"Minimal" requirements to be a Christian?

[tucker58]

What do you believe are the minimal requirements for one to be considered a Christian and to recieve the Divine benefits that are promised to those that call Lord Jesus their Lord and Savior?

It seems to me that one has to publicly declare Lord Jesus their Lord and Savior, they have to confess their sins, and they have to be baptized in the name of Lord Jesus to even start to be considered a Christian and receive the Divine benefits. But are there other things that absolutely have to be done for one to be considered a Christian and to receive the Divine benefits promised to those that call Lord Jesus their Lord and Savior?

To me if one has publicly declared Lord Jesus their Lord and Savior, has confessed their sins to Lord Jesus and asked for forgiveness, and has been baptized, then they are a Christian. From there I am not sure where things go. It seems to me that as long as you do not sin against the Holy Spirit and that you are not bullheadedly willful about your sins that everything can eventually be worked out so that one can/will recieve the Divine benefits that are promised to those who declare Lord Jesus their Lord and Savior.

What do you believe about what minimally needs to be done to be considered a Christian and to recieve the benefits that are promised to those that call Lord Jesus their Lord and Savior?

 

[ShaulHaTarsi]

Repentance, Baptism, and accepting Christ as Lord (as defined in the Nicene Creed)

One more important thing that's difficult to use as a checklist item is to take practical action to nurture that faith which should:

• Motivate desire for repentance
• Reflect on the significance of baptism
• Commit and recommit to following Christ in practice

 

[bling]

A willingness to wimp out, give up, surrender to the point of humbly accepting God's charity as pure charity.

 

[1213]

What do you believe are the minimal requirements for one to be considered a Christian and to recieve the Divine benefits that are promised to those that call Lord Jesus their Lord and Savior?...

If Christian means disciple of Jesus, then I think this is the minimum:

Jesus therefore said to those Jews who had believed him, "If you remain in my word, then you are truly my disciples. You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free."
John 8:31-32

 

[Albion]

...which does, however, beg the question, "What IS Jesus' word?"

 

[yeshuaslavejeff]

What do you believe are the minimal requirements for one to be considered a Christian

(1)(1 of 1200 points) No idolatry.

 

[Anto9us]

One minimum requirement might be that you have to be a SINNER

 

[Gregory Thompson]

What do you believe are the minimal requirements for one to be considered a Christian and to recieve the Divine benefits that are promised to those that call Lord Jesus their Lord and Savior?

It seems to me that one has to publicly declare Lord Jesus their Lord and Savior, they have to confess their sins, and they have to be baptized in the name of Lord Jesus to even start to be considered a Christian and receive the Divine benefits. But are there other things that absolutely have to be done for one to be considered a Christian and to receive the Divine benefits promised to those that call Lord Jesus their Lord and Savior?

To me if one has publicly declared Lord Jesus their Lord and Savior, has confessed their sins to Lord Jesus and asked for forgiveness, and has been baptized, then they are a Christian. From there I am not sure where things go. It seems to me that as long as you do not sin against the Holy Spirit and that you are not bullheadedly willful about your sins that everything can eventually be worked out so that one can/will recieve the Divine benefits that are promised to those who declare Lord Jesus their Lord and Savior.

What do you believe about what minimally needs to be done to be considered a Christian and to recieve the benefits that are promised to those that call Lord Jesus their Lord and Savior?

The minimal requirement? People are born again not by a husband's will, nor human decision, but by the will of God. (John 1) Pinning down the exact requirements seems to just alienate people from gathering until they've been born again long enough to "measure up" .

 

[Hillsage]

Jesus therefore said to those Jews who had believed him, "If you remain in my word, then you are truly my disciples. You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free." John 8:31-32

...which does, however, beg the question, "What IS Jesus' word?"

Kind of reminds me of the old Mars chocolate covered candy jingle...."Sometimes I feel like a nut, sometimes I don't."

I believe that when I 'walk in righteousness' I "keep His word", and when I sin...I don't. You are a disciple of whatever 'spirit' you happen to be following.

Thankfully my spirit being saved is based upon what He did and not what I did. As for my soul, sometimes it feels like a nut, but it's still chocolate covered with the sweet blood of Jesus.

 

[2PhiloVoid]

What do you believe are the minimal requirements for one to be considered a Christian and to recieve the Divine benefits that are promised to those that call Lord Jesus their Lord and Savior?

