1. Welcome to Baptist Board, a friendly forum to discuss the Baptist Faith in a friendly surrounding.

    Your voice is missing! You will need to register to get access to all the features that our community has to offer.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon and God Bless!

I believe he/she is a "Christian" because

Discussion in 'General Baptist Discussions' started by T Alan, Jan 24, 2015.

  1. T Alan

    T Alan New Member

    Joined:
    Apr 19, 2012
    Messages:
    836
    Likes Received:
    2
    what attribute is most commonly associated with a person
    that you've heard "I know he/she is a "Christian" because...

    How does that attribute show?
     
  2. padredurand

    padredurand Well-Known Member
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    Oct 25, 2004
    Messages:
    4,541
    Likes Received:
    102
    Faith:
    Baptist
    Love.

    "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. "By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."
    John 13:34-35 NAS77
     
  3. T Alan

    T Alan New Member

    Joined:
    Apr 19, 2012
    Messages:
    836
    Likes Received:
    2
    and how was this "Love" made manifest?
     
  4. T Alan

    T Alan New Member

    Joined:
    Apr 19, 2012
    Messages:
    836
    Likes Received:
    2
    1 Corinthians 13:4-7English Standard Version (ESV)

    4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;[a] 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
     
  5. T Alan

    T Alan New Member

    Joined:
    Apr 19, 2012
    Messages:
    836
    Likes Received:
    2
    This description doesn't seem to address "giving" as many would use as the benchmark of love.
     
    #5 T Alan, Jan 24, 2015
    Last edited by a moderator: Jan 24, 2015
  6. quantumfaith

    quantumfaith Active Member

    Joined:
    Jan 26, 2010
    Messages:
    6,890
    Likes Received:
    1
    :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

    My number one vote as well.
     
  7. padredurand

    padredurand Well-Known Member
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    Oct 25, 2004
    Messages:
    4,541
    Likes Received:
    102
    Faith:
    Baptist
    We do not have the ability to love in the natural. Neither can we bear fruit in the absence of the Holy Spirit. We certainly cannot love as Paul describes in I Cor 13.

    1 John 4:7-10 NAS77
    7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.
    8 The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
    9 By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him.
    10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.


    We don't know how to love but God does. Verse 9 says this love is manifest in us - God's love through Jesus Christ. It is His presence in us that allows us to love. Father, Son and Holy Ghost all working through broken yet redeemed man to make His love known.
     
  8. JamesL

    JamesL Well-Known Member
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    Dec 22, 2013
    Messages:
    2,783
    Likes Received:
    158
    Faith:
    Baptist
    That I've heard? Or what scripture states?

    Padre had a great biblical answer, and the followup quote from 1Cor 13. I agree it's not giving, but hopes all things and bears all things.


    But that's not what I've commonly heard. The catch-phrase crowd is what I've heard most often - I know he's a Christian because:

    He gave his life to Christ
    He's servin' the Lord
    He loves the Lord
    He asked Jesus into his heart


    The catch-phrase crowd looks at the outward, manifest as some kind of works. They even wrongly apply "know them by their fruit", thinking it's some sort of behavioral indicator.


    One from scripture, one from man - polar opposites
     
  9. T Alan

    T Alan New Member

    Joined:
    Apr 19, 2012
    Messages:
    836
    Likes Received:
    2
    I agree with both.

    I would say that the "act" or "work" that often accompany those I've heard the remark about is acts of kindness such as helping the homeless or needy in a tangible way.

    I'm not sure about acts of "love" apart from "in the name of Jesus" what good does it do to feed someone food and not feed them the Bread of Life?
     
  10. padredurand

    padredurand Well-Known Member
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    Oct 25, 2004
    Messages:
    4,541
    Likes Received:
    102
    Faith:
    Baptist
    Sharing bread and sharing the Bread of Life are not mutually exclusive. One is not done without the other. Jesus spoke to the acts of kindness:

    Matthew 25:34-40 NAS77
    34 "Then the King will say to those on His right, 'Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
    35 'For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in;
    36 naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.'
    37 "Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You drink?
    38 'And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You?
    39 'And when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?'
    40 "And the King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.'​

    As did James:

    James 2:14-18 NAS77
    14 What use is it, my brethren, if a man says he has faith, but he has no works? Can that faith save him?
    15 If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food,
    16 and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and be filled," and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that?
    17 Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.
    18 But someone may well say, "You have faith, and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works."​

    It's not as if we have two lines to stand in; one marked Preach the Gospel and the other Do Good Things.

     
  11. T Alan

    T Alan New Member

    Joined:
    Apr 19, 2012
    Messages:
    836
    Likes Received:
    2
    Have either of y'all watched "Time Changers"? It's about good works done apart from Jesus. A Seminary Professor from 1800's uses a "time machine" to transport into the current time to see ..... It's got it's corny moments but some good ones also.
     
  12. T Alan

    T Alan New Member

    Joined:
    Apr 19, 2012
    Messages:
    836
    Likes Received:
    2
    I'll get collards and neck bone and we'll watch it at my home whenever y'all get this way.
     
  13. JamesL

    JamesL Well-Known Member
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    Dec 22, 2013
    Messages:
    2,783
    Likes Received:
    158
    Faith:
    Baptist
    I'll bring the peanut M&Ms
     
  14. T Alan

    T Alan New Member

    Joined:
    Apr 19, 2012
    Messages:
    836
    Likes Received:
    2
    great meals deserve great desserts. M&M's umm umm good!
     
Loading...