What do Christians believe?

[Maygraceabound]

Originally Posted by prisonchaplain

I understand the sentiment, but struggle a bit. A person can have no religion at all, and still be a Christian? I take that to mean that this person belongs to no church, no congregation, no community of faith--they simply agree that Jesus...well, that Jesus what? Just what would "believing in Jesus" mean to someone with no religion and no community of faith?

And then, despite this seemingly low bar for salvation, to toss out the salvo that most who go to church are not Christians? Are you saying that most people who go to church do not believe in Jesus?

Guess I need your ideas fleshed out a little, cause I found them confusing.

My wife and I go to a church of about 200. ( however church attendance is not required to be Christian )If you ask any of our members they would say that they are not religious. They would eve get offended with the notion. Jesus never wanted us to be religious. Religion takes the focus off Jesus and puts it on mans traditions and dead works. Mat:23-4 (paraphrase) religion ties up men with many burdens that they can not bare.

PC. It has never been about religion, it is about relationship. Jesus wants you in your heart not tied up in dead works and traditions. He wants compassion not sacrifice.

To follow Him you must pick up your cross daily. What does He mean by this? Your answer lies here.

So, religion will never define you as Christian. Your heart does. It is my observance most people in a religion today believe that if that are a good person and go to church then they are Christian. They may not be. Without Jesus, they are lost. However, all religions have some members that are Christian. They truely have a relationship with Jesus. Mormon, Catholic, Budist, Muslim etc all have some members who believe on Him. So they would be Christian.

PC Where is your heart?

[prisonchaplain]

Originally Posted by Maygraceabound

My wife and I go to a church of about 200. ( however church attendance is not required to be Christian )If you ask any of our members they would say that they are not religious. They would eve get offended with the notion. Jesus never wanted us to be religious. Religion takes the focus off Jesus and puts it on mans traditions and dead works. Mat:23-4 (paraphrase) religion ties up men with many burdens that they can not bare.

PC. It has never been about religion, it is about relationship. Jesus wants you in your heart not tied up in dead works and traditions. He wants compassion not sacrifice.

To follow Him you must pick up your cross daily. What does He mean by this? Your answer lies here.

So, religion will never define you as Christian. Your heart does. It is my observance most people in a religion today believe that if that are a good person and go to church then they are Christian. They may not be. Without Jesus, they are lost. However, all religions have some members that are Christian. They truely have a relationship with Jesus. Mormon, Catholic, Budist, Muslim etc all have some members who believe on Him. So they would be Christian.

PC Where is your heart?

Like I said...I understand the sentiment. I grew up with this same idea that somehow "religion" meant Pharisaism or "man's efforts to seek God" or ritualism without Christ's true spirit, or other such things. In reality, religion is a community of faith. I would argue that to be a part of the Christian religion I must first be a Christian. Yes, for that I need a relationship with Jesus. However, I would argue against the distinctly American hyper-individualistic belief that true faith begins AND ENDS with one's individual experience with Jesus. Instead, my faith began with Jesus forgiving my sins and my embracing his love and his ways. What followed was my entry into the Christian community of faith, where I learned more of Jesus, through his Spirit active in fellow disciples.

My heart, to answer the question, is with Jesus AND His bride, the Church. In reality, it is my love of Jesus and his people that anchors me to the Christian religion.

We never should have made religion a dirty word. Good religion leads sincere seekers to the one true and living God.

[Maygraceabound]

Originally Posted by prisonchaplain

Like I said...I understand the sentiment. I grew up with this same idea that somehow "religion" meant Pharisaism or "man's efforts to seek God" or ritualism without Christ's true spirit, or other such things. In reality, religion is a community of faith. I would argue that to be a part of the Christian religion I must first be a Christian. Yes, for that I need a relationship with Jesus. However, I would argue against the distinctly American hyper-individualistic belief that true faith begins AND ENDS with one's individual experience with Jesus. Instead, my faith began with Jesus forgiving my sins and my embracing his love and his ways. What followed was my entry into the Christian community of faith, where I learned more of Jesus, through his Spirit active in fellow disciples.

My heart, to answer the question, is with Jesus AND His bride, the Church. In reality, it is my love of Jesus and his people that anchors me to the Christian religion.

We never should have made religion a dirty word. Good religion leads sincere seekers to the one true and living God.

I am glad to hear this. So to answer your question "what do Christians believe", I would go with what you just posted. Sounds very good to me. Lofty debates and theology mean nothing if you take your focus off Him. It is not Jesus and. It is Jesus only.

God Bless You PC.

[Desertknight]

Originally Posted by AnthonyB

I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.

I believe 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 to the dead.

On the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven, he is seated at the right hand of the Father, and 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 the life everlasting.

Amen.

That.

[norah63]

Yes belonging to a 'community of faith' is a good thing. However finding that is not so easy.
As some have stated here, there are those who love and serve Jesus Christ in most churches or groups.
To agree with the birth, death burial and resurrection of our Lord Jesus. And agree to serve Him as the Holy Spirit leads, with your whole heart might mind and strength. Knowing our Heavenly Father will always take care of who belongs to Him. That gives me peace in this life.
Even if sometimes we have a time of walking alone.

[X33ad]

The church I belong to that Jesus founded would answer that all christains other than Catholics are in a degree of heresy that are not in union with the see of Peter the lds would just be denying the trinity where a baptist or Pentecostal would be denying James 2:24 and 1 Tim 3:15 along with john 6

[prisonchaplain]

I understand that "just denying the Trinity" is actually a pretty big deal according to Catholic teaching.

[norah63]

Have never understood completely what "denying the trinity", really accounts for.
If you have a Heavenly Father that loves you, a Lord and king Jesus that saves you and a precious Holy Spirit
that guides you, what would you be?

[skalenfehl]

I understand a Christian to mean anyone who believes that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and is a disciple of our Savior. Beyond that, it's a matter of what religions teach based on mortal understanding, hence the philosophies of men mingled with scripture. Without a living mouthpiece (prophets called of God) to clarify, expound, reveal, etc the mind of the Lord, we are truly wanderers in the wilderness. To distill it further, anyone who claims to be a Christian and yet hates, ignores, forsakes (etc) his brother is not a Christian.

[prisonchaplain]

Originally Posted by norah63

Have never understood completely what "denying the trinity", really accounts for.
If you have a Heavenly Father that loves you, a Lord and king Jesus that saves you and a precious Holy Spirit
that guides you, what would you be?

You could be a trinitarian, a modalist (i.e. believer that God is absolutely one, and only manifests himself in different 'modes'--Father, Son, or Holy Spirit), or, you could be an LDS believer in the Godhead.

I'm not sure that getting these nuances wrong is a disqualifier concerning God's grace, but neither is this a matter to just ignore. Surely the Holy Spirit will guide sincere seekers to truth, and surely we want to accurately understand the nature of our God. So, we continue to engage in these conversations, hopefully in a spirit of Christian charity.