It seems to me that one has to publicly declare Lord Jesus their Lord and Savior, they have to confess their sins, and they have to be baptized in the name of Lord Jesus to even start to be considered a Christian and receive the Divine benefits. But are there other things that absolutely have to be done for one to be considered a Christian and to receive the Divine benefits promised to those that call Lord Jesus their Lord and Savior?

To me if one has publicly declared Lord Jesus their Lord and Savior, has confessed their sins to Lord Jesus and asked for forgiveness, and has been baptized, then they are a Christian. From there I am not sure where things go. It seems to me that as long as you do not sin against the Holy Spirit and that you are not bullheadedly willful about your sins that everything can eventually be worked out so that one can/will recieve the Divine benefits that are promised to those who declare Lord Jesus their Lord and Savior.

What do you believe about what minimally needs to be done to be considered a Christian and to recieve the benefits that are promised to those that call Lord Jesus their Lord and Savior?

Good question, Tucker58! My answer is fairly short: One must profess and live the Christian faith, until the end ...

 

[ewq1938]

What do you believe are the minimal requirements for one to be considered a Christian and to recieve the Divine benefits that are promised to those that call Lord Jesus their Lord and Savior?

Mar_16:16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

 

[ImAllLikeOkWaitWat]

Believing in romans 10:9

I don't think its possible to believe that and then go on with your life without exploring the bible further.

 

[stevenfrancis]

What do you believe about what minimally needs to be done to be considered a Christian and to recieve the benefits that are promised to those that call Lord Jesus their Lord and Savior?

1. Come to know and love Jesus, and understand who He IS: John 14:6 (and elsewhere) - " 6 Jesus said to him, I am the way; I am truth and life; nobody can come to the Father, except through me. 7 If you had learned to recognize me, you would have learned to recognize my Father too. From now onwards you are to recognize him; you have seen him. 8 At this, Philip said to him, Lord, let us see the Father; that is all we ask.9 What, Philip, Jesus said to him, here am I, who have been all this while in your company; hast thou not learned to recognize me yet? Whoever has seen me, has seen the Father; what dost thou mean by saying, Let us see the Father?10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in me? The words I speak to you are not my own words; and the Father, who dwells continually in me, achieves in me his own acts of power."

2. Invite Jesus, (who has given you the grace to know who He is), to enter into your life, and understand Him as your savior: Rev 3:20 See where I stand at the door, knocking; if anyone listens to my voice and opens the door, I will come in to visit him, and take my supper with him, and he shall sup with me. 21 Who wins the victory? I will let him share my throne with me; I too have won the victory, and now I sit sharing my Father’s throne.22 Listen, you that have ears, to the message the Spirit has for the churches.

3. Be baptized in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit: Mt. 28:19 you, therefore, must go out, making disciples of all nations, and baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, 20 teaching them to observe all the commandments which I have given you. And behold I am with you all through the days that are coming, until the consummation of the world. ..................... Acts 8:36 As they went on their way, they came to a piece of water, and the eunuch said, See, there is water here; why may I not be baptized?37 Philip said, If thou dost believe with all thy heart, thou mayest. And he answered, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.[3] 38 So he had the chariot stopped, and both of them, Philip and the eunuch, went down into the water, and Philip baptized him there.

4. Continue to serve and love the Lord in all that you do. Have faith, and blessed hope in His return. Love your neighbor as yourself. Avail yourself regularly of the body and blood of Jesus Christ, and the sanctifying grace He offers in this Eucharist for strength and resolve until He returns. 1 Cor 11:23 The tradition which I received from the Lord, and handed on to you, is that the Lord Jesus, on the night when he was being betrayed, took bread, 24 and gave thanks, and broke it, and said, Take, eat; this is my body, given up for you. Do this for a commemoration of me.25 And so with the cup, when supper was ended, This cup, he said, is the new testament, in my blood. Do this, whenever you drink it, for a commemoration of me. 26 So it is the Lord’s death that you are heralding, whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, until he comes. 27 And therefore, if anyone eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord unworthily, he will be held to account for the Lord’s body and blood. 28 A man must examine himself first, and then eat of that bread and drink of that cup; 29 he is eating and drinking damnation to himself if he eats and drinks unworthily, not recognizing the Lord’s body for what it is...............................John 6:51 I myself am the living bread that has come down from heaven. 52 If anyone eats of this bread, he shall live for ever. And now, what is this bread which I am to give? It is my flesh, given for the life of the world. 53 Then the Jews fell to disputing with one another, How can this man give us his flesh to eat? 54 Whereupon Jesus said to them, Believe me when I tell you this; you can have no life in yourselves, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink his blood. 55 The man who eats my flesh and drinks my blood enjoys eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.56 My flesh is real food, my blood is real drink. 57 He who eats my flesh, and drinks my blood, lives continually in me, and I in him. 58 As I live because of the Father, the living Father who has sent me, so he who eats me will live, in his turn, because of me.59 Such is the bread which has come down from heaven; it is not as it was with your fathers, who ate manna and died none the less; the man who eats this bread will live eternally.

