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WHO ARE THE CHRISTIANS?
Christ taught: "Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to
you, do ye even so to them: for
this is the law and the prophets ( Matthew 7:12). This is known as The Golden
Rule
When speaking to His disciples, Jesus taught them, love one another; as I have loved
you, that ye also love one
another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to
another (John 13:35). Jesus
didnt mean that Christians are only to show love to other Christians. He also taught
But I say unto you, Love
your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them
which despitefully use
you, and persecute you. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not
even the publicans the
same? (Matt 5:44,45).
An "enemy" is somebody who persecute you or tries to hurt you, not someone who
just has a difference of
opinion with you. Although many "Christians" say they know this, yet they often
act as though love is the least
important aspect of the gospel Everybody has the right to believe in the gospel anyway
they choose, but attacking
someones beliefs simply because they are not the same as yours is not what the Bible
teaches us to do. The
gospel is a message of love, not a doctrine of arguing and contention.
The reason I say this is because a few days ago I received an e mail from a good
"Christian" asking me to visit his
web site where he had done a deep study of my religious ideas. I did as he
asked and read what he had written,
but, instead of being uplifted and edified, I was deeply offended by its very
antagonistic tone. I wrote him back
expressing the need for him to show tolerance. He replied that he didnt need to be
tolerant because that word
isnt found in the Bible. He then further stated the he couldnt tolerate sin.
What he was really doing was trying to
justify himself for being rude, obnoxious and spiteful. Its true that sometimes when
you explain your viewpoint
you are forced to debate and defend your ideas, but we should always allow the other
person the right to their
own ideas, whether we agree with them or not.
I will admit that I have found many good pages on the internet about the subject of
religion, both by Christians
and non-Christians. However, it seems that the majority of those who show respect for the
beliefs of others are
more often non-Christians. Among those who do consider themselves Christians, I have to
say in all honesty that
the Catholics are about the only ones who don't attack what others believe. I have found
that usually its the
Protestants those who love to label themselves as being "Christians" -
who most often attack those who
disagree with their understanding of the Bible. Therefore, it might be wise to more
clearly define what it means to
be a "Christian" and who can use properly lay claim to this noble name.
Smith's Bible dictionary defines a Christian this way: Followers of the highest and
best known divine laws as
TAUGHT by Jesus Christ According to this definition a Christian is, not just a
believer in Jesus as the divine
Son of God, but someone who follows, or lives by the things which Jesus taught. According
to this definition, its
extremely hard to justify that someone is not a Christian simply because they have a
different view than someone
else of what they think Jesus taught. To understand what makes someone a Christian, let's
look at what the Bible
tells us.
In the days of Jesus, even many of His disciples had a hard time understanding His
sayings. For example, in
Matthew 16:13-23 we read, When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he
asked his disciples, saying,
Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? And they said, Some say that thou art John the
Baptist: some,
Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. He saith unto them, But whom say ye
that I am? And Simon
Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus
answered and said unto him,
Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but
my Father which is in
heaven. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my
church; and the gates of
hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of
heaven: and whatsoever thou
shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth
shall be loosed in heaven.
Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ.
From that time forth
began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer
many things of the elders
and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day. Then
Peter took him, and began to
rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee. But he turned,
and said unto Peter, Get
thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offense unto me: for thou savourest not the things that
be of God, but those
that be of men.
Notice that after Peter had received a revelation from God Himself regarding the calling
of Jesus, he still didnt
understand what Jesus had to go through. Its true that Jesus called Peter Satan, but
still He loved him. Peter
wasnt cast out of Christs presence or even His confidence because Jesus knew
that Peters only fault was that
he didn't fully understand.
In Matthew 17:17-20 we read, Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse
generation, how long
shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him hither to me. And Jesus
rebuked the devil; and he
departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour. Then came the disciples
to Jesus apart, and
said, Why could not we cast him out? And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief:
for verily I say unto
you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove
hence to yonder place;
and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.
