (ie Jesus)" and Jesus makes defense on our part so we stand pure before God.
#4 - A Christian believes the Bible is "God-breathed" - Most (Christian or not) would say that the Bible is a religious if not THE Sacred text for Christianity. The debate within Christian circles is to what extent and to what meaning does this book become 'the Word of God?' ... Basically, it seems to me that it boils down to answering the question: does it merely contain the word of God or is it THE word of God … or is it something else? Apparently, the term ‘inspired’ (there is no doubt among Christians that they say 'the Bible is the inspired word of God') in the Bible is a translation of the Greek word theopneustos, meaning God-breathed. And as I figure it (through my study of Biblical history, context and meaning), this means that the origin of Scripture, according to Scripture, is God, not man; it is God-breathed. I notice that in that word theopneustos is ‘pneu’ … which reminds me of ‘pneuma’ … this word I know is the Greek for “Spirit” as in the third entity of the Triune God … as in God the Holy Spirit. From my knowledge and experience with the Holy Spirit, the influence of the Holy Spirit is VERY different than that of merely being inspired to write good words. And interesting quote from a source on an understanding of the Bible and its origins/creation/history says, “The human authors of the Scripture wrote spontaneously using their own minds and experiences, yet their words were not merely the words of men but actually the words of God. God’s control was always with them in their writings with the result being the Bible – the Word of God in the words of men.” FYI … there are people with MUCH more time on their hands than me and have taken every book of the Bible and every word therein (in the original languages), and identified the extent of inspiration, as well as examining all elements therein for reliability and validity, and extensive biblical criticism analysis (this includes textual criticism, historical, source, and literary criticisms, form criticism and redaction criticism). I choose to seek out writings done by people who have done the work already. When struggling with is it inspiration? intuition? idea? ... determine if this is the same as theopneustos ... for THAT is what the Bible claims to be and what Christians are to believe it to be. It is because of this that Christians believe the study of the Bible - daily reading, meditation, comprehension, etc. - reveals the heart of God for sin-filled humanity. As you read it, it should be reading you. It is the ultimate love story ... perfect God with fallen humanity.
Have I confused you? Here is another (maybe simpler way) to look at it (with a bit of a different wording) would be: One is a Christian when they believe and live their life in accordance to (A) believing that God wants all people, His beloved creation, to live a life of love, peace and eternal life, (B) realizing that we are not perfect and that we ‘sin’ by what we do, by what we don’t do, by what we fail to do; and not only as part of our daily lives, but as part of being born into ‘sin’, (C) acknowledging that there is nothing we can do that will save ourselves or eliminate this sin from our lives, (D) accepting that Jesus is God incarnate who took on the collective sin of humanity on the cross, and it is only through Jesus’ resurrection and ultimate defeat of death and Satan that we are purified for relationship with God, and (E) experiencing God in the real form of the Holy Spirit whose only purpose is to point us back to God through Jesus.
It is my opinion that if one calls themselves a ‘Christian’ and does not believe this, they are not Christian. It has nothing to do with how many rules you follow or verses you memorize or times you go to church. I feel confident saying this, for the foundation for what IS Christian comes from the Holy Spirit-inspired Bible and that is its foundation. For those that do not believe this, I pass no judgment except to say that they are not Christian. Whatever happens to their eternity is not for me to determine; my only purpose is to live my life to be ‘Jesus with skin on’, to rely on the power of the Holy Spirit to discern and be; and do what I can to strengthen and empower and aid in their growth, those who are already Christian. All others ... I only love and encourage to a place of self-actualization, I am ‘Jesus with skin on’. If there is another way to heaven, that is between them and God. I believe that the way to God is only through Jesus. And I am interested in genuinely understanding what others believe without any judgment or manipulation.
Please remember, what I have stated is for those who claim the label 'Christian'. It is about a personal one-to-one intimate relationship with God through the above tenets. If you say you are a Christian and do not believe this, then I feel confident in saying you're not a Christian.
IN ADDITION ... I also need to add that there are many many places where Christians and those that are not can find common ground and develop healthy, encouraging, supportive, loving relationships. It is ok to agree to disagree. It is healthy to discuss differences - seeking to better understand those that are different and seeking to deeper understand exactly where you stand on various issues and what you place your foundation in. It is NOT healthy to say "I'm right and you're wrong." It is NOT healthy to say "My way is God's way and God's way is my way." But it is healthy to long and thirst after God and intensely desire to discover where He is and who He is and seek to integrate Him into ever facet of your existence. It is healthy to set your mind to your complete development and growth and health – your emotional growth and God in you, your physical growth and health with God as your coach, your relational (with your community and globe) development and health and God as the ever-present Omnipotence to all you say and do, your intellectual maturation and seeking to KNOW God more and more, and coming to a place where you genuinely love yourself as you are, as God loves you. And as all these components of what make up you develop and integrate God into and throughout them, so will your relationship with God mature and grow.
