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Do you have to call yourself a Christain to be saved.

C

CFrancis

Member
What is sincerity, and do you have to call yourself a Christian to be saved?

Jusus didn't coin the term 'Christian', neither did He establish or promote denominations. Jesus came to redeem people by teaching them how to love, thus restoring their relationship with the Father. Our obedience to the Spirit of Christ (i.e. His teachings) is what counts as faith and is the measure of our sincerity - it demonstrates that we believe in what Christ is saying and we believe this comes from God:

John 14:23 'If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.'

Galatians 5: 'The proof we have God's spirit is love...'

1 John 4:7 Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.

I would also add that there are many who profess to be Christian, but who's live's do not reflect Christ's teachings (i.e. His spirit) (Matt 7:22 'Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father in heaven.' i.e. to obey the teachings of Jesus.

I believe that sincerity is about striving to live in love and truth, which is a law written on the heart (Jeremiah 31:33 'I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts'). If we didn't have bibles we would still have a conscience.

Would God reject people who are striving to love if they do not claim outwardly to be Christian?
Do you have to call yourself a Christian to be saved?


 
Nope

Rom_10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved
 
CFrancis said:
Do you have to call yourself a Christian to be saved?
Click to expand...
Technically, no.
But the scriptures do tell us to not be ashamed of the name 'Christian':

" if anyone suffers as a Christian, he is not to be ashamed, but is to glorify God in this name. " (1 Peter 4:16 NASB)


CFrancis said:
Do you have to call yourself a Christian to be saved?
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Only if it choosing to be ashamed of that name does not represent a denial of Christ. But if it does, Christ will in fact deny you.
 
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CFrancis said:
What is sincerity, and do you have to call yourself a Christian to be saved?

Jusus didn't coin the term 'Christian', neither did He establish or promote denominations. Jesus came to redeem people by teaching them how to love, thus restoring their relationship with the Father. Our obedience to the Spirit of Christ (i.e. His teachings) is what counts as faith and is the measure of our sincerity - it demonstrates that we believe in what Christ is saying and we believe this comes from God:

John 14:23 'If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.'

Galatians 5: 'The proof we have God's spirit is love...'

1 John 4:7 Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.

I would also add that there are many who profess to be Christian, but who's live's do not reflect Christ's teachings (i.e. His spirit) (Matt 7:22 'Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father in heaven.' i.e. to obey the teachings of Jesus.

I believe that sincerity is about striving to live in love and truth, which is a law written on the heart (Jeremiah 31:33 'I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts'). If we didn't have bibles we would still have a conscience.

Would God reject people who are striving to love if they do not claim outwardly to be Christian?
Do you have to call yourself a Christian to be saved?
Click to expand...

Look at John 6:40 in light of John 14:23 you presented above. Focusing on the Fathers "will".

John 6:40 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”

Secondly, above you said "Jesus came to redeem people by teaching them how to love, thus restoring their relationship with the Father."
...not quite.
Jesus came to live a perfect life then die on the cross as a substitute sacrificial atonement for us...through the cross we receive eternal life. Through the cross our sins can be imputed to Christ and we can be forgiven. Just because you are a "loving" person doesn't mean a person is saved.

To answer your question directly "Do you have to call yourself a Christian to be saved?"
The answer is NO. Many people call themselves christians and are not saved. Your Matt 22 verse showed that. You have to BE a christian if you are saved. What is a christian? One who has been cleansed by the blood of christ.

I apologize for calling you out on your first post.
 
Cygnus said:
Look at John 6:40 in light of John 14:23 you presented above. Focusing on the Fathers "will".

John 6:40 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”

Secondly, above you said "Jesus came to redeem people by teaching them how to love, thus restoring their relationship with the Father."
...not quite.
Jesus came to live a perfect life then die on the cross as a substitute sacrificial atonement for us...through the cross we receive eternal life. Through the cross our sins can be imputed to Christ and we can be forgiven. Just because you are a "loving" person doesn't mean a person is saved.

To answer your question directly "Do you have to call yourself a Christian to be saved?"
The answer is NO. Many people call themselves christians and are not saved. Your Matt 22 verse showed that. You have to BE a christian if you are saved. What is a christian? One who has been cleansed by the blood of christ.

I apologize for calling you out on your first post.
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You have explained very well.
 
