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HarmonicSonic — What makes a Christian
Published: 2010-12-13 20:24:19 +0000 UTC; Views: 11476; Favourites: 718; Downloads: 54
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Okay, so this one's a bit long and drawn-out, but it's been weighing on me for a while to mention this kind of thing.I've seen a lot of signatures here on DeviantArt that state something to the effect of "I believe in Jesus Christ. If you do, too, and you're not afraid to admit it, then paste this into your signature." Anybody noticed this? Unfortunately, some of the people who have that in their signature often seem to say the most hateful, un-Christlike things to anyone who disagrees with them.
I, too, believe in Jesus as my Savior, and I have no fear or shame of proclaiming that to anyone. But I will never put that tagline in my signature. That doesn't make me any less Christian, nor does it make me "afraid" of my faith in any way.
I've got news for you, folks. A few words in your signature do not make you a Christian. Fred Phelps uses words on pretty signs to convey messages of his un-Christian God of hate. Nor does wearing a cross pendant. Some of the most un-Christian rap songs are sung by people wearing huge cross pendants. Nor does having a WWJD bracelet if you don't actually apply the meaning of it to your life. Going to church doesn't do it, either. Some of the most evil people on earth go to church. Knowledge of scripture doesn't do it, either. The pharisees of Jesus's day had a knowledge of scripture that was second-to-none, yet they were the ones who were always in conflict with him. It takes more, even, than mere belief in God and Jesus. Guess what - satan believes in them! That certainly doesn't make him a Christian.
John 13:35 says, "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples," not if you follow the fads, know scripture, can tell people of every sin they've committed, but... "that ye have love to one another."
That means a kind, unconditional, Christlike love for atheists, abortionists, gays/lesbians, Muslims, Goths, and any other group you can think of. Because Jesus didn't look at what clique people belonged to. He didn't look at race, religion, or nationality. He loved everyone. He never beat people over the head with their sin, either.
Christianity is not a social statement or fad. It is a lifestyle defined by love. You claim that God's love has transformed you. Prove it.
Okay, sorry for the sermon. Also, sorry if this is a bit too fast to read, but it's long enough as it is. Thank you, $zilla774 for the template.
If you don't want me to say thank you, then don't fave it. If you accuse me of not looking at your profile, I will point right to this section of the artist comments.
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Comments: 420
Indeed. As hard as it may seem when it comes to people following different religions and lifestyles and not believing in God or going against Him, we, as Christians, ALL have to love ALL of them. Sometimes I will hear some blasphemy and it can make me so mad I can't think straight. But then I gotta remember that as much as it also upsets God, He loves the sinners anyway. I do the same. Think about this. It will probably shock you, but God even loved a certain World War 2 starter, even though he's clearly in Hell right now!
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I went to a Catholic school, primary and high school and everyone thought that only going to church made you a good Christan but every one of those people bullied, harassed me or ignored me when I needed help, Teachers were like kids will be kids or let them and or were doing it as well. My mum had to stop them doing that.
Punishing kids for bullying is not harassment, letting them do it is not Christan.
The church is too hypocritical, so I don't go. (They care too much about what you wear in there, even if it is hot outside.) etc.
(There are creeps that are sometimes around outside where they shout at Women for wearing tank tops or short shorts...in Summer (It gets pretty hot where I live, 30 degrees and even up to 50 degrees on some days in Summer) and will insult you if you defend yourself and they claim to be Christan. )
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If only all Christians would follow this basic rule: "Love others".
Too bad many prefer bashing gays instead.
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I'm Christian and I support gays. I don't bash them.
Besides, I ship some gay pairings in certain media so I tolerate gays IRL.
Even some of my OCs are gay, bisexual or lesbian.
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the bible no excuse to bash on gay and trans people or any kind in fact
tgere were probably people of all genders and sexualities listening to Jesus back then and he didn't call them gross, so why do we??
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*nods* We hate the sin, but love the sinner. Christ loved the tax collectors and others with a holy love that showed He wanted them to change to be with Him.
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This is so nice~
I hate it when religion is misunderstood
by people who know nothing about it...
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Thank you <3 I was told got hates me today and this really helps me take a chill pill.
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I'm an Atheist and I came to this stamp expecting page upon page of arguments between militant Atheists and fundamentalist Christians, but instead what I found immediately was Christians arguing with other Christians about the true interpretation of the Bible... Yep, not even gonna tackle that beast.
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I know, it's tragic.
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Your stamp says: "Being a Christian is more than just having a...resolute faith in God."
Well, if by that you just mean someone just believing that God exists, then yeah, it's not enough.
But if by resolute faith in God you mean someone who believes that Jesus (God in the flesh) died on the cross to pay for their hell-damning sins and then rose from the dead 3 days later, then...that's an issue.
Christianity is actually more about faith than love (although love is awesome!). We're not saved by loving others (although loving others is awesome!). We're saved by putting our faith in the gospel of Jesus' death for sins, burial, and resurrection.
