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To be a Christian is to fellowship in the BEHAVIOR of Christ. You hear it often these days - "What would Jesus do?". It is actually a great question to ask yourself. Study yourself. It isn't just about being nice or EVEN to Love others. Would you believe there is no reward is simply loving others?
Mat 5:46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?
A Christian is one that is Christ-like. They love those that hate them. They preach a LOVE toward ALL and especially toward the sinner. Christ didn't come to call the righteous but to call sinners to repentance. God's Hate is LOVE. And by His hate does He chastise because of that Love.
Heb 12:6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.
Heb 12:7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?
Heb 12:8 But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.
To be a Christian is to fellowship in the BEHAVIOR of Christ. You hear it often these days - "What would Jesus do?". It is actually a great question to ask yourself. Study yourself. It isn't just about being nice or EVEN to Love others. Would you believe there is no reward is simply loving others?
Mat 5:46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?
A Christian is one that is Christ-like. They love those that hate them. They preach a LOVE toward ALL and especially toward the sinner. Christ didn't come to call the righteous but to call sinners to repentance. God's Hate is LOVE. And by His hate does He chastise because of that Love.
Heb 12:6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.
Heb 12:7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?
Heb 12:8 But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.
If you believe in Jesus and His finished work on the cross you are a Christian. Living like Jesus did is living like a Christian. But living like Jesus doesn't make you a Christian. It just makes your behavior like Him.
If you believe in Jesus and His finished work on the cross you are a Christian. Living like Jesus did is living like a Christian. But living like Jesus doesn't make you a Christian. It just makes your behavior like Him.
If you believe in Jesus you must do what He does.
Mat 16:24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
We will NOT be saved BECAUSE of Jesus but will be saved BY Jesus.
Mat 16:24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
We will NOT be saved BECAUSE of Jesus but will be saved BY Jesus.
But if we "must" do what Jesus says, where is the faith in that? Where is the glory for Jesus if we gain something by our obedience and not His? (Romans 5:19) This is the same as a preacher telling the audience that they must be water baptized to be saved. Where is the faith? If you tell someone you must do something to gain something, then faith has become a work. So that tells you there is another context here than what most people interpret it as.
Jesus said this again in Mark 8:34:
"He called the multitude to Himself with his disciples, and said to them, "Whoever wants to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me."
Notice the words "come after me." This also means follow, be like and live after an example. But no one can do this because Jesus was/is the only man without the sin nature. Jesus wants to bare our cross and He did. He always expressed this throughout His ministry. The context here is Jesus did not want anyone to see Him as a teacher. He wants everyone to see Him as a savior. Peter was still calling Jesus rabbi (teacher) at this time.
I have accepted that I will never be like Christ. I am ok with that. I fall and get up. My faith rest upon the competed work of Christ.
Now I gotta say, last week it rained, and I actually walked on water.
I personally no longer understand the purpose of saying you are a Christian unless the presence of God is a reality in your life. We know nothing of 30 of the years of the life of Christ apart from his birth and an event as a 12 year old. Those silent 30 years I believe his Father was disciplining(training) him in the way of life, and when he was perfected appeared as the captain of our salvation. In a synagogue He opened the scroll of Isaiah to where it was written concerning who he was . Then began his wonderful ministry as the great I Am manifest in the flesh. It didnt happen overnight. Even Paul was supposed to have not stuck around for a few years shortly after his conversion.
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