Following Christ

I have read on here over the last year that many Christians have a goal of being as Christ was while or earth, or Christ is. To many of yall it seems being a Christian is following the examples of Christ. From a personal perspective, if I could indulge you,

Tell us about a time where you felt you were "following Christ" or a time where you were close to being "Christ-like" .

I put this in the Christianity forum so yall can tell your stories without non-christians debating the validy of your statements. Just a thread for you to share with us what being Christ-like means to you both in theory and example.

robtex said:

I have read on here over the last year that many Christians have a goal of being as Christ was while or earth, or Christ is. To many of yall it seems being a Christian is following the examples of Christ. From a personal perspective, if I could indulge you,

Tell us about a time where you felt you were "following Christ" or a time where you were close to being "Christ-like" .

I put this in the Christianity forum so yall can tell your stories without non-christians debating the validy of your statements. Just a thread for you to share with us what being Christ-like means to you both in theory and example.

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I would love to be able to think of a time when I was Christ-like, but I don't think I have ever been within a mile of that target.

There have been times when I have had a fleeting thought that maybe Jesus Christ would have approved of what I did, but that mere thought seems to invalidate the deed.

About the only thing I can think of is maybe the rare occasion when I haven't lashed out at someone who has posted lies about my beliefs. Generally, I let my anger get the best of me, but in the Book of Mormon, we're told that "he that hath the spirit of contention is not of me (i.e. Christ), but is of the devil, who is the father of contention." It's really, really hard to see your beliefs trashed, and not respond in the same way. But when I manage to do so, I feel like I'm behaving the way Christ would want me to. It's something I strive for, but struggle with.

robtex said:

Tell us about a time where you felt you were "following Christ" or a time where you were close to being "Christ-like" .

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For me to be Christ-like is a target I aim at,
Unfortunately in this I am not a very good shot.
But it does temper the things I do and the things I say and the thoughts I think.
But I wouldn't pass inspection for even a poor imitation Christ even in a coal celler at night.

Terry____________________
Blessed are the gentle, they shall inherit the land

Terrywoodenpic said:

For me to be Christ-like is a target I aim at,
Unfortunately in this I am not a very good shot.
But it does temper the things I do and the things I say and the thoughts I think.
But I wouldn't pass inspection for even a poor imitation Christ even in a coal celler at night.

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I agree completely. If anyone came here and said that they actually were, or had ever been, more than vaguely Christ-like, I'd be rather suspicious of their faith, humility being an important aspect of Christianity.

James

The time in my life when I felt most Christ like was the two years I spent as a missionary. It got to a point where I was no longer living for myself and everything I did during the day was to help other people improve their lives. My heart was filled with love for the people around me and my life was focused on charity. I still had plenty of faults and missteps, and I had a long ways to go before becoming completely like Christ, but I knew I was headed in the right direction.

we should all have the ability to become a Christ. Christ is only a title. Being Yeshua on the other hand... is another story entirley...

My belief is that we are all sinners, Christ paid for our sins on the cross, and if we accept that free gift, we are born again, a new creation, a temple of the Holy Spirit. And we also have our sin-nature we will have until we receive our glorified, immortal, uncorruptible bodies. We are justified and sanctified by Jesus' blood. Justification happens when we believe and is a completed work. We are sanctified when we first believe, too, but sanctification is also an ongoing process, I call growing in grace. We are forgiven, bought, sealed, kept, given the righteousness of Christ, all freely from God, but we are not perfect yet.

So, we are becoming more Christ-like, what is that? I believe one good place to see that is in Galatians, it describes the 9 fruits of the Spirit that dwells inside us. (I believe the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are the Godhead, so the fruits of the spirit and being like Christ are basicaly the same).

Galatians 5:3 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance; against such there is no law.

The new testament describes the traits of a Christian in many places. Personaly, I do not desire to talk of a time or times when I felt Christ-like, it is an ongoing process, everyday we should ask the Holy Spirit to fill us, and help us walk in the fruits of the spirit.

Love is the first and most important fruit, God is love, no greater love has a man than he lay down his life for his friends, as Jesus did. I pray we all grow in the grace of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, amen.
Sincerely,
Joeboonda

I think if you are a Christian or a non-christian, as long as you love life and no one around you is being Intelligently insulted by your actions then you are a Christ, Bhudda, etc, which is a Life Lover.

Freelancer7 said:

I think if you are a Christian or a non-christian, as long as you love life and no one around you is being Intelligently insulted by your actions then you are a Christ, Bhudda, etc, which is a Life Lover.

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That is a nice statement, but Jesus said something quite different. He said that he is the way, that no man comes to the Father but by him. We all have sinned, so he died to pay for our sins. So he said that whoever believes in him (accepts the free gift of his payment for our sins and trusts him that he was able to pay for them in full) has everlasting life, and that those who do not believe are condemned already because they have not believed in him. (therefore they must pay for their own sins).

Jesus was very clear, he is the only way, nobody gets to Heaven without being washed in his blood by believing in him. Paul said there is no other name under Heaven given to men whereby we may be saved. He preached Christ crucified, and that is it. No other way, believe in Jesus and you have eternal life, do not believe and you will spend eternity in Hell. That is what the BIble says.

I'd agree with that joeboonda, but unfortunately their was not the global media coverage in those days so unfortunately we have many different faiths, but to respect and love the Intelligence of Life were basically his commandments, so you are going throgh him if your a life lover.

Well, the Bible says these things were not done in a corner, that they were eyewitnesses, that they were not cunningly devised fables, that in the fulness of time Christ died for us. (I think of the Roman Empire and its roads allowing the gospel to spread rapidly). There is a body of evidence supporting the truth of the scriptures, so I can believe all Jesus' teachings, including that he said he was the way, that he must die for scripture to be fulfilled, and for our sins, and that we must trust in his death and ressurrection to get to heaven and that there is no other way, no other payment for our sins.

