I know I have been asking LOTS of questions

[dogs4thewin]

but what is the least you must believe to be a Christian? In other words, how confedident must you be in the idea of a relationship? I am not sure of the relationship (though I once was) but there has been a LOT of you know what this weekend and late last week going on. Christians keep saying God is in control, so for the past two nights I have been praying to this being out there. Because one everyone else around me is a two I do not what the heck else to do. Is it OK to not really be completely quite sure of the relationship when you first become a Christian?

I know you are expected to mature and get stronger in the relationship and grow in the faith.

 

[AvgJoe]

Don't beat yourself up and make this harder than it has to be.

First, become a Christian. Romans 10:9-10, 13(NLT) tells us how to do that,

9 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. 10 For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved.​

Once you've done that, God said that you're saved. Take Him at His word, trust Him to do what He said, you are now saved/a Christian.

To start this wonderful relationship with the God of the universe, simply:

1) Talk to Him through prayer, cast all of your cares upon Him, thank Him for everything that He's done for you and pray for other people.

2) Let Him talk to you, through daily Bible reading/study, through your Pastor's sermons and through small group Bible study.

 

[bling]

It is alright to not have confidence in self and thus just fall down in front of God (he is right beside you). If you want to trust in God He will lift you up.

 

[ViaCrucis]

but what is the least you must believe to be a Christian?

I don't know that there's a good one-size-fits-all answer to this.

Christianity isn't really a zero sum game, of having a minimalist, bare bones, "at least this" position.

If you are unsure of exactly what you believe, that's fine. That doesn't exclude you from the family of faith--we are all in some ways and throughout our lives in that boat in different areas.

The Church does not exclude and cast away the uncertain, the Church isn't a social club for saints, but a hospital for sinners--and that's something we all are. Though it seems at times many in the Church act as though they aren't, and try and make the Church into a kind of social club for the "in crowd"--something it most certainly is not.

It is only a problem if someone becomes rather "certain" of things the Church has historically rejected as untrue, what has been regarded as outside the faith and believing of the Church. Thus if someone were to become "certain" that Jesus was not the eternal and only-begotten Son of the Father, and attempted to steal away other Christians to their heresy, then such a person would be set aside. Not because they are unsure of what exactly they believe, but because they are dogmatically teaching something the Christian Church has historically rejected as contrary to the the Gospel.

But as far as being unsure, the Church should say, "Come and see", don't be afraid to dwell with us, come and see for yourself what this Christianity thing is about. See for yourself what we are doing in our worship, in our hymns and prayers. I believe a healthy church is one that keeps its doors open to all, without putting pressure on anyone.

-CryptoLutheran

 

[Receiver]

but what is the least you must believe to be a Christian? In other words, how confedident must you be in the idea of a relationship?

A Christian is someone who has received the Holy Spirit because “Christ” or “Messiah” means
“anointed one” and the anointing is the Holy Spirit:-
“ . . . you are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you.
Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.” (Romans 8v9)

This began at Pentecost, and according to Peter, continues the same today:
“ . . . they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues,
as the Spirit gave them utterance. . . having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost,
he has shed forth this, which you now SEE and HEAR. . . For the promise is unto you,
and to your children, and to ALL that are afar off, even AS MANY AS the Lord our God shall call.”
(Acts 2v4, 33, 39)

Without the miraculous unlearned new prayer language Christ, "The Life" hasn't entered into your heart
so you don't yet have a relationship with him.

You may have religion where you try your best and fail, but, a relationship is two people,
you need to expect God to do something specifically, what he says!

I know you are expected to mature and get stronger in the relationship and grow in the faith.

If you receive the above and use it, it will build up your faith (Jude 3, 1 Cor. 14:2, 4), but you also need to get involved with a church like the one Jesus set up in Acts, where all members are enjoying the same relationship. 1 Corinthians 14 details what God wants in meetings - the orderly use of the attributes of His Spirit whereby all can give and receive of Him.

Fact: most people have never been to a church like this!

