In your opinion what does it mean to be a "good christian"?
- Thread starter Jothman
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Dear Jothman. In Matthew 22: 35-40: Jesus tells a Lawyer: " The first and great Commandment is: Love God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. The second is like it: Love thy neighbour as thyself."
Then Jesus states this great truth: On these two Commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets." That is straightforward and easy to remember.
Jesus our Saviour Loves us and is ever ready to help and guide us. We are told in Matthew 7: 7-10: " ask and ye shall receive," God will give us what we need to know and do, to be good Christians/followers of Christ.
We know that the two Commandments: to Love God and love our neighbour/fellow-men and fellow-women hang all the Law and the Prophets. We know that God wants our Love, and we know that Love means only good things. To love is also a verb/doing-word, and to love also wants our best behaviour and best intentions.
To know that God sees our hearts, and knows our thoughts is a great help generally. Often we get dark looks, when we only mean to do well. It is also good to know that we can stumble or forget at times, but then we always ask
God to forgive us, and carry on trying to be a good Christians.
In Luke 10: 25-28: Jesus tells a Lawyer who had asked Him: " Master, what must I do to inherit eternal life? " Jesus answered him: " You know the two Commandments to Love God and love your neighbour, DO THESE AND YOU WILL LIVE." I say this with love, Jothman. Greetings from Emmy, your sister in Christ.
Then Jesus states this great truth: On these two Commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets." That is straightforward and easy to remember.
Jesus our Saviour Loves us and is ever ready to help and guide us. We are told in Matthew 7: 7-10: " ask and ye shall receive," God will give us what we need to know and do, to be good Christians/followers of Christ.
We know that the two Commandments: to Love God and love our neighbour/fellow-men and fellow-women hang all the Law and the Prophets. We know that God wants our Love, and we know that Love means only good things. To love is also a verb/doing-word, and to love also wants our best behaviour and best intentions.
To know that God sees our hearts, and knows our thoughts is a great help generally. Often we get dark looks, when we only mean to do well. It is also good to know that we can stumble or forget at times, but then we always ask
God to forgive us, and carry on trying to be a good Christians.
In Luke 10: 25-28: Jesus tells a Lawyer who had asked Him: " Master, what must I do to inherit eternal life? " Jesus answered him: " You know the two Commandments to Love God and love your neighbour, DO THESE AND YOU WILL LIVE." I say this with love, Jothman. Greetings from Emmy, your sister in Christ.
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Shattered-Reflections
Saved by Grace
My opinion: I don't think of Christians in terms of good and bad, but mature and immature; inexperienced and experienced. I think it's good to examine ourselves and other Christians, but not as a judgment call but to help point out our actions our based on our relationship with the Lord.
The NT outlines what is good and what is bad if you want a list, and the ultimate expression of goodness:
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and, Love your neighbor as yourself.
The Bible says you fullfull that one law, you will indirectly fulfill them all.
But we all fail to be "good" from time to time and even sometimes our "goodness" is tainted with selfish ambition (ex: this will make me look good in their/mine/God's sight). Our good deeds are described as flighty rags in comparison to the knowledge of Christ. So while we need to know right from wrong, the most important thing isn't whether I'm a "good Christian", but am I looking at and seeking God? Because you can "act" like a good Christian, but that doesn't make you Christian.
"For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of Gods glorious standard." Romans 3:23
"I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For Gods way of making us right with himself depends on faith." Philippians 3:7-9
"If anyone thinks they are something when they are not, they deceive themselves. Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else" Galatians 6:3-4
The NT outlines what is good and what is bad if you want a list, and the ultimate expression of goodness:
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and, Love your neighbor as yourself.
The Bible says you fullfull that one law, you will indirectly fulfill them all.
But we all fail to be "good" from time to time and even sometimes our "goodness" is tainted with selfish ambition (ex: this will make me look good in their/mine/God's sight). Our good deeds are described as flighty rags in comparison to the knowledge of Christ. So while we need to know right from wrong, the most important thing isn't whether I'm a "good Christian", but am I looking at and seeking God? Because you can "act" like a good Christian, but that doesn't make you Christian.
"For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of Gods glorious standard." Romans 3:23
"I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For Gods way of making us right with himself depends on faith." Philippians 3:7-9
"If anyone thinks they are something when they are not, they deceive themselves. Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else" Galatians 6:3-4
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To be a good Christian is to be silent on saying hurtful words that could lead to violence, or even act violently towards those who might get you into an argument. Proof of our omnipresent spiritual Lord Jesus who has the authority of righteousness in our hearts, and allowing his supernatural ability to control and heal our emotional minds while at the same time keep our faith strong against the destructive spiritual forces of sin that creates false information and misjudgement-driven conclusions about our Lord Jesus Christ:
such as, the kingdom of God was built by our all-knowing God without the need for carpenters, architects or even a sewage treatment plant to rid of human waste - and Satan thinks (if I was in his shoes) that it is illogically beyond ridiculous, that's because Satan has faith in logic, not Jesus Christ .;'*';. Rev 21:2
such as, the kingdom of God was built by our all-knowing God without the need for carpenters, architects or even a sewage treatment plant to rid of human waste - and Satan thinks (if I was in his shoes) that it is illogically beyond ridiculous, that's because Satan has faith in logic, not Jesus Christ .;'*';. Rev 21:2
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I think it means that we have admitted we are flawed and not worth to be in God's presence, and that we have accepted the gift of forgiveness for our flaws from Jesus.
