Belief in God but not Jesus?

[VioletVortex]

A "Christian" could believe in a force which somehow embodies all of the moral characteristics of the Christian god, without having any belief in Jesus. However, they would be wrong on three levels. I'm not going into th first level, as that is better fit for the debates section. They would be inaccurately describing themselves. If they deny the existence and symbolic importance of Christ, the term "Chirstian" would be very inaccurate. Instead, they would be a "Deistic Abrahamist". Finally, they would be denying the existence of Jesus. I am obviously not a Christian but I do believe in the existence of a man by the name of Jesus of Nazareth. He started a movement called Christianity, because he believed he was Christ, or the messiah. I don't believe he had any actual spiritual connection, but his existence was noted in Roman historical records. His existence is not a religious matter, it is a historical matter.

Long story short, if one believes on god but not Jesus, they are not a Christian.

 

[whirlingmerc]

Although, I would consider that 'Macionism' a view the God of the Old Testament is harsher than the new.
It appears both the love of God and wrath of God are ratchetted up, both seen more clearly in the New Testament 'He who has seen Me has seen the Father' so said Jesus.

The first and last song in the Bible is the same song: the song of Moses and The Lamb.
Exodus 15 and Revelation 15. (and Deut 32)

 

[Darrith]

Hi there

This is my first post.

I have struggled with this issue, this question, for years. 11 Years to be exact. I have no problem believing in the God of the Bible. Believing in the God of creation -- I totally do. But having extensively read the New Testament, in relative depth, I still struggle to believe in the resurrected Jesus -- 100%. It is strange to imagine, that one will be eternally punished in Hell, in "outer darkness, where there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth" -- for the very thing one genuinely does not believe in. Effectively, the Bible states we will all burn for our "unbelief". So, to avoid hell, I 'believe', even though I don't really 'believe.' But, wait, that is "Pascal's Wager". Am I doomed? No, I just pray every day, that God will reveal the truth of Jesus Christ to me, if it is really true. And why would God not answer my prayers? If the truth of Jesus is revealed; I will leave everything, and be his disciple, his servant.

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

Hi there

This is my first post.

I have struggled with this issue, this question, for years. 11 Years to be exact. I have no problem believing in the God of the Bible. Believing in the God of creation -- I totally do. But having extensively read the New Testament, in relative depth, I still struggle to believe in the resurrected Jesus -- 100%. It is strange to imagine, that one will be eternally punished in Hell, in "outer darkness, where there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth" -- for the very thing one genuinely does not believe in. Effectively, the Bible states we will all burn for our "unbelief". So, to avoid hell, I 'believe', even though I don't really 'believe.' But, wait, that is "Pascal's Wager". Am I doomed? No, I just pray every day, that God will reveal the truth of Jesus Christ to me, if it is really true. And why would God not answer my prayers? If the truth of Jesus is revealed; I will leave everything, and be his disciple, his servant.

It's much better to create your own thread instead of bumping a 13 year old thread where most of the people on it haven't posted in years. That way your post won't get lost.