I agree he taught to respect and love God, he also taught these things I mentioned, and although people like to ignore it, he did say he was the only way, he came to die for our sins, and salvation is not found in anyone or anything else but him. That is a hard saying, but it is what he said, and I believe it is the truth, and I wish more folks would simply believe it.
Sincerely,
Joeboonda

michel said:

I would love to be able to think of a time when I was Christ-like, but I don't think I have ever been within a mile of that target.

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I know of a time I was Christ-like. At birth. A few hours later... well all down hill! To of being Christ-like is to be humble, love everyone, hate no one. Love and respect the earth, respect other's views and beliefs. I try, but know I could try harder.

jgallandt said:

I know of a time I was Christ-like. At birth. A few hours later... well all down hill! To of being Christ-like is to be humble, love everyone, hate no one. Love and respect the earth, respect other's views and beliefs. I try, but know I could try harder.

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I know where you're coming from, Jeff, but let me ask you this: What sin do you believe you committed within a few hours of your birth? What sin do you believe you committed by age one?

JamesThePersian said:

I agree completely. If anyone came here and said that they actually were, or had ever been, more than vaguely Christ-like, I'd be rather suspicious of their faith, humility being an important aspect of Christianity.

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I agree that humility is a huge component. As soon as a person even acknowledges his humility, he's no longer humble.

joeboonda said:

That is a nice statement, but Jesus said something quite different. He said that he is the way, that no man comes to the Father but by him.

Jesus was very clear, he is the only way, nobody gets to Heaven without being washed in his blood by believing in him. Paul said there is no other name under Heaven given to men whereby we may be saved. He preached Christ crucified, and that is it. No other way, believe in Jesus and you have eternal life, do not believe and you will spend eternity in Hell. That is what the BIble says.

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Yes, this is what the Bible says. Do you know of anywhere in the Bible where God also says He will not condemn those who, due to circumstances beyond their control, never heard Christ's gospel? You did, as I recall, make this statement awhile back. Is this a conclusion you have drawn on your own or is it found somewhere in the Bible? If it is not found somewhere in the Bible, does this imply that the Bible actually doesn't contain everything of importance that God wants us to know?

Katzpur said:

Yes, this is what the Bible says. Do you know of anywhere in the Bible where God also says He will not condemn those who, due to circumstances beyond their control, never heard Christ's gospel? You did, as I recall, make this statement awhile back. Is this a conclusion you have drawn on your own or is it found somewhere in the Bible? If it is not found somewhere in the Bible, does this imply that the Bible actually doesn't contain everything of importance that God wants us to know?

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Hi, well, the first 5 chapters of Romans covers it quite nicely. Not that I understand perfectly, and its been a while since I have studied that particular question. But, it states that man knows there is a God due to his conscience and the creation, so we are without excuse. It talks about the gentile that does what is right without having heard the law, and the Jew that has the law but disobeys it. And it concludes us ALL under sin, we all fall short. One more thing, Jesus told the religious leaders that since they said they could see, yet rejected him, they would be held accountable. So, what I get out of it, and as I said, its been awhile, is that man will be judged according to the light given him. If a person, due to his conscience and the creation, has faith in God, and hopes in his mercy and forgiveness and tries to live righteously, even though they have not heard of Jesus, I believe their faith will save them. But many, who deep down, their conscience and the creation reveal to them that there is a God, will reject him and live wickedly, and will be damned, having never had faith nor any inclination to try to be righteous. But those who have heard the gospel of Jesus and have been convicted by the Holy Spirit that it is true, and turn from it again and again, and die, or trust in their own righteousness and not God's, they will be damned. There's goats and there's sheep. Now, as I said, this is a rough answer, but, I do believe the Bible has everything we need to teach us about what God wants us to know. One way I look at it is, the Jews, before the Messiah came, were looking forward in faith, to the cross, and we as the church, are looking back to the cross. And those who have never had the opportunity to hear the gospel, but DO know there is a God and ask his forgiveness, are in a way looking forward to the cross. Jesus' death paid for all the sins of all the world for all time, and those who have faith in God, are saved, and those who reject God are not. But make no mistake, those who hear the gospel of Christ and reject it are damned. And Christians bought by Christs' blood who sin (we all will),will suffer loss of rewards, perhaps sickness, premature death, and the natural consequeces of their sins, and be out of fellowship (not relationship) with the Father, yet be saved as by fire(or the skin of their teeth). I know Jesus commands us to tell the world the gospel, and that he will not return until it has been preached to all the world. Like I say, there are good christian theologians and books that answer this far better than I, and probably far more accurately. But, yes the Bible is all I believe, I do not accept any other books as divinely inspired of God. I do not believe that because someone feels they have a more 'humane', or detailed description of how God deals with these things means they have the truth. I trust God, he is just and will deal with each of us just right. I believe Heaven wont be the same for everyone, at least as far as rewards and postion, nor will Hell, that there will be different degrees of Hell, but that God will be fair and just with each of us. I simply trust in the blood of Christ to save me, and I'll probably be one of the least in the kingdom of God, maybe I'll be the janitor or something, lol. Oh, and just, don't believe that we 'Bible-only' Christians do not have answers to everything, we have studied these things too, and the Bible is not completely silent on it, but it does reveal all we need to know. I know you don't like me saying this, but every group be it Jehovah Witnesses, Seventh Day Adventists, Christian Scientists, or any other group that holds other writings on the same level as the Bible, contain errors and big differences between the groups in doctrine. I cannot hold Mary Baker Eddie's or Ellen G. White's, or Charles Russell's writings on the same par with the prophets and apostles.

Sincerely,

Joeboonda