What is a Christian?
From Standout Studios.Net
One of the central truths of the Christian faith is the reconciliation of man to God through the death of Jesus Christ. In Man's relationship to God, man made him self an enemy of the Creator through disobedience, unrighteousness, and irreverence. But God still loved us. He proved it by sending Christ. But Christ is much more than a demonstration of God's love for man; He is also the payment of sin's penalty a s well as the one mediating between God and man. The Word of God tells us that the wages of sin is death (Rom. 6:23).
There are many ways by which the world says you can be saved. To find the only true way, we must go back to the Bible for the gospel plan of salvation. No person here on earth will ever produce a plan of salvation equal to or that will take the place of that plan which Christ gave us. For the New Testament plan of salvation you must do four things. Ac. 2: 37,38 answers this for us: "Repent and be baptized everyone of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. "
First, we must believe in Christ. "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned" (Mk. 16:16) 0 How can a man have dealings with One who is unseen, and whose chief rewards lie beyond this present life, unless he believes that God exists and will bring eternal life. We must act in obedience to the divine command believing that what God said will be fulfilled.
There are many preachers who say this is the only step to salvation. Whoever claims this is ignorant of the scriptures, because belief or faith is only one requirement in the fourfold plan of salvation. Belief leads to the next step which is repentance.
True repentance, change of heart and mind, is the second requirement to salvation. "Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish" (Lk. 13:5) 0 Prayer at an altar for repentance is a false conception which comes from the Catholic idea of penance. Repentance is not a disappointment in getting caught doing wrong. It is a reformation of the attitudes and actions of man as he faces God. Without a re-orientation of ethics and values, there has been no repentance. Alexander Campbell said, "True repentance is reformation. It is not merely, 'be sorry for what you have done wrong'; nor is it 'resolve to do better'; nor even, 'try to amend your ways'; but it is an actual amendment of life from the views and motives which the gospel of Christ exhibits ."
A person shows that he is not ashamed of Christ when he confesses Him before men. This is the third requirement of salvation. "Whosoever shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father" (Mt. 10:32). Two good accounts of confession are in Mt. 16:16--Peter's confession and Act 8:37--the Ethiopian's confession.
The fourth and final step to this plan is baptism for the remission of sins. "Arise and be baptized and wash away thy sins" (Ac. 22:16). Baptism depicts a death to sin or a coming alive in Christ. No person is commanded to be baptized unless he is capable of understanding the gospel and his relationship to it. There is no account in the Bible of infants ever being baptized. Infant baptism was not introduced until over one hundred years after the death of the last apostle. Therefore, it is without scriptural authority or Divine guidance.
Immersion is the only acceptable form of baptism. Most scholars admit that in the Christian community in New Testament times immersion was indeed the universal practice. A mere pouring or sprinkling was never thought of. Baptizo means dip or immerse, mantizo means to sprinkle, and cheo means to pour. Christ wanted the disciples to practice immersion; therefore He used the word baptizo.
In Rom. 6:3-7, Paul states that when we are immersed, God places us "into Christ" and "into His death." We have been buried with Him through baptism into death, in order that as Christ was raised from death through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. When a man descends into the water, and water closes over him, it is like being buried in a grave. When he emerges from the water, it is like riSing from the grave. Baptism is symbolically like dying to the old life of sin and rising to the new life of grace.
Since ministers are fallible and not experts on this very important subject, we must go back to the New Testament for our only authority. People were saved by what the apostles told them to do, and they are saved the same way today.
[edit] Scripture References
Belief In. 5:24 Ac.lO:43 Eph. 2:8 Heb 0 11:6
Confession Rom. 10:9 Mt. 10:32 I In. 1:9 Phil. 2:11
Repentance Ac.3:19 Ac.17:30 Ac.26:20 Rom. 2:4 Mt. 21:28
Baptism Mt. 3:16 Gal. 3:27 Jn 0 3:23 Ac. 22:16 In. 3:5 Rom. 6:4-16
[edit] Rights and Responsibility of each one.
People want rights and demand them.
How to live daily.
Forgiveness as Bible speaks. (70 x 7) do not keep record.
Christian means Little Christ.