My final comment is a short one ... the best definition I have heard of the purpose of a Christian is: All of you with all of God in all of life. Just because you were raised in a Christian house, just because you go to church every Sunday or read the Bible every day or go to a Christian school does not MAKE you a Christian any more than going to McDonalds and memorizing the menu makes you a hamburger. This is about a relationship - between you and God, between you and yourself and then living your life as a testament to this incredible love - with yourself and with ALL others, regardless of who they are and where they are in their spiritual journey ... ALWAYS seeking more of God through Christ in the presence of the Holy Spirit in you.
This is what I believe, in a 'nutshell' it means to be a Christian.
One final postscript that I did not address ... which perhaps would be better left for another entry, would be how the Bible came to be. This has long been a facinating topic for me, as I enter my own quest to determine a response to this question. Perhaps another time ...
I realize that in the above entry, there are components of such that might cause disagreement with fellow Christians. So be it. This is where I have come to to say that THIS is what is right. I am willing to engage in discussion over it and be open to more learning and knowledge. At this point, however, it is THIS hill that I would die on in and with my relationship with God through Jesus in the Holy Spirit. I am sure that as my maturity continues, so will my relationship with God. I am not saying that this is the final definitive answer.
I am saying that this is what I believe it means when one says they are a 'Christian'. This is my unpacking of that term. And if you disagree, I'm open for discussion.
When I look at some of the people that are in my ‘world’, the term “Christian” comes to mind, as it is a label that a fair amount of people I know identify themselves as such. For example, I occasionally host in a Christian chat room … and there is one host that uses that question as perhaps one of the first out of her mouth … ‘Are you a Christian?’ … and I wonder how that affects the other. (Now there’s a whole entry on its own!! ~ how to be ‘in the world’, how to tear down the walls of the ‘church’ and relocate it in society and not behind closed doors … how to destroy the Christian ghettos that are all over … but I digress … ) I know that in discussion with others that know of a Christian by label only, there is some confusion as to what a Christian is … in fact, I sometimes think that if you were to pull 10 ‘Christians’ together and ask what a Christian is, you’d get 10 different answers. After all, look at Dan Brown (the writer of The DaVinci Code); he claims to be a Christian and I seriously wonder by what definition!!!
On a board that I occasionally post (the TBAA.com message board under ‘Jayme’), there was once a young girl who posted this question .. “I am a Christian but I don’t know what that means.” And it got me thinking … so I dug deep and tried to put my thoughts into words … This was the result (with some editing):
It seems to me that it is part of all human nature, regardless of who you are and what you believe, to ask some hard questions about existence ... such as "Who am I?" and "Why am I here?" and "What happens after death?" As one traces these questions through time and culture, there seems to be a seeking of something bigger than humanity. I believe that this is because God has placed an atom of Him within each of us and it is this atom that seeks reconnection with God ... thus, throughout time and regardless of culture, there is a searching to find and connect with a 'God' of some sort. When I say that I believe that ‘God is in me’, there is now a physical concreteness to this than a merely a simple metaphoric or symbolic comment. It is important, when answering this question that it is understood that this yearning to connect with something bigger than ourselves goes beyond any label (such as ‘Christianity’) we attach to it. One can acknowledge this and seek connection to 'God' or reject God and seek answers to this from solely within the self, but it is there as part of the collective human experience, and how you answer this and live the answer is where the distinctions lie.
If you pull back, and look generally at humanity, there have been a variety of ways to answer these big questions, which generally have now become the world's major religions, offshoots of these, and a bunch of 'do-it-yourself spiritual schmorgasbords' where the individual picks and chooses what s/he feels to be right and which resonates true with their inner spirit. Of course, another way is to reject it all ... and I'll leave that at that.
One of the major world religions is Christianity. I'm not going to say anything in regards to the other religions and choices and such, for I am not knowledgeable enough on them to make such a statement, nor am I God to pass that judgment, nor is that the point of this thread. What I will say is that they all come with a history and a story as part of the spiritual fabric of humanity and I believe their beliefs and followers must be respected as such. I do not have to agree with them, but (according to my faith) I DO have to genuinely love them as God has loved me and respect them as fellow citizens and partners on this planet we all call 'home'.