 

[dcalling]

but what is the least you must believe to be a Christian? In other words, how confedident must you be in the idea of a relationship? I am not sure of the relationship (though I once was) but there has been a LOT of you know what this weekend and late last week going on. Christians keep saying God is in control, so for the past two nights I have been praying to this being out there. Because one everyone else around me is a two I do not what the heck else to do. Is it OK to not really be completely quite sure of the relationship when you first become a Christian?

I know you are expected to mature and get stronger in the relationship and grow in the faith.

First you must believe in God. I was an atheist before, and my love for computers finally brought me to believe there must be something out there, that can archive what nature can't do.

Second you need to read the Bible, believe in God's words. In one bible study someone asked what's the most important law, and the answer is Love God and love others as yourself, which is said by Jesus in the Bible. Of course it is one thing to believe in it and another to act out. None of us are able to do that, so we can only be saved by God's grace, through Jesus.

 

[Lukaris]

but what is the least you must believe to be a Christian? In other words, how confedident must you be in the idea of a relationship? I am not sure of the relationship (though I once was) but there has been a LOT of you know what this weekend and late last week going on. Christians keep saying God is in control, so for the past two nights I have been praying to this being out there. Because one everyone else around me is a two I do not what the heck else to do. Is it OK to not really be completely quite sure of the relationship when you first become a Christian?

I know you are expected to mature and get stronger in the relationship and grow in the faith.

Personally I just realized in life that my conscience was not enough to ultimately help me know right from wrong. The Gospel set me straight as the ruling force over my conscience correcting the shortcomings in my so called "common sense" & this "common sense" is often compatible in conformity to the Gospel.

The overall message of the Gospel is to love God & neighbor & treat others as we would want to be according to this message. What could be more wonderful than this? Dealing with daily life seriously & immediately challenges & confronts the initial hope & joy we receive from the Gospel message. God is in control & we face the challenges of life; God allows us to sorrow but we must not despair:

2 Corinthians 4:8New King James Version (NKJV)

8 We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;


It is our faith in what Jesus Christ has done for us that sustains us.

 

[TheyCallMeDavid]

but what is the least you must believe to be a Christian? In other words, how confedident must you be in the idea of a relationship? I am not sure of the relationship (though I once was) but there has been a LOT of you know what this weekend and late last week going on. Christians keep saying God is in control, so for the past two nights I have been praying to this being out there. Because one everyone else around me is a two I do not what the heck else to do. Is it OK to not really be completely quite sure of the relationship when you first become a Christian?

I know you are expected to mature and get stronger in the relationship and grow in the faith.

Doubts are a common thing and apply to virtually anything you put your trust in ; in fact, it is sort of a mechanism to test the validity of what One is placing their trust in whether it be the reliability of a new car , your Boss telling you at the end of the year you will get a merit raise, or your receiving of Christ as Savior, Lord, and King of your life. Doubt can come from our own wandering Minds, or, they can come from Satan who strongly desires Christians (especially new ones) to doubt the finished work of Jesus on the cross / to doubt his total sufficiency to erase all your sins / and to doubt that you have an inheritance given by God culminating in you spending eternity in heaven.

The opposite of doubt, is FAITH...but not a blind faith. Rather, a Faith that is squarely based on very very good reason and evidence. God doesn't expect anyone to come to him in Christ blindly, but, to have taken the time to learn what ones Faith is based on. This is why I suggest that all Christians especially new ones, do some Christian Apologetic researching which shows that the New Testament can be trusted as a reliable document and what it reports about Jesus based on eye witness testimony. Reading the 4 Gospels in the N.T. allows the Person to see God thru Jesus and to see what the truth is based on what Jesus taught people. Because Jesus fulfilled 300 narrow prophecies concerning his first coming , his life, and how he would die and resurrect....whatever he said CAN be trusted and he cannot be in error on anything. Therefore, we must based our Faith Walk on Jesus and not what our feelings might be telling us at any particular time. We may not feel saved on any given day, but we must place the objective truth on what Jesus said and accomplished on our behalf which proves his trustworthiness. Then, we can combat our doubts when they arise.

So, I would encourage you to SEE what your Faith is really all about by looking at the evidence for Jesus, Gods existence, miracles, the NT being accurate, etc... and to read your Bible daily which is the primary mechanism God uses to bring knowledge and understanding to you. .
Doing this, really solidified my Faith and took away doubts . If you want a good book source for this endeavor, then please let me know as there are a few really excellent books filled with the evidence that you may require to bolster your Faith being a real one.

