Charlie Coleman wrote: > At 08:29 PM 1/23/2007 -0300, Ricardo Aráoz wrote: > ... > >> I think it has been asked of you many times in this thread, but >> considering you are seemingly contradicting your statements I'll ask you >> once more. >> ARE YOU A CHRISTIAN BECAUSE YOU BELIEVE IN CHRISTIAN PRECEPTS OR >> BECAUSE YOU ACT ACCORDING TO CHRISTIAN PRECEPTS? > ... > > I don't see how they're contradictory. Maybe some of my other posts have > already clarified this for you but I'll say it again. > > Making a judgement (a guess) about whether or not someone else is a > Christian basically requires you look at their actions, words, etc. But > that judgement (guess) has absolutely no bearing on whether or not the > person is actually a Christian. > > You are a Christian based on what is in your heart. If you go to a > Christian Church every Sunday, donate a lot to charity, help the poor, and > offer kindness to strangers, by all outward appearances you are a > Christian. However, if while you're doing all that, you are bitter in your > heart, and you don't really love God, and the only reason you keep doing > these things is because you think they'll "buy" you into heaven then, nope, > you are not a Christian. At the same time, consider a bum on the street > begging for money, and who maybe stealing sometimes. But in his heart he's > trying to let God control his life and he knows that the grace of God alone > is what can save him; he is a Christian. >
Fair enough, there is a buddhist saying that a rose will give you its perfume without meaning to be good. I like to interpret it as that it is it's nature, that if you are 'good' then you'll have no choice but to do 'good' (and vice versa). Now, according to your beliefs, does a 'christian' have to believe in exactly the same god you do, in exactly the same manner (e.g. let's say you don't believe in angels and he does. Or he believes in everything except that Mary was a virgin)? What latitude does he have? If he accepts god in his heart and he accepts god in his heart and 'knows that the grace of god alone is what can save him', is he a christian? > So, 'behaving' like a Christian nor 'believing' in Christian precepts will > save you. It's what you've taken into your heart. If you think that means > 'believe', then OK. But I think it goes beyond belief. You've got to take > God's offer of grace personally and let it transform you. When someone does > that, the "good works" usually start happening. > > Again, all this is just my opinion and understanding of the Gospel message. > > -Charlie > > > [excessive quoting removed by server] _______________________________________________ Post Messages to: [email protected] Subscription Maintenance: http://leafe.com/mailman/listinfo/profox OT-free version of this list: http://leafe.com/mailman/listinfo/profoxtech ** All postings, unless explicitly stated otherwise, are the opinions of the author, and do not constitute legal or medical advice. This statement is added to the messages for those lawyers who are too stupid to see the obvious.