Focus on Christianity: There is a lot of commonality between Christianity and other world faiths - such as love and respect and seeking connection to and with God and having a sacred text and answering the question 'what happens after death'. (ie. the sacred text is not the same, but they all HAVE at least one and they might not have the same answer for 'what happens after death' but they all HAVE an answer.) However, there are a few tenets that are different. I feel comfortable saying that if you do not believe what I elaborate on as follows, then, in my opinion, you are not what the label 'Christian' means and identifies you as. Likewise, if you do not believe this then I believe that I have no say in your world-view other than to try to understand it from your point of view and love you in spite of the differences between us, and hope that we can still engage in discussion.
#1 - A Christian believes in the Trinity - This is where one acknowledges that God is God, "The All that Is"; that God is real in the beings/entities of Jesus the Christ (God incarnate in man - 100% human AND 100% Divine simultaneously) and the Holy Spirit (God in man pointing back to Christ and opening intimacy with God through Jesus). These three are three different and separate entities for three separate and specific purposes, yet they are the same. Confusing, I know. Think of it this way ... if all our existence were only in 2 dimensions (height and width), our existence would be like a piece of paper ... no depth. If you poke three fingers through this (remember, no depth), you would have 3 separate circles. Like the three separate entities of God. But when you add the dimension of depth (now you have height, width AND depth), you can discover and realize that these three circles are actually part of ONE hand ... if you now take this into the 'God-context', I believe that in the realm of God there are more than 3 or 4 dimensions ... and since all we know is the three (height, width, depth) plus one (time), it is impossible for us to fully comprehend how God can be Three yet One in the Trinity.
#2 - A Christian believes that you were born into sin and you continue to sin and all this sin is not within your power to purify. This basically means that sin isn't about a scale ... but more that all sin is equal. It is not about a ladder image - lower on the rungs is more 'sinful' and higher on the rungs is 'less' ... ie. a serial killer being more sinful than Mother Theresa ... BUT a belief that sin is sin ... and regardless of what you do and regardless of how 'good' you are, there is NOTHING you can DO that will purify you of your sin. A good image is like the Grand Canyon. And we are all on one side. There is nothing any one of us can do that will enable us to make the leap over the canyon on our own steam, without the aid of something else. All of us, regardless of how far we can jump all end up in the same place - the bottom and dead. There is nothing YOU can DO to save yourself from death.
#3 - A Christian believes that Jesus’ death was/is for the atonement of ALL sin. This refers to believing with your whole heart and mind and being and soul that it is only in the acknowledgement and acceptance of Jesus Christ's crucifixion and resurrection that you are made clean of all your sin. The dictionary defines 'atonement' in the Christian context as "The reconciliation of God and humans brought about by the redemptive life and death of Jesus" ... basically saying that God is pure and will not look on evil, thus Jesus, being God incarnate, took on all of sin and reconciled humanity with God. Those who acknowledge this (Christians believe) are "washed clean by the blood (ie sacrifice) of the Lamb (ie Jesus)" and Jesus makes defense on our part so we stand pure before God.
#4 - A Christian believes the Bible is "God-breathed" - Most (Christian or not) would say that the Bible is a religious if not THE Sacred text for Christianity. The debate within Christian circles is to what extent and to what meaning does this book become 'the Word of God?' ... Basically, it seems to me that it boils down to answering the question: does it merely contain the word of God or is it THE word of God … or is it something else? Apparently, the term ‘inspired’ (there is no doubt among Christians that they say 'the Bible is the inspired word of God') in the Bible is a translation of the Greek word theopneustos, meaning God-breathed. And as I figure it (through my study of Biblical history, context and meaning), this means that the origin of Scripture, according to Scripture, is God, not man; it is God-breathed. I notice that in that word theopneustos is ‘pneu’ … which reminds me of ‘pneuma’ … this word I know is the Greek for “Spirit” as in the third entity of the Triune God … as in God the Holy Spirit. From my knowledge and experience with the Holy Spirit, the influence of the Holy Spirit is VERY different than that of merely being inspired to write good words. And interesting quote from a source on an understanding of the Bible and its origins/creation/history says, “The human authors of the Scripture wrote spontaneously using their own minds and experiences, yet their words were not merely the words of men but actually the words of God. God’s control was always with them in their writings with the result being the Bible – the Word of God in the words of men.” FYI … there are people with MUCH more time on their hands than me and have taken every book of the Bible and every word therein (in the original languages), and identified the extent of inspiration, as well as examining all elements therein for reliability and validity, and extensive biblical criticism analysis (this includes textual criticism, historical, source, and literary criticisms, form criticism and redaction criticism). I choose to seek out writings done by people who have done the work already. When struggling with is it inspiration? intuition? idea? ... determine if this is the same as theopneustos ... for THAT is what the Bible claims to be and what Christians are to believe it to be. It is because of this that Christians believe the study of the Bible - daily reading, meditation, comprehension, etc. - reveals the heart of God for sin-filled humanity. As you read it, it should be reading you. It is the ultimate love story ... perfect God with fallen humanity.