Ephesians 2:8-9
"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Not of works, lest any man should boast."
Romans 4:5
"But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness."
Galatians 2:16
"Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ,
even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ,
and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified."
Ephesians 1:12-13
"That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.
In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation:
in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,"
1 Corinthians 15:1-4
"Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;
By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.
For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:"
Titus 3:5
"Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;"
So...yeah. Being a Christian is actually completely defined by resolute faith in God. Faith that He died for our sins, was buried, and rose again.
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"Christianity is actually more about faith than love"
Not according to Jesus, in John 13:35. He says "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples [a.k.a. followers of Christ, a.k.a. Christians], if ye have love one to another." Faith is just the beginning.
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We're not disciples. Wrong dispensation man. We're ambassadors. Study your Bible some more. We're saved by faith, not love.
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We actually are disciples c; I know this is an old comment but I wanted to comment on it anyways lol. A disciple in the sense of the Bible was someone who followed someone (a teacher, philosopher, leader, etc.) and then in the context of Jesus was then charged with spreading the Gospel to others.
We aren't "The Disciples" because that refers to those who followed Jesus during his lifetime but that doesn't mean we aren't disciples as well, we just live in a different time. Our mission is still to spread the Good News (as was the mission of the first apostles) so there is really no difference between us and them, ergo everything Jesus said to the 12 is completely applicable to any Christ followers today.
I also want to point out something that (I think) is causing the miscommunication here. In James 2:14-26 it is made very clear that faith without works is dead. Obviously one must first believe in the Bible and that Christ died to save us (saved through faith) but if a person isn't ACTING on their faith with works then it means very little.
Here's an easy example. If I believe that killing animals for food is completely wrong but still keep eating meat... I'm a hypocrite. In the same way the Bible says that if a person believes in God but acts the way they've always acted then they are hypocrites too. In Matthew 7:21-23 Jesus himself makes it clear that even people who believe in him and did acts in his name will be ordered to depart and not saved... which is a scary thought. The point being made in that passage is that those people might believe... but they're not acting out the will of God but rather their own.
Jesus also modified the ten commandments in that he made it clear what is most important there: namely to love God with all your heart, soul and mind... and to love others as yourself.
Perhaps unnecessary since ExaltGod is gone now, but for anyone who reads this... maybe it'll be interesting!
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Oh shoot I already commented on this stamp. Sorry, just noticed.
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.......I used to be a Christian until I left the religion because things are just being too hard on me, I am even thinking about doing suicide,and plus I am never loved....
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I'm here for you if you need me. Send me a note and we'll talk.
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Okay, thanks bro.
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If I were to tell you that my best friend is pansexual and I'm metrosexual, and my other friend is bisexual, as a matter of fact, very little of my friends are straight. Would you still love me? That's what I thought.
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It wouldn't make a difference to me. Don't assume.
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Well then that's a sin according to your god.
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It's not that cut-and-dry. I can discuss it more, but will there be any point? It seems to me that you've already made up your mind that there's nothing good about anybody who identifies as a Christian (which is a shame - you and most of your friends should know how it feels to be on the receiving end of an unfair, sweeping generalization). I hope that isn't the case. If you really, truly want to talk about it, calmly and reasonably with an open mind, then we'll talk. If you just joined DeviantART to pick fights with people who don't hold the same beliefs as you, then you can move along.
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Actually, it is. And I don't think that at all, I have a lot of Christian friends, I just don't agree with their beliefs...
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No, it's not. In the first place, there are several different interpretations of the scriptures that supposedly refer to same-sex relationships as sinful. Entire books have been written on the subject, and it has been a big debate even within the church. That would not be the case if it was a simple yes/no answer. In the second place, regardless of whether same-sex relationships are sinful, the statement made by this stamp still stands. How we treat others shouldn't have anything to do with what sin they may have committed.
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Dude, I revealed to my priest my sexual orientation when I was Christian (the Bible basically hates everyone who isn't straight), and he said I was going to hell... it's not a debate, it's just religious hate. So we should treat a murderer the same way we should treat our best friend?
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I'm sorry to hear that, but that doesn't change the fact that it is still a major debate within the church. There are lots of non-heterosexual Christians who still believe in living a Biblical life, and just because some church leaders interpret scripture to mean that's wrong, that doesn't make it the final word on the subject. Our sinfulness doesn't determine whether or not we go to hell. If that were the case, everyone would.
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Yes! Only praising Jesus lets you into heaven! Not being a good person or any of that ----! No, just praising someone with no evidence of even existing!
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So you think it getting into heaven should be dependent on how good we are?
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Okay, so let's go on that line of thinking. That douchebag who cut you off in traffic - is he a good person? The waitress with an attitude problem - is she a good person? And in terms of history - that world leader who gave people their jobs and their lives back by bringing Europe out of an economic depression? That sounds pretty good. But on the other hand, there was the world leader who slowly, methodically destabilized an asian government and who has also been accused of being a pedophile - that sounds pretty bad. Who gets to go to heaven out of these people, by your standard?