Here is another example of the disciples not understanding the correct doctrine of Christ,
yet Jesus showed them
tolerance, patience and love rather than condemnation.
Even after the resurrection sometimes they made mistakes about doctrines. In Galatians
2:3-4 we read, But
neither Titus, who was with me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised: And that
because of false
brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in
Christ Jesus, that they
might bring us into bondage.
In the same chapter the apostle Paul wrote in verses 11-14 But when Peter was come
to Antioch, I withstood
him to the face, because he was to be blamed. For before that certain came from James, he
did eat with the
Gentiles: but when they were come, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing them which
were of the
circumcision. And the other Jews dissembled likewise with him; insomuch that Barnabas also
was carried away
with their dissimulation. But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the
truth of the gospel, I said
unto Peter before them all, If thou, being a Jew, livest after the manner of Gentiles, and
not as do the Jews, why
compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews?
Here we see that there were some differences of opinion concerning the doctrine of Christ,
even among the
leaders of the church. Peter likewise admonished the saints on this subject when he wrote
Wherefore, beloved,
seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace,
without spot, and blameless.
And account that the long-suffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother
Paul also according to
the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; As also in all his epistles, speaking in
them of these things; in
which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable
wrest, as they do also
the other scriptures, unto their own destruction (II Peter 3:14-16).
It is clear from what the scriptures tell us that having a perfect knowledge of the
doctrines of Christ is not what
will bring us salvation, for the simple reason that no one has a perfect understanding of
everything Jesus taught.
Then what is essential to be considered as a Christian?
In John 13:7-17 we read, Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest
not now; but thou shalt
know hereafter. Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him,
If I wash thee not,
thou hast no part with me. Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my
hands and my head.
Jesus saith to him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean
every whit: and ye are clean,
but not all. For he knew who should betray him; therefore said he, Ye are not all clean.
So after he had washed
their feet, and had taken his garments, and was set down again, he said unto them, Know ye
what I have done to
you? Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am. If I then, your Lord and
Master, have washed
your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that
ye should do as I have
done to you. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord;
neither he that is sent greater
than he that sent him. If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.
From what Christ Himself said, service to others seems to be the key to being a perfect
Christian. Jesus further
explained it this way: Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. Not every one
that saith unto me, Lord,
Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father
which is in heaven. Many
will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy
name have cast out devils?
and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew
you: depart from
me, ye that work iniquity. Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth
them, I will liken him
unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock (Matthew 7:20-24) For
whosoever shall do the will of my
Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother. (Matthew
12:50) But he that
received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it;
which also beareth fruit, and
bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. (Matthew 13:23).
The scriptures also tell us in Matthew 25:32-46: And before him shall be gathered
all nations: and he shall
separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: And he
shall set the sheep on
his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right
hand, Come, ye blessed of
my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I
was an hungred, and ye
gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
Naked, and ye clothed
me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the
righteous answer him,
saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
When saw we thee a
stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in
prison, and came unto
thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye
have done it unto one
of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. Then shall he say also unto
them on the left hand,
Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
For I was an hungred, and
ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took
me not in: naked, and
ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. Then shall they also answer
him, saying, Lord, when
saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and
did not minister unto thee?
Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one
of the least of these, ye
did it not to me. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous
into life eternal. This is
the standard by which Jesus will judge His followers.
Are Mormons Christians? Are Protestants Christians? That answer to those questions
doesnt depend so much on
what we believe as it does on how we behave. To be considered a Christian is not based on
adherence to one set
of ridged rules of doctrine, but is based on the attitude of our heart. Its based on
our MODUS VIVENDI (i.e.
our lifestyle).
Jesus explained it this way in Matthew 21:28-31: But what think ye? A certain man
had two sons; and he came
to the first, and said, Son, go work to day in my vineyard. He answered and said, I will
not: but afterward he
repented, and went. And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and
said, I go, sir: and went
not. Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto him, The first. Jesus
saith unto them,
Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God
before you. At another
time Jesus told His disciples For I say unto you, That except your righteousness
shall exceed the righteousness of
the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven
(Matthew 5:20).
