Christians - What is Jesus to you?

[StoptheMadness1]

Christians, simple question, what/who is Jesus to you?

 

[GotZoom]

Christians, simple question, what/who is Jesus to you?

Is this your next class assignment?

 

[Gunny]

Christians, simple question, what/who is Jesus to you?

he's "Da Man!"

 

[Hobbit]

I'll bite.

Jesus is the Messiah, the man prophesied by Isaiah to save the world from sin. He is my own personal saviour and the perfect sacrifice who took all the world's sin on himself and died in order to save the rest of us. To me, he is God, friend, father, brother, and master.

 

[Nienna]

I'll bite.

Jesus is the Messiah, the man prophesied by Isaiah to save the world from sin. He is my own personal saviour and the perfect sacrifice who took all the world's sin on himself and died in order to save the rest of us. To me, he is God, friend, father, brother, and master.

And Lover.

 

[Abbey Normal]

The One worthy of worship.

 

[USMCDevilDog]

:dev1: ...ooh, shit wrong person

 

[5stringJeff]

Savior.
Messiah.
Friend.
Brother.
Lord.
God.

 

[Eightball]

Maybe it boils down to this:

What defines a Christian?
.......
My definition:

A Christian is not one who embraces a religion solely, but is an individual that has undergone a real, internal change spiritually, that is not of their own workings, but of Divine origin.

The Christian's only participation in this change or new nature, is their willingness to believe that the Jesus Christ of the Bible is truly the Son of God, the Savior of human kind, is the only worthy sacrifice/replacement that the God of the bible finds acceptable to atone for mankind's rebellion.
.......
The Jesus of the bible said that many would say, "Lord, Lord!", but He(Jesus) would reply, "I don't know you.".

In other words............99% of the Western world would align themselves with Christianity in some form, or way. Yet, when close study of the bible is done, true Christians will most likely not be a majority of anything, but be few in numbers in respect to mankind overall. This is not to say that literally millions of people that have passed on , and live currently aren't truly Christians.
........
The bible says that being a Christian isn't a title and an external change of life, and mind, but a change that originates from a deep spiritual regeneration, that is God-caused.
........
A very respected Pharisee approached Jesus and asked what was involved to inherit the kingdom of God.........Jesus simply said, "You must become born again(translated= Born from above.)

This troubled the Pharisee, as he interpreted what Jesus to mean as being literally, physically born again as being born from the human womb again as an infant. Jesus knew that this man didn't understand.......and re-iterated that this birth was not of water(physical birth) but of a God-caused change.
...........
Now not all proclaimed Christians of the world are Hitlers.......or "pocket Hitlers", in mind, intent, or agenda.........but most are good folks, that mean well to all that they come into contact with.

Never the less, the bible says that "Christian" is a moniker that belongs to someone that God has changed through that person's contrite, honest, appeal and acknowledgment that His Son Jesus, is the only means of Salvation from sins past, present, and future, and of course the very sinful nature that the bible says we are all born with.

Being a Christian does not mean that sinning will cease, but that this new nature that has replaced man's fallen, sinful nature is not resident in the new Christian's soul(Mind, Will, and Emotions). The Roman's book of the N.T. carefully goes step by step through the mechanics behind this change in an individual's soul. The Apostle Paul, once being a notable Pharisee himself authors many of the N.T. books of the bible, and is extremely scholarly in his approach in everyone of his books. To be a Pharisee was to be well educated in the Jewish culture of the day.
........
If you care to check out the conversion of Paul(formally called Saul of Tarsus), you can find a very explicit recording of that in the N.T. book of Acts.

Paul was a pursuer of Christians before His dramatic conversion. In fact he most likely was responsible for or joined in the stoning, and murder of many early Christians in and around Israel, and Syria. He actually had the blessing of the Jerusalem Jewish religious leaders to pursue, retrieve, and bring to trial, the early Christians.
.......
Again, many will say, "Lord, Lord", but Jesus said He wouldn't know them......In other words, many nowadays that claim to be Christians aren't really changed internally/spiritually, but have just embraced a belief system, because their parents were alleged Christians, Billy Graham is a great guy, the Golden Rule is a nice saying, or one wants to be on the right track culturally to fit in, in society.
.......
Jesus said that being a Christian was similar to wheat and chaff. In the old process of separating wheat kernels from it's outer husk, the wheat kernels were tossed up in the air in the open, so that the gentle winds of the day would blow away the husk shells. This would leave only the true bits of value.....namely the wheat kernel.

Most folks that claim to be Christian probably fall into the chaff category. They want to be good folks, and believe that conversion is matter of saying a church mantra......a few prayers........and waa laa! their a Christian.

Man just can't keep his own notions and ways of doing things from screwing up the batter. God says, believe on my Son for all aspects of ones life.........and "let me change you"(born again), and relativistic mankind just doesn't want to buy it. It leaves him out of the formula. He becomes a participant, but not the actual "changer" of his own internal nature.
........

So my long definition of "Christian" is the above. It's an internal, spiritual change of nature in the deepest core of a human, instituted by God......who is defined as Spirit in the Triune Godhead. The only participation of man in this change is his/her willingness to see oneself as helpless, in respect to God's majesty as revealed through his creation, and biblical scripture, both N.T. and O.T. accounts included.
.......
To call oneself a Christian and go out and walk little old ladies across streets, give to charities, help in soup kitchens, be a loving spouse and parent is not a means to earn salvation, or we've just fallen back into the unbiblical selling of salvation that the early Catholic church did to gain both status, and wealth.