Lastly, God said that you harder you seek him, the more he will reveal himself to you. And I have found this to be especially true. Another way to have God reveal himself to you more, is to be obedient to his loving moral mandates by staying clear of any immoral lifestyles that people of the World enjoy and to walk in humble obedience to God and his way . When you make Christ first instead of Self, something miraculous starts to happen in you and your Christian Walk is greatly enhanced and becomes much more purpose driven. God rewards that kind of obedience by sending his presence into your life unmistakably to enjoy. Dave.

 

[theophilus40]

Here is Paul's summary of the gospel:

For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,
(1 Corinthians 15:3-4 ESV)
​

First is says that Christ died for our sins. The first step in becoming a Christian is to acknowledge that we are sinners and need to be forgiven. If you aren't sure about this just read what the Bible says about how we are to live and compare it with your own life. It will become quite clear that everyone is a sinner and falls short of God's standards.

Christ died to atone for our sins and rose again from the dead. His resurrection is proof that God accepted his sacrifice. If you admit you are a sinner and put your faith in him you will be saved.

This is all you need to know to become a Christian. This act is called a new birth. When a baby is born physically he knows nothing about the world but he is alive and will grow and learn.

The same thing is true of spiritual birth. When someone is born again he might know nothing about God and the Bible but if he is truly born again and has spiritual life he will grow and learn about these things.

You do not become a Christian by learning facts about the Bible but if you become a Christian you will want to know more about it. A spiritual baby will desire the Bible just as much as a physical baby desires milk.

 

[food4thought]

but what is the least you must believe to be a Christian? In other words, how confedident must you be in the idea of a relationship? I am not sure of the relationship (though I once was) but there has been a LOT of you know what this weekend and late last week going on. Christians keep saying God is in control, so for the past two nights I have been praying to this being out there. Because one everyone else around me is a two I do not what the heck else to do. Is it OK to not really be completely quite sure of the relationship when you first become a Christian?

I know you are expected to mature and get stronger in the relationship and grow in the faith.

Hi again, dogs4thewin. I don't think anyone knows exactly where the line is with regard to how certain you need to be of these things. I can only point you back to the verse I mentioned earlier...

Hebrews 11:6 NIV And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

If you doubt God's existence, then I suggest you look into some of the information that defends belief (we call this apologetics) in the existence of God. If you doubt that Jesus is the Son of God, look into apologetics on that subject. I don't think we can empirically prove the truth of the gospel, but there is a huge amount of evidence that supports it.

Above all, keep studying the New Testament, sincerely seeking God's face through prayer with what faith you do have, and be open to what God might do. Remember that it is His desire that you know Him, but that He is not in the business of jumping through hoops so you will believe... He will reveal Himself to you in His way, and that could be any number of ways. Just be ready and willing to trust Him when He does reveal Himself.

 

[football5680]

My standard would be the apostles creed.

I believe in God,
the Father almighty,
Creator of heaven and earth
,and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died and was buried;
he descended into hell;
on the third day he rose again from the dead;
he ascended into heaven,and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty;
from there he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and life everlasting. Amen

This is basically an opinion question because we cannot say somebody is not a Christian if they identify themselves as a Christian. I may not recognize them as a Christian but maybe another person would. The majority of Christians regardless of their denomination accept the doctrines laid out in the apostles creed and it is one of the oldest statements of Christian faith. Historically, any group who deviated from these doctrines have been considered heretical.

 

[ForJesusChrist]

Don't beat yourself up and make this harder than it has to be.

First, become a Christian. Romans 10:9-10, 13(NLT) tells us how to do that,

9 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. 10 For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved.​

Once you've done that, God said that you're saved. Take Him at His word, trust Him to do what He said, you are now saved/a Christian.

To start this wonderful relationship with the God of the universe, simply:

1) Talk to Him through prayer, cast all of your cares upon Him, thank Him for everything that He's done for you and pray for other people.

2) Let Him talk to you, through daily Bible reading/study, through your Pastor's sermons and through small group Bible study.