The true acceptance of that grace transforms our hearts; giving us the ability to be act in the way Jesus taught his followers to act.
Unfortunately, that's where it gets confusing for me. I'm in a Bible study now, hoping to get un-confused.
The true acceptance of that grace transforms our hearts; giving us the ability to be act in the way Jesus taught his followers to act.
Unfortunately, that's where it gets confusing for me. I'm in a Bible study now, hoping to get un-confused.
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Most people would think of a good Christian as one who is behaving as they think a Christian "should" behave.
What truly defines a "Good" Christian is the God who alone is Good and who indwells them. God alone is Good, and any goodness seen in my behavior is necessarily Him, as there is nothing innately good of myself.
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REPHAIAHPEDAHEL
Newbie
No such thing Jothman!
Mat 19:17 KJV And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God!
Mat 19:17 KJV And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God!
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Pal Handy
Irregular Member
"Good" is a relative term...
We know from scripture that only God is truly or absolutely good.
We as human beings are not perfect like God and yet at times and
in situations, we can express the goodness of God towards others.
So being a "good" Christian is to do the good deeds of Christ such as
caring for the sick and imprisoned, helping the widow and orphan and
to love others as Christ has loved us all as we tell others of Christ love
for them in our words and in our deeds...
Have you met any "good" Christians lately who live up to the example
that Christ has given us?
If you haven't, don't worry, they do exist, maybe not in large numbers but they do exist.
The wonderful thing is this...those that put their faith and trust is Christ
alone for their righteousness (goodness) before God, are accepted by
God as His sons and daughters and will have eternal life.
God so loved the world (everyone in the world, past, present and future)
that He GAVE His only begotton Son so that whoever believes or trusts
in Him (Jesus the Christ) has eternal life.
If you want to be like Christ, follow Him.....
Pray and ask Him to take control of your life and to change your heart
and mind so that He will live through through you and His goodness
will come through you to bless others.
We know from scripture that only God is truly or absolutely good.
We as human beings are not perfect like God and yet at times and
in situations, we can express the goodness of God towards others.
So being a "good" Christian is to do the good deeds of Christ such as
caring for the sick and imprisoned, helping the widow and orphan and
to love others as Christ has loved us all as we tell others of Christ love
for them in our words and in our deeds...
Have you met any "good" Christians lately who live up to the example
that Christ has given us?
If you haven't, don't worry, they do exist, maybe not in large numbers but they do exist.
The wonderful thing is this...those that put their faith and trust is Christ
alone for their righteousness (goodness) before God, are accepted by
God as His sons and daughters and will have eternal life.
God so loved the world (everyone in the world, past, present and future)
that He GAVE His only begotton Son so that whoever believes or trusts
in Him (Jesus the Christ) has eternal life.
If you want to be like Christ, follow Him.....
Pray and ask Him to take control of your life and to change your heart
and mind so that He will live through through you and His goodness
will come through you to bless others.
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forGod1
Newbie
what i've discovered from my recent life experiences, ya know, i'd say you can only be Christian or not. You can only be on the narrow path or you can't be. So to define "a good Christian".. i'd probably sum it up as making the 10 commandments more and more intricate within your life. each breath was after you fought for your God. This pretty much just my opinion.. but i think i'm right from personal experiences.
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aiki
Regular Member
Does the OP mean good in the moral sense or good in the sense of effectively meeting the standard? Does he mean "good" as in a good golfer, or good cook, or "good" as in morally right. Of course, if one is a good Christian, one will necessarily be living in a morally good way, but there is room to make a distinction in terms here, I think. As Christ observed, there is only One who is truly morally good: God. But one who is living consistently in thought, word and deed in accord with the character, and example, and teachings of Christ is a good Christian insofar as he is living better, or closer to the standard, than a professing believer who is hypocritical, or frequently yielding to sin, or generally spiritually immature.
Selah.
Selah.
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B
boogalaboogala
Guest
there is no such thing as a good christian.. you either are, or you are not..
measuring ones greatness as a christian is missing the point of christianity altogether.. we as christians are to be Christ focused. this resulting in a spirit of humility..
the man that has to ask himself if he is a good christian is most likely not saved at all..
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forGod1
Newbie
you just hit me on the head with that ending. but man, if you can master not being a hypocrite, that'd be a good book to read. You'd have mastered the world's ever-expanding religion.. you would have mastered the truth. I'd read that book in a minute.
btw: There is only one Immortal Master of the Truth. I'm trying to point out your hypocrisy well being nice.
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aiki
Regular Member
I don't think you understood what I was writing. Maybe you should read it again more carefully.
