P
Paidion
Guest
Muslims believe in one God --- the creator. But their holy book, the Koran, depicts God in a different way from that of either the Old Testament or New Testament. So do they believe in a different God from the one in which you believe? We can't say "no" simply because they address God as "Allah". For "Allah" is simply the Arabic word for "God". Arabic-speaking people who become Christian still address God as "Allah" when praying to Him in Arabic. However, many people are very adamant about their belief that Muslims pray to a different God.
Strangely, this idea about praying to a different God, is found within Christianity itself. There are some Trinitarians who say that "Oneness" people are praying to a different God, since they don't believe in the true God who is a Trinity. Therefore, say these Trinitarians, "Oneness" people are not true Christians. "Oneness" people (or Modalists) believe God is a single divine Individual who manifests Himself in three different "faces" or modes, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Some "Oneness" people think that Trinitarians believe in three Gods instead of one. Therefore Trinitarians are not Christians.
Calvinists believe the chosen few (the "elect") will all surely become Christians. This is entirely God's doing, and the elect have had no part in their salvation, not even their faith, or their submission to God. Many of them believe that Arminians, who think that we must appropriate by faith the salvation which Christ provided, therefore believe in a salvation by works, and are therefore not true Christians.
Some Arminians think that Calvinists believe in a God who, on a whim, chose a few people for Himself to go to heaven, and sends the others, perhaps more than 99% of people to an eternal hell. So Calvinists believe in an unjust God, and are therefore not true Christians.
My wife and I were visiting at a friend's house where this friend had some visiting people who had earlier held an "evangelistic" meeting at a local hall. When these people discovered that I believed that everyone occasionally stumbles and sins, they became very upset. One woman in great anger, claimed that she hadn't sinned at all for 28 years. I then stated that she was sinning right then by her anger (the anger of man does not work the righteousness of God). Of course, this only added fuel to the fire. She said that I was the child of the devil. One young man in the group, yelled at me, and declared that I was going straight to hell.
On the other hand, there are others in my area who believe it is impossible not to sin, and so they simply accept the sin in their lives. When I share biblical teaching that we can overcome sin, they ask me why Jesus died, then, and declare that I'm trying to get to heaven by my works, and so I am not a true Christian.
Recently I received a PM from a member of this forum, who was greatly disappointed to find out that I believed in the eventual reconciliation of all people to God. His belief is that all who believe in universal reconciliation of all people, are not true Christians.
Forum friends, I want to affirm that being a true Christian is being a disciple of Jesus Christ. The disciples of Christ were first called "Christians" at Antioch. Jesus taught that unless we forsake the self-life and follow Him, we cannot be His disciple.
Being a true Christian is not about holding a particular doctrinal position. It is about being a disciple of Christ.
Our unity in Christ does not depend on holding the same theological or philosophical beliefs. It depends on all of us submitting to the authority of Jesus Christ in our lives. I fellowship freely with many different fellow-disciples who hold a wide variety of theological opinions.
Strangely, this idea about praying to a different God, is found within Christianity itself. There are some Trinitarians who say that "Oneness" people are praying to a different God, since they don't believe in the true God who is a Trinity. Therefore, say these Trinitarians, "Oneness" people are not true Christians. "Oneness" people (or Modalists) believe God is a single divine Individual who manifests Himself in three different "faces" or modes, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Some "Oneness" people think that Trinitarians believe in three Gods instead of one. Therefore Trinitarians are not Christians.
Calvinists believe the chosen few (the "elect") will all surely become Christians. This is entirely God's doing, and the elect have had no part in their salvation, not even their faith, or their submission to God. Many of them believe that Arminians, who think that we must appropriate by faith the salvation which Christ provided, therefore believe in a salvation by works, and are therefore not true Christians.
Some Arminians think that Calvinists believe in a God who, on a whim, chose a few people for Himself to go to heaven, and sends the others, perhaps more than 99% of people to an eternal hell. So Calvinists believe in an unjust God, and are therefore not true Christians.
My wife and I were visiting at a friend's house where this friend had some visiting people who had earlier held an "evangelistic" meeting at a local hall. When these people discovered that I believed that everyone occasionally stumbles and sins, they became very upset. One woman in great anger, claimed that she hadn't sinned at all for 28 years. I then stated that she was sinning right then by her anger (the anger of man does not work the righteousness of God). Of course, this only added fuel to the fire. She said that I was the child of the devil. One young man in the group, yelled at me, and declared that I was going straight to hell.
On the other hand, there are others in my area who believe it is impossible not to sin, and so they simply accept the sin in their lives. When I share biblical teaching that we can overcome sin, they ask me why Jesus died, then, and declare that I'm trying to get to heaven by my works, and so I am not a true Christian.
Recently I received a PM from a member of this forum, who was greatly disappointed to find out that I believed in the eventual reconciliation of all people to God. His belief is that all who believe in universal reconciliation of all people, are not true Christians.
Forum friends, I want to affirm that being a true Christian is being a disciple of Jesus Christ. The disciples of Christ were first called "Christians" at Antioch. Jesus taught that unless we forsake the self-life and follow Him, we cannot be His disciple.
Being a true Christian is not about holding a particular doctrinal position. It is about being a disciple of Christ.
Our unity in Christ does not depend on holding the same theological or philosophical beliefs. It depends on all of us submitting to the authority of Jesus Christ in our lives. I fellowship freely with many different fellow-disciples who hold a wide variety of theological opinions.