Salvation is not based on man's good or bad works, but based on the value of Jesus. The true Christian does not ride into heaven on their own laurels, but on the attributes of Christ, in whom they have embraced.

To embrace Jesus Christ, is to embrace all aspects of Christ........His Lordship, His incarnation, His crucifixion, His Resurrection, and His Glorification at the right hand of God.

Jesus cannot be embraced in part.....as Thomas Jefferson did via his Jeffersonian bible. Thomas Jefferson was uncomfortable with the whole aspect of Christ, and literally scissored-out all the verses in the bible that seemed incompatible with what "he" wanted Jesus, to be.

Thomas Jefferson was an Intellectual's, Intellectual........but in many ways.....his intellect didn't help him as his pride, and conscience, and unwillingness to ascribe total Lordship to the Jesus of the bible was willfully skewed.

Today........the Western world is filled with little Thomas Jeffersons............also willfully skewing the truth to protect themselves from accepting or submitting to total truth about themselves and their creator. The big letter "P" in pride is man's greatest stumbling block.
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Last comment/recommendation.
Check out a great author by the name of A.W. Tozer.........who authored "The knowledge Of The Holy", and also, I believe, "In Pursuit Of God". C.S. Lewis also comes to mind. Another great intellectual that finally submitted to a higher Intellectual(lol).

 

[Darwins Friend]

I'll stop being dumb now.

 

[theHawk]

Christians, simple question, what/who is Jesus to you?

He is someone who will not compromise his(God's) values.

 

[archangel]

And Lover.

Your Hubby is Jesus?

 

[Nienna]

Your Hubby is Jesus?

Ohhh Archie! He's the Lover of My Soul.

 

[archangel]

Ohhh Archie! He's the Lover of My Soul.

I turn the other cheek now..... :clap1:

 

[MissileMan]

Jesus cannot be embraced in part.....as Thomas Jefferson did via his Jeffersonian bible. Thomas Jefferson was uncomfortable with the whole aspect of Christ, and literally scissored-out all the verses in the bible that seemed incompatible with what "he" wanted Jesus, to be.

So what? How do you think the versions of Christianity practiced today came about? Did you happen to catch the show on NGC, "The Gospel of Judas"? There were some particularly intriguing segments about early church leaders choosing which gospels were to be included in the New Testament. Did you know that the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John were the only four out of 30 or more gospels that were included in the NT? One of the most telling exclusions (motive wise) were the gospels of the Gnostics who preached that each individual was their own temple and no more than that was needed to establish a relationship with God. This concept was totally unacceptable to those with a vested interest in full pews on Sundays.

 

[5stringJeff]

So what? How do you think the versions of Christianity practiced today came about? Did you happen to catch the show on NGC, "The Gospel of Judas"? There were some particularly intriguing segments about early church leaders choosing which gospels were to be included in the New Testament. Did you know that the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John were the only four out of 30 or more gospels that were included in the NT? One of the most telling exclusions (motive wise) were the gospels of the Gnostics who preached that each individual was their own temple and no more than that was needed to establish a relationship with God. This concept was totally unacceptable to those with a vested interest in full pews on Sundays.

There was a lot more to first-century Gnosticism than that. Specifically, they denied that Jesus was both fully human and fully God, purporting instead that the Christ-spirit left the human person of Jesus when He was crucified. Also, Gnostics believed that only through obtaining "secret knowledge" could one attain salvation. Pretty cultish, when it comes down to it.

In any case, the Gospel of Judas is yet another text fulls of Gnostic ideas, and is rightly rejected (in a theological snese) by Christianity.

 

[Dr Grump]

Pretty cultish, when it comes down to it.

And Christianity itself wasn't initially?

 

[Nienna]

And Christianity itself wasn't initially?

Christianity is based on Judaism and the teachings & life of Jesus, which fulfill the Jewish prophecies. Gnosticism and the "gospel" of Judas are rejected because their teachings conflict with what was taught by Jesus.

 

[MissileMan]

There was a lot more to first-century Gnosticism than that. Specifically, they denied that Jesus was both fully human and fully God, purporting instead that the Christ-spirit left the human person of Jesus when He was crucified. Also, Gnostics believed that only through obtaining "secret knowledge" could one attain salvation. Pretty cultish, when it comes down to it.

In any case, the Gospel of Judas is yet another text fulls of Gnostic ideas, and is rightly rejected (in a theological snese) by Christianity.

The point I was trying to make is that the Bible (at least the NT) was "crafted" by one man with an agenda (survival of the church). And from what I got out of the show on NGC, the Gnostics weren't at odds with what Jesus had to say, but were at odds sometimes with "organized" religion. Anyone know any good "independent" books on the subject? I find this topic fascinating.

 

[Bullypulpit]

Christianity is based on Judaism and the teachings & life of Jesus, which fulfill the Jewish prophecies. Gnosticism and the "gospel" of Judas are rejected because their teachings conflict with what was taught by Jesus.

No dear...Their teachings conflicted with the orthodoxy, composed of those who take the Bible as the exact and inerrant word of God and are unable to comprehend the meaning of discoveries such as this new gospel.

But the sad truth is that the Church was created to serve just such people, who are unable to grasp nuance or think beyond a certain scope. Such people unwilling, or simply unable, to follow the single most powerful and meaningful of all of Christ's (and Buddha's and Gung Fu Tzu's and etc.) teachings. This being to seek the God within...Not in the form of a priest...not within the halls of a building or the institution of organized religion. But, <i><b>within you</b></i>.