Have I confused you? Here is another (maybe simpler way) to look at it (with a bit of a different wording) would be: One is a Christian when they believe and live their life in accordance to (A) believing that God wants all people, His beloved creation, to live a life of love, peace and eternal life, (B) realizing that we are not perfect and that we ‘sin’ by what we do, by what we don’t do, by what we fail to do; and not only as part of our daily lives, but as part of being born into ‘sin’, (C) acknowledging that there is nothing we can do that will save ourselves or eliminate this sin from our lives, (D) accepting that Jesus is God incarnate who took on the collective sin of humanity on the cross, and it is only through Jesus’ resurrection and ultimate defeat of death and Satan that we are purified for relationship with God, and (E) experiencing God in the real form of the Holy Spirit whose only purpose is to point us back to God through Jesus.
It is my opinion that if one calls themselves a ‘Christian’ and does not believe this, they are not Christian. It has nothing to do with how many rules you follow or verses you memorize or times you go to church. I feel confident saying this, for the foundation for what IS Christian comes from the Holy Spirit-inspired Bible and that is its foundation. For those that do not believe this, I pass no judgment except to say that they are not Christian. Whatever happens to their eternity is not for me to determine; my only purpose is to live my life to be ‘Jesus with skin on’, to rely on the power of the Holy Spirit to discern and be; and do what I can to strengthen and empower and aid in their growth, those who are already Christian. All others ... I only love and encourage to a place of self-actualization, I am ‘Jesus with skin on’. If there is another way to heaven, that is between them and God. I believe that the way to God is only through Jesus. And I am interested in genuinely understanding what others believe without any judgment or manipulation.
Please remember, what I have stated is for those who claim the label 'Christian'. It is about a personal one-to-one intimate relationship with God through the above tenets. If you say you are a Christian and do not believe this, then I feel confident in saying you're not a Christian.
IN ADDITION ... I also need to add that there are many many places where Christians and those that are not can find common ground and develop healthy, encouraging, supportive, loving relationships. It is ok to agree to disagree. It is healthy to discuss differences - seeking to better understand those that are different and seeking to deeper understand exactly where you stand on various issues and what you place your foundation in. It is NOT healthy to say "I'm right and you're wrong." It is NOT healthy to say "My way is God's way and God's way is my way." But it is healthy to long and thirst after God and intensely desire to discover where He is and who He is and seek to integrate Him into ever facet of your existence. It is healthy to set your mind to your complete development and growth and health – your emotional growth and God in you, your physical growth and health with God as your coach, your relational (with your community and globe) development and health and God as the ever-present Omnipotence to all you say and do, your intellectual maturation and seeking to KNOW God more and more, and coming to a place where you genuinely love yourself as you are, as God loves you. And as all these components of what make up you develop and integrate God into and throughout them, so will your relationship with God mature and grow.
My final comment is a short one ... the best definition I have heard of the purpose of a Christian is: All of you with all of God in all of life. Just because you were raised in a Christian house, just because you go to church every Sunday or read the Bible every day or go to a Christian school does not MAKE you a Christian any more than going to McDonalds and memorizing the menu makes you a hamburger. This is about a relationship - between you and God, between you and yourself and then living your life as a testament to this incredible love - with yourself and with ALL others, regardless of who they are and where they are in their spiritual journey ... ALWAYS seeking more of God through Christ in the presence of the Holy Spirit in you.
This is what I believe, in a 'nutshell' it means to be a Christian.
One final postscript that I did not address ... which perhaps would be better left for another entry, would be how the Bible came to be. This has long been a facinating topic for me, as I enter my own quest to determine a response to this question. Perhaps another time ...
I realize that in the above entry, there are components of such that might cause disagreement with fellow Christians. So be it. This is where I have come to to say that THIS is what is right. I am willing to engage in discussion over it and be open to more learning and knowledge. At this point, however, it is THIS hill that I would die on in and with my relationship with God through Jesus in the Holy Spirit. I am sure that as my maturity continues, so will my relationship with God. I am not saying that this is the final definitive answer.
I am saying that this is what I believe it means when one says they are a 'Christian'. This is my unpacking of that term. And if you disagree, I'm open for discussion.
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