 

[com7fy8]

I believe that God makes sure the ones He saves do all He desires. And we have more and more discovering to do.

Yes, there is repentance and trusting in Jesus (Ephesians 1:12). And there is discussion about what must be involved in baptism; I won't get into this, now.

Anything the Bible says is needed, and God makes sure this is fulfilled. Salvation is a package deal, of how our Father brings us to Jesus, then He makes sure we are changed and corrected to do all He means by His word > Isaiah 55:11.

But I would like to share a few specific things which are in the Bible, about our basic Christian calling >

When Jesus chose His twelve apostles, He selected them, "that they might be with Him", we have in Mark 3:14. So, from this, I see that our basic calling is to be with Jesus . . . in His love, in His grace and peace (John 14:27).

"And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful." (Colossians 3:15)

So, "in one body" all children of God are called to be ruled by God's own peace in our "hearts". This, to me, means that God Himself in His own peace is in our "hearts" ruling us - - - this personally > right in each of our "hearts". So, God does not want us ever to be on time out from personally sharing with Him while He is personally ruling us to do what is in His peace. But ones say there are things God expects you to do on your own since you should be able to handle it, yourself. But if we are with God, submitting to Him all the time in His peace, there is no time out for what we can do on our own, I consider. Our calling, then, is not only a practical thing, but personal in His love, of such constant sharing (1 Corinthians 6:17, Philippians 2:13, Colossians 1:28-29) . . . more and more as we grow in Jesus and His love (Romans 5:5).

In Ephesians 4:1-3, our Apostle Paul says to walk worthy of our calling, then he says how to relate in love with one another >

"with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love," (Ephesians 4:2)

So, this way of relating in love is included in our basic Christian calling > also see Ephesians 4:31-32 and Ephesians 5:1-2.

And so, of course, we need much more correction. And Hebrews 12:4-11 gives us how God's correction will effect us, and we are directed to seek our Heavenly Father for this correction which only He is able to do in us. So, this correction is essential, part of our package deal of being saved and God's children > as it is written, here >

"But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons." (Hebrews 12:8)

And Jesus calls with this hope for "all" >

"'Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.'" (Matthew 11:28-30)

A yoke has an animal in personal connection with its master who has control through that yoke, of the animal. So, I see that Jesus wants us to be yoked to Him, so we are in personal connection with Him (1 Corinthians 6:17), in God's own love (Romans 5:5), while He controls us, more and more all the time. And the yoke with control includes the ruling of our Father's peace in our "hearts", I consider

So, therefore, I would say we all need to seek our Father's correction so we are in this and more and more His way.

Oh yes, and our calling is not first and only about how to serve Jesus. But we are called to love God with all our heart and soul and mind and strength. And loving our Heavenly Father includes being pleasing to Him, in His gentle and quiet love, I understand from this scripture >

"rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God." (1 Peter 3:4)

And someone else might share about what it means to be holy . . . how we are called to be holy.

 

[Anto9us]

If the MINIMUM wasn't GOOD ENOUGH...

then it wouldn't be THE MINIMUM

 

[Geralt]

- the show/ritual does not make you a christian, it is the work of the holy spirit to regenerate a sinner and he creates a new person in you before you make any effort.