CFrancis said:
What is sincerity, and do you have to call yourself a Christian to be saved?

Jusus didn't coin the term 'Christian', neither did He establish or promote denominations. Jesus came to redeem people by teaching them how to love, thus restoring their relationship with the Father. Our obedience to the Spirit of Christ (i.e. His teachings) is what counts as faith and is the measure of our sincerity - it demonstrates that we believe in what Christ is saying and we believe this comes from God:

John 14:23 'If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.'

Galatians 5: 'The proof we have God's spirit is love...'

1 John 4:7 Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.

I would also add that there are many who profess to be Christian, but who's live's do not reflect Christ's teachings (i.e. His spirit) (Matt 7:22 'Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father in heaven.' i.e. to obey the teachings of Jesus.

I believe that sincerity is about striving to live in love and truth, which is a law written on the heart (Jeremiah 31:33 'I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts'). If we didn't have bibles we would still have a conscience.

Would God reject people who are striving to love if they do not claim outwardly to be Christian?
Do you have to call yourself a Christian to be saved?
Click to expand...
Your selection of verses suggests that you are very works-oriented, and I have reason to believe you may be a Mormon. Are you?

I say that because there are those who call themselves as "LDS Christians", and they are in error. However that is a different issue than what you ask. Here is the answer from the Bible:

Acts 11:26 And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.

Therefore, the name "Christian" does NOT refer to what one does, but rather to what one believes. The first Christians followed the OT and the teachings of Jesus, the Apostles, James, Jude and the Gospel writers (and of Hebrews) ONLY as they were written and dispersed.

There are many other false religions who add to those by citing stuff that uninspired people plagiarized or made up. By definition, since these group add to the teachings of what those above said, they diminish and destroy the foundations of Christianity. Therefore, by definition they are anti-Christian.

1 John 4:15 Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. 16 And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.

Being a Christian is never about reliance on self works; instead it is reliance SOLELY upon what Jesus Christ did.
 
No. I'm not a Mormon. I am works orientated only to the degree that it is God working in me through my faith in Him. I can do nothing by myself!

"Therefore, the name "Christian" does NOT refer to what one does, but rather to what one believes."

If a person truly believes in Christ they will look to His commandments and practice them. For example, the early Christians (disciples) forsook all that they had in obedience to this command from Jesus (Luke 14:33). They actually did what Jesus had instructed them to do, in faith and obedience. Belief (faith) walks hand in hand with obedience to salvation!

James 2:14 What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? ...Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works...'

Also...

1 Peter 2:7 Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner,

"Being a Christian is never about reliance on self works; instead it is reliance SOLELY upon what Jesus Christ did."

I agree. We cannot rely on self works, but only on our faith in Christ which, if it really is faith, should lead to obedience to the things He said which produces the good works and the good fruit.

"Secondly, above you said "Jesus came to redeem people by teaching them how to love, thus restoring their relationship with the Father."
...not quite.
Jesus came to live a perfect life then die on the cross as a substitute sacrificial atonement for us...through the cross we receive eternal life. Through the cross our sins can be imputed to Christ and we can be forgiven. Just because you are a "loving" person doesn't mean a person is saved."

I agree with this. But I would add that our belief in Christ's atonement should be evidenced by action in our lives, by following sincerely Christs teachings. My confusion - or question - is if we say we believe on Christ, why do we not do the things he said?

Again I come back to Matt 7 - Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness.’…

This is why I speak of sincerity, because it is a sincere person that will see the simple truth of the need for obedience, whether they regard themselves as 'christian' or not. Though I do agree with sinthesis - the point at which you start obeying Jesus' teachings (because you recognise their spiritual authority), is the same point at which you qualify to be a disciple (christian) eg Luke 14:33 'any one of you that does not forsake all that he has cannot be my disciple'.





 
This thread is thought provoking. I don't think one has to say "Why, yes I am a Christian" in order to be saved. I think that most people who believe --would-- choose to identify as a Christian. At the same time, there always have been, are, always will be many who claim Christ without showing the least bit of Christ-like character at any point in their lives. My best guess is that for some (many?) people, being a Christian brings with it a sense of belonging, identity, etc....they just somehow forget about Jesus.
 