Let me give an illustration of what I mean. Before I became a Mormon, I was a Catholic.
The fact that I changed
to another denomination is clear evidence that I no longer believe that the Catholic faith
is where Gods true
church is found. Nevertheless, I cant deny that Mother Teresa of Calcutta was a
shining example of what it
means to be a "Christian." To me, it doesnt matter if she believes in a
different Trinity than I do or reveres the
Pope as the Vicar of Christ. In my opinion, she is still a Christian, not just
because she believes in Christ, but
because she lived her life in a way that showed her love for our Savior. To be a Christian
is not dependent on
which church you belong to, but is decided by the kind of life you live.
Paul expressed this idea in 1 Corinthians 13:2-8 when he wrote, And though I have
the gift of prophecy, and
understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could
remove mountains, and
have not charity (i.e. Love), I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the
poor, and though I give
my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. Charity suffereth
long, and is kind; charity
envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself
unseemly, seeketh not her own, is
not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the
truth.
In the book of Mormon this concept is set forth in even clearer language. In Moroni
7:46-47 we read,
Wherefore, my beloved brethren, if ye have not charity, ye are nothing, for charity
never faileth. Wherefore,
cleave unto charity, which is the greatest of all, for all things must fail-- But charity
is the pure love of Christ, and
it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well
with him.
Notice that in the beatitudes Jesus taught that to become a follower of His depends on how
a person lives their life
rather than by what doctrines they believe in. He said, Blessed are the meek,
not blessed are they who are
self-rightous. He said, Blessed are the merciful, not Blessed are
those who condemn the unrighteous. He
said, Blessed are the peacemakers, not Blessed are those who contend
with the ungodly. He taught Blessed
are the pure in heart, not Blessed are those who have bitterness and anger in
their hearts towards those who
have different beliefs. He said Blessed are they which are persecuted, reviled
and spoken evil of for my sake,
not Blessed are those which persecute, revile and speak evil of others who
dont believe in me.
Those Christians who feel that it is their duty to attack and criticize others
for their beliefs should remember the
words of Christ when he said, Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what
judgment ye judge, ye shall be
judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why
beholdest thou the mote that
is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how
wilt thou say to thy brother,
Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou
hypocrite, first cast out
the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of
thy brother's eye
(Matthew 7:1-5).
According to the Bible, someone is not a true Christian just because they believe in
certain doctrines. If this isnt
true, then how do we explain this incident in the life of Christ as found in Mark 9:38-41?
And John answered
him, saying, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name, and he followeth not us:
and we forbade him,
because he followeth not us. But Jesus said, Forbid him not: for there is no man which
shall do a miracle in my
name, that can lightly speak evil of me. For he that is not against us is on our part. For
whosoever shall give you a
cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he
shall not lose his
reward.
At another time, Jesus explained this principle thusly: And he spake this parable
unto certain which trusted in
themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: Two men went up into the temple
to pray; the one a
Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God,
I thank thee, that I am
not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast
twice in the week, I give tithes
of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as
his eyes unto heaven, but
smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went
down to his house
justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and
he that humbleth himself
shall be exalted (Luke 18:9-14).
The Bible tells us that it is God who is our judge (Psalm 75:8) and that it is He who will
judge each of us
according to the way we behave (Ezekiel 7:8). The Bible tells us For the Father
judgeth no man, but hath
committed all judgment unto the Son (John 5:22). Therefore, we have to be very
careful when we seek to judge
others, because when we do we are exalting ourselves to the position of God and presuming
to do the job that
only belongs to Him.
To those who seek to criticize and condemn us for what we believe, let me answer them with
the words of the
Bible. Who made thee a ruler and a judge over us? (Acts 7:27). There is
one lawgiver, who is able to save and
to destroy: who art thou that judgest another? (James 4:12). Therefore, thou
art inexcusable, O man, whosoever
thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou
that judgest doest the
same things (Romans 2:1).
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