- that said, the external show is willfully accepted by yourself as a testimony and declaration to all that you are (not will be/ or will become) a follower of christ (aka christ-ian)

- the living proof that you are a christian is not these one time show, or the consistent practice of the ritual, but the continual DESIRE to know, love and follow God and God alone (not men, or the church, or your convenience) for the rest of your remaining life.

the reference & moral truth that will guide and BIND your conscience (therefore the only authority in your life) must be the revealed word of God - which is the holy scripture. NOT the accumulated history or your church's proud heritage, rituals, your priest's or pastor's words, people claiming to be new prophets or apostles, and what have you's. they are sometimes ok, but they must be subjected and to and tested with the authority of the word of God and therefore does not and must not and cannot BIND your conscience and actions in whatever decision you make for the rest of your remaining life.

This will save you a lot of decisional mistakes, deceptions and regret of wasted time in your christian growth.

two verse gifts for your starting journey:

And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. Mark 12:30 - do NOT love your church, or money or anyone or anything else above God

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. Psalm 119:105 - do NOT use anything else to be a lamp to your feet or light to your path above the Word of God.​

What do you believe are the minimal requirements for one to be considered a Christian and to receive the Divine benefits that are promised to those that call Lord Jesus their Lord and Savior?

It seems to me that one has to publicly declare Lord Jesus their Lord and Savior, they have to confess their sins, and they have to be baptized in the name of Lord Jesus to even start to be considered a Christian and receive the Divine benefits. But are there other things that absolutely have to be done for one to be considered a Christian and to receive the Divine benefits promised to those that call Lord Jesus their Lord and Savior?

To me if one has publicly declared Lord Jesus their Lord and Savior, has confessed their sins to Lord Jesus and asked for forgiveness, and has been baptized, then they are a Christian. From there I am not sure where things go. It seems to me that as long as you do not sin against the Holy Spirit and that you are not bullheadedly willful about your sins that everything can eventually be worked out so that one can/will recieve the Divine benefits that are promised to those who declare Lord Jesus their Lord and Savior.

What do you believe about what minimally needs to be done to be considered a Christian and to recieve the benefits that are promised to those that call Lord Jesus their Lord and Savior?

 

[Hillsage]

If the MINIMUM wasn't GOOD ENOUGH...

then it wouldn't be THE MINIMUM

Which 'begs the question', what is the definition of 'Christian' for this discussion? From the plethora of maxims, to meet 'the minimum' on the posts here, it reminds me of a discussion I had with a JW evangelists who had just returned to the U.S. after serving 15 years overseas. I asked him what the 'bare minimum' was to 'go to heaven' or 'the kingdom' or whatever JW's considered the goal of the hereafter. He hesitated then gave me a list of about 15 things required. I then said; "What you're telling me then, is that the thief on the cross isn't going to make it?" He was thoughtful for a second and then answered me; "YES, that's right." I was so amused by his answer that I never even responded. I just said to myself, maybe the light will come on after he leaves as to how stupid that answer was.

 

[yeshuaslavejeff]

One minimum requirement might be that you have to be a SINNER

this may require more evaluation and clarification.

for example: did you see the website "Jesus was not a Christian" ?
(found by a simple 2 nanosecond internet search)

 

[MWood]

The bare minimum for being a Christian is found in 1Cor15:1-4. After this read Romans10:9-10.
From these two you will reading the plan of salvation. When you understand this you are a Christian.

 

[Hillsage]

The bare minimum for being a Christian is found in 1Cor15:1-4. After this read Romans10:9-10.
From these two you will reading the plan of salvation. When you understand this you are a Christian.

Well, I read your verses....but never saw the word "Christian" in the verses or anywhere in the context.

So are you saying a 'Christian' is one who is "forgiven" or is it one who is "saved" or one who is "working out their salvation with fear and trembling"? Or is it one who is "justified" or "justified" and being "sanctified"? Is a Christian someone who has "Christ in you" or do the "you in Christ" scriptures trump? Is it fulfilling the "of the faith" scriptures or is it the "in the faith" scriptures? Is it the scriptures which say you are saved by the "faith OF Jesus" (only 'correctly' found in KJV) or is it the verses which say we're saved by "faith IN Jesus"?

The name "Christian" never existed in the church for 43 years, and then it was reportedly a name given by unbelievers to 'the church' at Antioch. Isn't it funny that we have all these differing posts from 'bible scholars' who can't agree on what a bunch of unbelievers were in agreement about?