CFrancis said:
Cygnus: "Secondly, above you said "Jesus came to redeem people by teaching them how to love, thus restoring their relationship with the Father."
...not quite.
Jesus came to live a perfect life then die on the cross as a substitute sacrificial atonement for us...through the cross we receive eternal life. Through the cross our sins can be imputed to Christ and we can be forgiven. Just because you are a "loving" person doesn't mean a person is saved."

CFrancis: I agree with this. But I would add that our belief in Christ's atonement should be evidenced by action in our lives, by following sincerely Christs teachings. My confusion - or question - is if we say we believe on Christ, why do we not do the things he said?
Click to expand...

Thanks for clarifying your post.

To answer this question of yours...."if we say we believe on Christ, why do we not do the things he said?"

Sometimes we do and sometimes we don't. As forgiven yet not sanctified humans we often choose sin.
 
Since I am the only person on this thread that answered "No" to being a Christian, allow me to explain why I will still be saved.
I asked "Jesus Christ" to be my Savior 31 years ago. He did so and took his rightful place upon the throne of my heart. I received the Holy Spirit and began to study my Bible with the Spirit's leading. I claimed to be a born again Christian. However, the more I studied, the more I realized that several Christian doctrines did not align with Scripture as I was understanding them. It got to a point when I realized, from my point of view, that if I claimed to be a Christian, then I am claiming to believe the very doctrines that I was perceiving to be unscriptural. Whether or not they are unscriptural is not the point I am making and will not debate that in this thread. The point I am making is that even though I do not believe as Christians do and no longer call myself a Christian for that reason, I still have Yeshua ruling over my heart and life. My faith is in his shed blood for the forgiveness of my sins. His Elohim is my Elohim and I endeavor to keep his commandments. I will be saved by grace through faith; a faith that is not contingent upon believing certain Christian doctrines, or upon what name I call myself, but upon believing in the Son of Yahweh.
 
jocor said:
Since I am the only person on this thread that answered "No" to being a Christian, allow me to explain why I will still be saved.
I asked "Jesus Christ" to be my Savior 31 years ago. He did so and took his rightful place upon the throne of my heart. I received the Holy Spirit and began to study my Bible with the Spirit's leading. I claimed to be a born again Christian. However, the more I studied, the more I realized that several Christian doctrines did not align with Scripture as I was understanding them. It got to a point when I realized, from my point of view, that if I claimed to be a Christian, then I am claiming to believe the very doctrines that I was perceiving to be unscriptural. Whether or not they are unscriptural is not the point I am making and will not debate that in this thread. The point I am making is that even though I do not believe as Christians do and no longer call myself a Christian for that reason, I still have Yeshua ruling over my heart and life. My faith is in his shed blood for the forgiveness of my sins. His Elohim is my Elohim and I endeavor to keep his commandments. I will be saved by grace through faith; a faith that is not contingent upon believing certain Christian doctrines, or upon what name I call myself, but upon believing in the Son of Yahweh.
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If you are christian "no"....then what do you consider yourself? Just wondering.
 
Cygnus said:
If you are christian "no"....then what do you consider yourself? Just wondering.
Click to expand...
I don't have a particular name for myself. I have no problem identifying as being "of the Way" or a "Messianic Israelite" or a "Yahwist" or a "believer". Other people have a lot of different names they call me, but none good :shame :)
 
I call myself a Christian as being one in the true body of Christ through the Spiritual rebirth of John 3:3-6 by that of Romans 10:9,10. Many call themselves Christian, but walk according to their will and not after the will of God, John 7:21-23. The word Christian has become demoralized overtime by the actions of others that call them self a Christian, but have not that personal relationship with Christ through the Spiritual rebirth. Going to Church on Sunday and parking yourself in the pew doesn't make you anymore a Christian then parking your car in a garage would make you a garage.
 
1 Corinthians 1:18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

Now, I see what you are thinking. But, "but" we should want to proclaim that we are part of Christ. Christians.

1 John 2:19-20 They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us. But you have the anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth.

You belong to Christ now.
 
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By Grace said:
Acts 11:26 And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.
Click to expand...
at Antioch the name Christian was first given as type slur. there is them Christonnsssss. Christianity is a broad word used today often misrepresented. many use the name but are not truly saved. Disciples could the theological / political correct name.. the only thing that matters is your name is written in the lamb book of life and for that to happen one must be born again/saved/changed a new creation in Christ :amen:sohappy
 
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