Am I a Christian??

The Old Testament ceremonial laws (not eating pork, keeping the sabbath, circumcision) are not what defines a Christian.

If you truly believe in Jesus Christ and accept at least basic Christian creeds (The apostolic creed, the Nicene Creed), I think you are a Christian.

If you also try to live according to Jesus Christ' teaching, you are an active Christian, not just a passive one.

Welcome to CF

I can't see that anyone here will want to fight with you . Relax - we don't eat people

I suspect you would find many folk in this area Christian Advice or perhaps this one For New Christians
who will enjoy chatting with you and answering your problems/questions

Welcome to CF Dan!

Welcome Dan, to CF! Thanks for your honesty.

"Am I a Christian if I believe Jesus but have problems accepting LARGE amounts of the NT?"

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"(I) never took to attending regular church services nor am I a "paying" member of any church."

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As a prior post stated, a person isn't a FOLLOWER of the Lord Jesus Christ & His teachings (the NT), A Christian, just because they say they believe Jesus or attend church services, meeting with other Christians & identifying WITH them, or follow certain dietary OT laws or keep the sabbath or being circumcised or not.

You yourself question whether you are a Christian or not & that is good. The Apostle Paul, an obedient follower of the Lord Jesus Christ, said to examine ourselves, whether we are saved or not.

Second Corinthians chapter thirteen verse 5:

Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified (reprobate, failed the test).

You are at the right spot on CF to explore how one becomes a Christian (being spiritually born a SECOND time on this earth, from above by God--read the gospel of John chapter 3 and I Peter chapter 1 and Titus chapter 2) & what IDENTIFIES one as a follower of the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

You need to apply the tests that describe who a Christian is to see if you are one or have failed the tests and need to repent of going your own way & doing what you want & turn from that life & trust your life to Christ, who can save you from your sins & FOLLOW Him & obey what He taught.

Jesus commanded His disciples to go & make other disciples or followers of Him & told them to 'teach these new disciples to obey ALL that I have commanded you...'

Matthew 28:18-20 Then Jesus came to them & said, “All authority in heaven & on earth has been given to Me.

19Therefore go & make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father & of the Son & of the Holy Spirit,

20teaching them TO OBEY ALL THAT i HAVE COMMANDED YOU. And surely I am WITH YOU ALWAYS, to the very end of the age.”

It appears you have a difficulty, saying you believe Jesus and yet at the same time don't believe most of the NT, which IS what Jesus taught from the Father & is understood spiritually by the Holy Spirit.

You will need to ask yourself how you can say you believe someone when you don't believe what they taught?

I say this because Jesus Christ taught that if you are a disciple of his, a follower of 'The Way,' then you will continue to believe & follow His words. This is one of the identifying tests of whether one is a true Christian or not.

John 8:30-32 As Jesus spoke these things, many believed in Him. SO He said to the Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue (remain, abide) in My word, you are TRULY My disciples. THEN you will know the truth & the truth will set you FREE.”

The first epistle of John, near the end of the NT, is a good one to read over & over, as it gives many TESTS as to whether one is a Christian, one who loves the Lord & obediently follows Him.

When I was born a second time (first time born physically of my mother) by the Spirit, I became alive with the life of God & finally knew the Lord. He came to live inside me! His presence was known by me & real. He kept His promise just as He said He would. The day before I knew about God, about the Bible, about church, etc.--but now I had seen by faith & heard from & knew the living God. That occurred almost 50 years ago & I have walked with the Lord, loving & obeying Him as His disciple, His follower & I identify & meet with other Christians, loving these, my brethren, for whom Christ died for & saved like myself.

Hello & welcome.

Another_uniqueUsername said:

Am I a Christian??

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Are you familiar with The Four Spiritual Laws?

Hello and welcome to CF!

As others have said, we aren't looking to nitpick and exclude. Ultimately only Christ can judge individuals.

For the purposes of CF (and as far as the early Christians at that time were concerned) - the essential beliefs of the faith are summmed up in the Creeds - such as the Nicene-Constantinople Creed posted here: CF Statement of Faith | Christian Forums

If you essentially agree with that, for the purposes of CF, you can post in Christian-only areas.

Also, there is often a process by which we grow. It's ok to ask questions and learn - that's what we SHOULD be doing. Unless a person is set against a major belief of Christianity, and considers their own belief must be right and Christianity must be wrong, they are not opposing the faith.

Be welcome. And feel free to ask your questions (though you may certainly get a variety of answers!) and trust that God is good and desires the salvation of men.

God be with you!

Another_uniqueUsername said:

Before I get settled on here I would like to introduce myself.
Im Dan, 40 year old male living in the UK.
Im finding the site difficult to navigate at the moment, so please bare with me.
Am I a Christian if I believe Jesus but have problems accepting large amounts of the NT?? If not I will gratefully move on elsewhere but obviously Im looking to discuss my beliefs and put them here for possible correction, I have read my bible since 1998 but never took to attending regular church services nor am I a "paying" member of any church, will I still be considered a Christian and/or accepted here where I can perhaps learn more about what I have read in my bible. I pray to the God of creation, I accept Jesus, I am a sinner and I only really have the last 21 years of reading my bible to go with (I dont eat pork and I keep the saturday sabbath) im not circumsised.
Please dont be horrible Im not looking for a fight.