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You're right! It's a hell of a lot fucking easier to have an all good all knowing god send all non-believers to burn in hellfire for eternity!
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Hold on a sec. We haven't gotten to that yet. First, we have to figure out what "good person" means.
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According to the Bible, it's only someone who believes in god.
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Not really. Satan believes in God, and he's not what I'd call good.
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For human standards, I mean.
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Most of the kings of Israel believed in God, but the Bible refers to many of them as evil, not good. The Pharisees in the New Testament not only believed in God but were completely devoted to him, but they're not usually held up as examples of good people.
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What is your idea of a good person? And it's obviously not someone who is truthful to themselves and/or something they were born with because your religion hates gays.
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I'm afraid that's where you're mistaken. For one thing, being Christian and being religious aren't always the same thing. For another, as I've tried to explain, "my religion" doesn't hate gays. My pastor will be the first to tell you that. There are people in my religion who think it's sinful (though those are a shrinking, overly-vocal minority of Christians - and thinking something is sinful is not the same thing as hating someone who sins), but there are people in my religion who still think the earth is the center of the universe, that slavery shouldn't have been abolished, and that science is of the devil. That doesn't make any of those things a doctrine of my religion.
If you just want to dislike my religion (your Christian friends notwithstanding), I'm not going to stop you. I would certainly understand. There are times when I don't like my religion. You wouldn't be the first person to stop being a Christian because of what the church has done. But from what you've said, it sounds like you are condemning an entire group of people because one priest told you you're going to hell. I'm sorry you've been hurt. Truly. I honestly think your priest was in error. And I think that many Christians are doing some damn distasteful things in the name of Jesus - I'm not going to deny that. We're all human. We make mistakes. Is being bitter about it making you feel any better?
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I'm not agnostic because of what the priest said, but because of the facts against Christianity. I'm not saying all Christians think this, but didn't the Bible say to stone gays to death?
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No. The book of Leviticus may refer to it as an "abomination", but this is the same book that considers it sinful to wear blended fabric and eat pork, yet Christians do not consider those things to be sinful. That's what I'm trying to point out - it's not always as simple as "the Bible says this, so therefore it's wrong".
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Read. The. Bible.
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Show me a chapter and verse. And Leviticus 20:13 isn't it.
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Why not? It's from the same book...
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That's part of my point. Just because something appears in the Bible, that doesn't mean it's something people are supposed to follow to the letter. There are several reasons why it's not that simple.
First of all, it's important to understand that society changes as human understanding changes. As a result, our understanding and interpretation of scripture can change. This is true even in the church, which is why we no longer condone slavery or think the sun revolves around the earth, despite there being interpretations of scripture to support both of those things. At the time Leviticus was written, people had no understanding or concept of fixed sexual orientation. Homosexual sex was seen not as an orientation, but as a sexual excess (this was because of the societal norms of the time - even much later, in the time of the Roman empire, straight men had wives but also young male lovers on the side. Not only was it considered normal then, but in many cases it was expected). The laws of Leviticus were needed for the time and place, but things do change. The book of Leviticus also says it's wrong to eat pork or wear blended fabric, but you don't see very many people raising an outcry about that, because we realize now that society changes - pigs are not unsafe to eat like they were back then, and wearing blended fabric is not the sign of excessive vanity that it was back then.
Second, the Bible was written, compiled, and translated by lots and lots of people and processes over hundreds of years. Some scriptures have to be weighed against others. I'm not saying that the Old Testament is irrelevant, but the apostle Paul addresses the issue of Mosaic Law. In Galatians 5:1, he says, "Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened by a yoke of slavery." He is speaking of the law. He goes on (In Galatians 5:14) to say "The entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: Love your neighbor as yourself". Jesus himself says nothing on the subject of homosexuality, but he does heal a man who may have been gay. The story is found in Matthew 8:5-13 (the status of the centurion's "servant" is a bit ambiguous - the original Greek word can also be translated to mean "lover" - which, as I mentioned earlier, would have been a normal practice at this time).
Maybe it all sounds complicated and convoluted, but that's my point. There is more to Christianity than simply obeying scripture. Muslims, Jews, Baha'is, Daoists - almost every religion has some kind of writing they hold as a core of teaching (scripture). Even people who are not religious put writings (Dawkins, Hitchens, Harris, etc.) on pedestals. To say "the Bible says ____, but that doesn't make sense, so Christianity is a scam" is to dismiss some very important components of Christianity that really shouldn't be dismissed.
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I agree with most of what you just said, but what-if it doesn't make sense- is important to any religion? By the way, I'm just wondering, do you believe in evolution? If no, why not?
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I would say that depends on the religion. To be clear, I'm not saying scripture isn't an important part of Christian living. I'm just saying that when we place scripture on a higher level than our relationship with God and with other people, we become guilty of idolatry.
And I do accept the theory of evolution. It reflects our current understanding of the world, and I don't see it as being incompatible with belief in God.
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