Hi Jennifer Best,quote: Originally Posted by Jennifer Bestworking:I don't know why they even have a "religion" forum. When I first posted here it was called "Religion", but was described as a place to "discuss your religion or other practices and beliefs." Bill has posted that he pushed for religion to have it's own forum here, but after they made the forum, it shouldn't have taken the TD more than a few days to see he only wanted it as his own little private "church" where he could "sermonize", "politicize", and make sure anyone disagreeing with him would face his wrath. Well, people aren't going to play his game, they're going to post and defend their opinions and religious beliefs or non-belief, and there you have the religion forum.
Actually, a lot of us asked the TD Forums to create a separate forum for religious issues. Until that happened, we mostly posted on the Misc Forum -- and a lot of the folks who post there did not like having Christian issues posted there. Personally, I suggested they name the new forum the "Faith & Family Forum; but, I guess the TD Mods felt that calling it the Religion Forum was more inclusive. And, the rest is history.
Obviously, the reason I preferred the name "Faith & Family" is that this would have been more appropriate for Christian discussions -- even though many from world religions such as atheism would have still been posting.
Several Forum Friends in this discussion have raised the question: "What is a Christian?" So, let me offer this fairly good answer from GotQuestions.Org: http://www.gotquestions.org/what-is-a-Christian.html
Question: "What is a Christian?"
Answer: A dictionary definition of a Christian would be something similar to “a person professing belief in Jesus as the Christ or in the religion based on the teachings of Jesus.” While this is a good starting point, like many dictionary definitions, it falls somewhat short of really communicating the biblical truth of what it means to be a Christian.
The word “Christian” is used three times in the New Testament (Acts 11:26; 26:28; 1 Peter 4:16). Followers of Jesus Christ were first called “Christians” in Antioch (Acts 11:26) because their behavior, activity, and speech were like Christ. The word “Christian” literally means, “belonging to the party of Christ” or a “follower of Christ.”
Bill Gray Note: The non-believers of Antioch actually began calling followers of Jesus "Christians" meaning "Little Christs" or "Christ Followers" as a derogatory slur. But, the believers liked the name so much, they adopted it as a positive name.
Unfortunately over time, the word “Christian” has lost a great deal of its significance and is often used of someone who is religious or has high moral values but who may or may not be a true follower of Jesus Christ. Many people who do not believe and trust in Jesus Christ consider themselves Christians simply because they go to church or they live in a “Christian” nation.
But going to church, serving those less fortunate than you, or being a good person does not make you a Christian. Going to church does not make you a Christian any more than going to a garage makes you an automobile. Being a member of a church, attending services regularly, and giving to the work of the church does not make you a Christian.
The Bible teaches that the good works we do cannot make us acceptable to God. Titus 3:5 says, “He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.”
So, a Christian is someone who has been born again by God (John 3:3; John 3:7; 1 Peter 1:23) and has put faith and trust in Jesus Christ. Ephesians 2:8 tells us that it is “…by grace you have been saved, through faith -- and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.”
A true Christian is a person who has put faith and trust in the person and work of Jesus Christ, including His death on the cross as payment for sins and His resurrection on the third day. John 1:12 tells us, “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.”
The mark of a true Christian is love for others and obedience to God’s Word (1 John 2:4, 10). A true Christian is indeed a child of God, a part of God’s true family, and one who has been given new life in Jesus Christ.
My Friend, I pray this has shed some light on the Christian, why we are called Christians, and the fact that we are Christians, Christ Followers, by the grace of God, through faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ -- alone.
God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,
Bill