Why is it that a liar thinks everyone else is lying, and a gossip thinks everyone else is talking about him behind his back, and a hypocrite thinks everyone else must be just as hypocritical as he is? Its interesting how we often assume everyone else is just as we are. Of course, this isn't really the case much of the time...
Selah.
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There is no such thing as a good Christian.
__________________________________________________________________
First, only God is good. Second, a Christian only becomes a Christian when he realizes just how far he is from being good, and how dirty he is compared to the holiness of our God - and in that realization surrender to God's will. Third, a Christian can only become good by losing himself and gaining Christ who is good. A Christian can never be good, but he can attain Christ's goodness through His spirit who lives in him, and allowing that Spirit to define him.
__________________________________________________________________
First, only God is good. Second, a Christian only becomes a Christian when he realizes just how far he is from being good, and how dirty he is compared to the holiness of our God - and in that realization surrender to God's will. Third, a Christian can only become good by losing himself and gaining Christ who is good. A Christian can never be good, but he can attain Christ's goodness through His spirit who lives in him, and allowing that Spirit to define him.
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aiki
Regular Member
Are all followers of Christ bad followers of Christ? Are they all failing miserably at every turn to live after the example of their Saviour? Is this supposed to be the norm for Christians? Are all Christians supposed to be living out their Christianity badly? I just don't see this in Scripture.
When a person says that there are no good Christians, it makes it sound as though no Christian person matures in their walk with the Lord; that no believer moves toward greater holiness and Christ-likeness; that no follower of Jesus ever becomes purer, and wiser and more loving. But this isn't what I've observed. I have often seen the opposite, where a believer very clearly matures and becomes more like their Saviour. And this change, this maturation, this movement from a bad course of living to a good one, is both anticipated and urged in Scripture. As a child of God passes along this continuum of change and growth toward greater Christlikeness, I think it is perfectly appropriate to acknowledge him/her as a good Christian.
The Christian life doesn't have to be a tight cycle of daily sin-confession-sin. This is not what we are called to as believers in Scripture. I wonder, though, if some of the posters to this thread believe that it is. Believers who think the Christian life is a constant return to sin remind me of the apostle Peter's words:
2 Peter 2:22
22 But it has happened to them according to the true proverb: "A dog returns to his own vomit," and, "a sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the mire."
This is what a believer does every time they choose to sin. Christians like to refer to their sin as "mistakes," or "failures," or "slip-ups" that are opportunities for God's grace and forgiveness to flow. They don't sweat their sin because God has forgiven them of all of it. Peter paints a very different picture, however, of what it means for one who has been washed clean in the blood of Christ to dirty themselves again with sin.
Selah.
When a person says that there are no good Christians, it makes it sound as though no Christian person matures in their walk with the Lord; that no believer moves toward greater holiness and Christ-likeness; that no follower of Jesus ever becomes purer, and wiser and more loving. But this isn't what I've observed. I have often seen the opposite, where a believer very clearly matures and becomes more like their Saviour. And this change, this maturation, this movement from a bad course of living to a good one, is both anticipated and urged in Scripture. As a child of God passes along this continuum of change and growth toward greater Christlikeness, I think it is perfectly appropriate to acknowledge him/her as a good Christian.
The Christian life doesn't have to be a tight cycle of daily sin-confession-sin. This is not what we are called to as believers in Scripture. I wonder, though, if some of the posters to this thread believe that it is. Believers who think the Christian life is a constant return to sin remind me of the apostle Peter's words:
2 Peter 2:22
22 But it has happened to them according to the true proverb: "A dog returns to his own vomit," and, "a sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the mire."
This is what a believer does every time they choose to sin. Christians like to refer to their sin as "mistakes," or "failures," or "slip-ups" that are opportunities for God's grace and forgiveness to flow. They don't sweat their sin because God has forgiven them of all of it. Peter paints a very different picture, however, of what it means for one who has been washed clean in the blood of Christ to dirty themselves again with sin.
Selah.
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forGod1
Newbie
in defense of myself.. i see immense hypocrisy. i think i'm a saint compared to fornicators. I do break every commandment without thinking.. I just lately started rethinking my thought processes. But again, it's easy to go, "I'm just acting like everyone else." But we know God doesn't approve, deep down.
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LOVE. the love u show to others regardless of ur differences. From genesis to revelation it's all about LOVE. The love u give to others make u a good christian just us God loved us and sent his son to die for us and Christ also loved us and gave his body to save us.
PEACE BE UPON U ALL
PEACE BE UPON U ALL
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Bella Vita
Sailor in the U.S.N
There is no such thing. Every one of us falls short no one gets to the point of reaching righteousness. Life is a continuous journey of striving to be like Christ. Christ was everything we are not and he wants us to act in ways that go against everything that is in our human nature. But Christ is our example that we must try and not give up to get there.
We need to stay in our word. Follow it in our life and the choices we make. We need to keep our prayer life constant. We need to focus on keeping our relationship with God as strong as we can not so much being a good Christian.
We need to stay in our word. Follow it in our life and the choices we make. We need to keep our prayer life constant. We need to focus on keeping our relationship with God as strong as we can not so much being a good Christian.
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