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Another_uniqueUsername said:

Before I get settled on here I would like to introduce myself.
Im Dan, 40 year old male living in the UK.
Im finding the site difficult to navigate at the moment, so please bare with me.
Am I a Christian if I believe Jesus but have problems accepting large amounts of the NT?? If not I will gratefully move on elsewhere but obviously Im looking to discuss my beliefs and put them here for possible correction, I have read my bible since 1998 but never took to attending regular church services nor am I a "paying" member of any church, will I still be considered a Christian and/or accepted here where I can perhaps learn more about what I have read in my bible. I pray to the God of creation, I accept Jesus, I am a sinner and I only really have the last 21 years of reading my bible to go with (I dont eat pork and I keep the saturday sabbath) im not circumsised.
Please dont be horrible Im not looking for a fight.

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A Christian is one who learns and follows in the steps of Jesus. We all mess up here and there but we are to pursue Him and His ways.

Regardless where a person might attend organized church ... we all have the responsibility to know His word for ourselves so that we can recognize false teachings.

So, if you pursue organized church then you need to discern what you have already learned and assure any teachings are in accordance to what you have learned.

Many churches have a website and many state their beliefs ... and many can be "dismissed" without actually attending. Make certain you are on "official" websites and not just a website with "opinions" about various beliefs. Always "go the the horses" mouth so to speak ;o)

God bless .... continue prayerfully while studying His word. Always pray before studying and ask the Holy Spirit to lead you.

Follow the Lamb!

Welcome to CF Dan.

As mentioned above by another poster Christian Advice is a great place to posit your inquiries.

Another_uniqueUsername said:

Before I get settled on here I would like to introduce myself.
Im Dan, 40 year old male living in the UK.
Im finding the site difficult to navigate at the moment, so please bare with me.
Am I a Christian if I believe Jesus but have problems accepting large amounts of the NT?? If not I will gratefully move on elsewhere but obviously Im looking to discuss my beliefs and put them here for possible correction, I have read my bible since 1998 but never took to attending regular church services nor am I a "paying" member of any church, will I still be considered a Christian and/or accepted here where I can perhaps learn more about what I have read in my bible. I pray to the God of creation, I accept Jesus, I am a sinner and I only really have the last 21 years of reading my bible to go with (I dont eat pork and I keep the saturday sabbath) im not circumsised.
Please dont be horrible Im not looking for a fight.

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You'll be accepted for posting on the forums designated 'Christians Only' if what you believe is in line with the Nicene Creed that is printed out for you in the Christian Forums rules.

If you are in agreement there, you would probably be considered a Christian by most people, here or elsewhere, although some would point out, as yourself have done, that you have no formal connection.

Another_uniqueUsername said:

Before I get settled on here I would like to introduce myself.
Im Dan, 40 year old male living in the UK.
Im finding the site difficult to navigate at the moment, so please bare with me.
Am I a Christian if I believe Jesus but have problems accepting large amounts of the NT?? If not I will gratefully move on elsewhere but obviously Im looking to discuss my beliefs and put them here for possible correction, I have read my bible since 1998 but never took to attending regular church services nor am I a "paying" member of any church, will I still be considered a Christian and/or accepted here where I can perhaps learn more about what I have read in my bible. I pray to the God of creation, I accept Jesus, I am a sinner and I only really have the last 21 years of reading my bible to go with (I dont eat pork and I keep the saturday sabbath) im not circumsised.
Please dont be horrible Im not looking for a fight.

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Hi Dan & welcome to CF!

Am I a Christian? A very important question.

What must I do to be saved?

1) Realize that you’re are a sinner. (Romans 3:23, 5:12; 1 John 1:10)

2) Change your mind about Jesus (repent).

• Jesus said: “…unless you repent (have a change of mind that results in a change of action), you will all perish and be lost eternally. (Luke 13:5)
• …now God charges all people everywhere to repent. (Acts 17:30)

3) Believe the Gospel, that Jesus Christ died for you, was buried and rose from the dead.

• We are made right in God’s sight when we trust in Jesus Christ to take away our sins. And we all can be saved in the same way, no matter who we are or what we have done. For God sent Jesus to take the punishment for our sins and to satisfy God’s anger against us. We are made right with God when we believe that Jesus shed His blood, sacrificing His Life for us. (Romans 3:22, 25)
• For if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9)

4) Go to God in prayer, confessing Jesus as Lord and your need for forgiveness of your sins. Give your life to Jesus, making Him the Lord of your life.

• For it is believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved. (Romans 10:10)
• For anyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.(Romans 10:13)

Then you've got to trust Jesus to do His part, to save you, just like He said He will. <~~~Without this part, I spent years doubting my salvation, praying (over & over/again & again) for God to save me, never knowing, for sure, if I was. Ever since I started trusting Jesus to do what He said He will do, I know I'm saved and have never had any doubts about it since then.

Welcome UUU! I reckon all of us are in a process of growing and it sounds like you are too. I'll admit, now and then some people pick at each other, but for the most part, I've been here a few months and I've found most people are friendly and helpful. I hope you stay around and add your voice here.