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Exploring Christianity
When did you start to consider yourselves christians ?
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<blockquote data-quote="aiki" data-source="post: 74189609" data-attributes="member: 178791"><p>Your question assumes, it seems to me, that it is entirely up to you when (and perhaps how) it is that you are saved. You are the one, apparently, who decides when you are finally in the faith. But this isn't what the Bible indicates. Becoming a Christian is a "transaction" of sorts between you <em>and God</em>. In fact, the Bible teaches that, but for God, no one would ever come to faith in Christ, no one would ever become a Christian. God must act upon you, persuading you to trust in Christ; He doesn't sit passively, waiting for you to make your way to Him. So, being a Christian isn't merely adhering to a religious organization, or to a set of religious propositions, it isn't becoming comfortable with a particular religious setting or rituals, but is, the Bible says, coming into relationship with God through Christ. </p><p></p><p><strong>1 Corinthians 1:9</strong></p><p><strong>God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.</strong></p><p></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 15px">1 John 1:3 </span></strong></p><p><span style="font-size: 15px"><strong>3 what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.</strong></span></p><p></p><p>"You must be born-again" Jesus said, in order to enter God's kingdom. But you must come to Christ in faith, humility and surrender to be reconciled to God. You cannot simply decide unilaterally that you are part of God's family. <em>God</em> sets the means and ways by which you become one of His. Repentance, confession, trust, surrender - these are all integral parts of how one comes to be a child of God, a Christian. And you will know when you have truly been adopted by God by the signs laid out in Scripture, not by some feeling of belonging that you have worked up from within yourself. </p><p></p><p>1. Love of fellow Christians:</p><p> </p><p><strong>1 John 3:14</strong></p><p><strong>We know that we have passed out of death into life, <u>because we love the brethren</u>.</strong></p><p></p><p>2. Moment-by-moment submission to the will and way of God:</p><p></p><p><strong>Romans 8:14-16</strong></p><p><strong>14 For <u>all who are being led of the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.</u></strong></p><p><strong><u></u></strong></p><p>3. The inner witness of God's Spirit:</p><p></p><p><strong>15 For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, Abba! Father!” </strong></p><p><strong>16 <u>The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God</u>, </strong></p><p><strong></strong></p><p>4. The development of the fruit of God's indwelling Spirit:</p><p><strong></strong></p><p><strong>Galatians 5:22-24</strong></p><p><strong>22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, </strong></p><p><strong>23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. </strong></p><p><strong>24 Now <u>those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh</u> with its passions and desires.</strong></p><p></p><p>4. The illumination of God's truth to you by the Holy Spirit:</p><p> </p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 15px">John 16:13 </span></strong></p><p><span style="font-size: 15px"><strong>13 But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.</strong></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 15px"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 15px">5. The conviction of the Spirit when you sin:</span></p><p><span style="font-size: 15px"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 15px"><span style="font-size: 15px"><strong>John 16:8 </strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 15px"><span style="font-size: 15px"><strong>8 And He <em>(the Holy Spirit)</em>, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment;</strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 15px"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 15px">And so on. When you have repented of your life apart from God, confessed to God the sin of your life lived in rebellion to Him, and have trusted in Christ as your Saviour and Lord, the things I've listed above (and others besides) will appear in your life and you will know that you have truly become one of God's children, a disciple of Christ, a Christian.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: 15px"></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 15px"></span></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="aiki, post: 74189609, member: 178791"] Your question assumes, it seems to me, that it is entirely up to you when (and perhaps how) it is that you are saved. You are the one, apparently, who decides when you are finally in the faith. But this isn't what the Bible indicates. Becoming a Christian is a "transaction" of sorts between you [I]and God[/I]. In fact, the Bible teaches that, but for God, no one would ever come to faith in Christ, no one would ever become a Christian. God must act upon you, persuading you to trust in Christ; He doesn't sit passively, waiting for you to make your way to Him. So, being a Christian isn't merely adhering to a religious organization, or to a set of religious propositions, it isn't becoming comfortable with a particular religious setting or rituals, but is, the Bible says, coming into relationship with God through Christ. [B]1 Corinthians 1:9 God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.[/B] [B][SIZE=4]1 John 1:3 [/SIZE][/B] [SIZE=4][B]3 what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.[/B][/SIZE] "You must be born-again" Jesus said, in order to enter God's kingdom. But you must come to Christ in faith, humility and surrender to be reconciled to God. You cannot simply decide unilaterally that you are part of God's family. [I]God[/I] sets the means and ways by which you become one of His. Repentance, confession, trust, surrender - these are all integral parts of how one comes to be a child of God, a Christian. And you will know when you have truly been adopted by God by the signs laid out in Scripture, not by some feeling of belonging that you have worked up from within yourself. 1. Love of fellow Christians: [B]1 John 3:14 We know that we have passed out of death into life, [U]because we love the brethren[/U].[/B] 2. Moment-by-moment submission to the will and way of God: [B]Romans 8:14-16 14 For [U]all who are being led of the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. [/U][/B] 3. The inner witness of God's Spirit: [U][/U] [B]15 For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, Abba! Father!” 16 [U]The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God[/U], [/B] 4. The development of the fruit of God's indwelling Spirit: [B] Galatians 5:22-24 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 Now [U]those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh[/U] with its passions and desires.[/B] 4. The illumination of God's truth to you by the Holy Spirit: [B][SIZE=4]John 16:13 [/SIZE][/B] [SIZE=4][B]13 But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.[/B] [B][/B] 5. The conviction of the Spirit when you sin: [B][/B] [SIZE=4][B]John 16:8 [/B] [B]8 And He [I](the Holy Spirit)[/I], when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment;[/B][/SIZE] And so on. When you have repented of your life apart from God, confessed to God the sin of your life lived in rebellion to Him, and have trusted in Christ as your Saviour and Lord, the things I've listed above (and others besides) will appear in your life and you will know that you have truly become one of God's children, a disciple of Christ, a Christian. [/SIZE] [/QUOTE]
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When did you start to consider yourselves christians ?
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