Christianity: Define Christian

[Doodlebug02]

A follower of Jesus. I think that pretty much anyone who acknowledges and believes the Nicene Creed is a Christian. However, I would not accuse someone of not being a Christian if they did not believe the entire Nicene Creed.

 

[Scott1]

A follower of Jesus. I think that pretty much anyone who acknowledges and believes the Nicene Creed is a Christian. However, I would not accuse someone of not being a Christian if they did not believe the entire Nicene Creed.

Interesting..... acknowledge and believe in the Creed, but not the Church that defined it.....

 

[Doodlebug02]

Interesting..... acknowledge and believe in the Creed, but not the Church that defined it.....

Why should one have to believe in the church to be a Christian? I do not even attend church but I still consider myself to be a Christian.

 

[Scott1]

I am just trying to understand your using the creed.... that's all..... you use it just because it's well written, I assume, and not because of the authority of the Church that defined it?

Is that close?

 

[kassi]

This is what according to the Scripture a true christian is:
Some one who has believed with there whole heart that Jesus of nazareth was the first born son of
God, the only begotten Son of God. The heir.
That in his Name alone is salvation found.

 

[Green Gaia]

Moving to same faith debates...

 

[No*s]

The definition of Christian? Hooboy, now that's a fun one .

Wel, I concurr with the sentiment that it includes conformance to the Nicene Creed, however I emphasize that it should conform to the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed</a>, in its final form which was defined at Constantinople. This excludes later additions and excludes some of those novel redefinitions as well. It may be found here:

http://www.goarch.org/en/chapel/liturgical_texts/creed.asp

The Creed, though, is not meant to encapsulate all of Christianity, but be a fence against ideas that aren't Christian. All Creeds are by definition responses to problems, they are not definitions of truth. In other words, they limit possible true replies. The certainty of Christian truth is found in the Church.

The above is Christian, and nobody is ever wholly there, but always conforming themselves. As for people who don't hold this definition, I prefer to say here "what is Christian" not "what is not Christian." I will simply say, "This is Christian teaching." I am hesitant to do that, and don't often do it, but I will in some circumstances...

 

[t3gah]

Christian [http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=christian]
adj.

1. Professing belief in Jesus as Christ or following the religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus.
2. Relating to or derived from Jesus or Jesus's teachings.
3. Manifesting the qualities or spirit of Jesus; Christlike.
4. Relating to or characteristic of Christianity or its adherents.
5. Showing a loving concern for others; humane.
​

n.

1. One who professes belief in Jesus as Christ or follows the religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus.
2. One who lives according to the teachings of Jesus.
​

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[Middle English Cristen, from Old English cristen, from Latin Christianus, from Christus, Christ. See Christ. [http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=christ]
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1 John 5:1 Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God. Whoever loves the Father also loves the child who is born of him. 5:2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep his commandments. 5:3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. His commandments are not grievous.
​

So Jesus adhered to the commandments of the Father and that's why he was the Christ (Messiah). What is the law of the Father? The Mosaic Law. What is Jesus law? The Gospel accounts of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John contain them. The words spoken by the apostle Paul are also commandments from Jesus because Jesus revealed himself to Paul. Jesus' teachings are also represented by the apostle and disciple letters.

So what is a Christian? One that knows all of the laws in the scriptures, from old testament to new testament. One that knows which laws have been abolished. One that adhere's to all of the commandments that are left between the old testament and new testament. One that believe's the Jesus is the Messiah (Christ) and that God is one God and not three. One that professes this before people, that Jesus is the Christ sent by God. One that teaches other people the codes that Jesus believed in. For all of the previously mentioned is the makeup of "love thy neighbor as thyself" and "love God with your whole soul, mind and strength" which is the sum of the whole of the definition of a Christian.

James 5:19 My brethren, if any among you err from the truth, and one convert him; 5:20 let him know, that he who converteth a sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall cover a multitude of sins.
​

The scripture above also defines a Christian. That you save people by alerting them that they might be breaking commandments.

 

[No*s]

T3...I must say I like that new avatar of yours .

 

[astarath]

T3 i'm going to disagree to the comment in regards that Paul's teaching are commandments of Yaheshua. I am with you that adherence the Law of Yahweh is the integral part of being "christian" coupled with the reparations to the cultural decay through the jewish church by Yaheshua's teachings. For me this is the true definition.

As soon as one begins to adhere to the falacies of the Liar, the wolf in sheep's clothing. As soon as they turn to the yeast of a pharisee then they become something else... they become a Pauline Christian which as the name suggests paul comes first