Christians: Where do you draw the line? (Jesus, Creator, Moses)

[Captain Civic]

What do you think a person needs to believe to be a Christian? Is there limits to certain interpretations of the Bible?

[angellous_evangellous]

A Christian to me is someone who at least believes in the Christian confessions - that Jesus as the incarnate Creator God (therefore the Trinity) died for our sins and resurrected on the third day and will come again in glory. Everything else is gravy.

[Starfish]

Obviously Christ is the root word for the word Christian. Therefore, any believer of Christ's divinity and follower of his teachings (as best they understand them) is Christian.

Just as I'm an Oregonian, because I live in Oregon.

[Reverend Rick]

John 3-16 says it all.

[Jeremy Mason]

What angellous_evangellous said. Yes there limits to certain interpretations. Symbolic language should not be taken literally.

[uss_bigd]

Christians are people who follow Christ's teachings in tHe bible, NOTHING ADDED ... NOTHING OMITTED.

[Dunemeister]

I'll preface my remarks with scripture, if I may:

The word is near you, on your lips and in your heart (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim), because if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in yourheart that God raised him from the dead, you shall be saved. For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved. The scripture says, "No one who believes in him will be put to shame." For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all and is generous to all who call on him. For, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved." Romans 10:8b - 13

One of the major issues in Romans is the question: How can a Greek, who does not follow the Law of Moses and who does not bear the marks of circumcision possibly be part of the family of God? Paul's answer is that God welcomes into his family anyone who has faith in Jesus, whether that person is a Jew or a Gentile. This particular passage makes the point that all who confess Jesus is Lord and believes that God raised Jesus from the dead will be saved. "Jesus is Lord" does not mean "Jesus is the second person of a divine trinity." Here "Lord" does not necessarily mean "God incarnate." Rather it connotes "master." To be saved, then, one must submit to Jesus as master.

Of course, the implication of this is that Jesus must be God for God is ultimately our only master. My point is that to be a Christian in good standing, you need not understand or believe this implication. Rather, you must follow Jesus' commandment to love your neighbour as Jesus has loved us. That's the meat. The rest, such as theological notions as the Trinity, is the gravy.

The second point Paul makes is that the believer must believe that God raised Jesus from the dead. Indeed, that's the basis upon which God Himself has indicated that Jesus is his true son rather than yet another failed Messianic pretender. Thus it is also the basis upon which a person is to put their trust in Jesus. Christians put their faith in Jesus because God has demonstrated to the world that Jesus is his son by raising him from the dead. (Romans 1:3 - 4.)

Therefore, to be included in God's family, one must do only two things:

(1) Submit to the Lordship of Jesus; and
(2) Believe that God raised Jesus from the dead.

No matter what else that person believes, even if it's kooky or contrary to some of the Creeds, we as believers must treat that person as a brother or sister (even if that brother or sister requires some guidance or education). There is a wafer-thin theological commitment involved here. And to burden people with more at the outset is, in my view, counterproductive (and may stand in the way of a person's salvation).

[Katzpur]

Originally Posted by uss_bigd

Christians are people who follow Christ's teachings in tHe bible, NOTHING ADDED ... NOTHING OMITTED.

Which Bible? The one that was in use before the Protestants omitted what had been there for centuries or the one in which they removed what God had never intended to be there?

[Katzpur]

Originally Posted by Dunemeister

Therefore, to be included in God's family, one must do only two things:

(1) Submit to the Lordship of Jesus; and
(2) Believe that God raised Jesus from the dead.

If you want to get really technical, the Bible says that Jesus had the ability to raise himself from the dead. He didn't need to rely on His Father to do that.

[uss_bigd]

Originally Posted by Katzpur

Which Bible? The one that was in use before the Protestants omitted what had been there for centuries or the one in which they removed what God had never intended to be there?

the deutero canocical books was added by the catholics. it was not suppose to be there. i am referring to the original bible with the new and old testaments. the closer it is tranlated from the original greek bible the better.

thank you for asking, and thank God for the opportunity.