Who Is A Christian?

As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints i often hear that members of my faith are not actually Christians.


Apparently,to many people,a Christian is a.)someone who believes in the Holy Trinity;that God,Jesus & the Holy Ghost are 3 beings in 1.
and b.)those who base their faith & practice on the 66 books of the traditional Protestant biblical canon.


People take these explanations at face value,and they shouldn't!

First,before the Protestant Reformation (late 1500's early 1600's) the authorized Bible contained 80 books.(1st organized by 1st Nicaean Council.)
That would mean all believers before this were not Christians.(and in modern times neither are Christian Ethiopians as their Bible still contains books from the Apocrypha.)Does that sound logical to you?

Secondly,the belief in the Holy Trinity,which came about in 2 parts.
At the 1st Council of Nicaea 325 AD the doctrine that God & Jesus are one and the same came fully into being.
But the Trinity didn't.That didn't come about til the 360's when Pope Athanasius of Alexandria wrote that the Holy Ghost was divine and was therefore also God.Over the next few years this idea took shape and the idea of the Holy Trinity eventually became doctrine.
So,all believers before the 4th century must not have been true Christians either,including those who took part in the !st Nicaean Council!



Aren't such explanations just another way to try and prove that another faith isn't true?


If you want to know what a Christian is look in a dictionary.Any dictionary they all say the same thing.
A Christian is someone who believes in Jesus Christ./lives life according to the teachings of Jesus Christ./belongs to a member of a religion who believes in Jesus Christ.etc.etc.



Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints therefore qualify as Christians.

And,as no doubt someone will mention it;no,the Book of Mormon is not our Bible.Its says right there on the front of it that it is another testament (statement of belief) of Jesus Christ.The Bible is just as important to us as it is to any other faith that believes in Jesus.



Some may find this link useful.

gbgm-umc.org...






[edit on 29-3-2008 by jakyll]

The name Christian was first used, as Acts 11:26 records, to identify the disciples of Jesus Christ.

"and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch"

The word "Christian" literally means "Christ ones" . It is the Greek word "christianos," and it means an adherent of Jesus Christ. I believe the true definition of the word is a follower of the Jesus Christ of the Bible. Because for two thousand years it has never meant anyone other than those who follow the historical Jesus Christ of the New Testament.

Numbers 23:19, "God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?"

Mormons do not follow or believe in the historic Jesus Christ of the Bible. To the Mormons, Jesus is the firstborn son of an exalted "man" who became the god of this world. The god of the Mormons is not the God of the Bible.



[edit on 3/29/2008 by Bigwhammy]

Mormons do not follow or believe in the historic Jesus Christ of the Bible.

Yes,we do.
We believe in God,the Heavenly Father.
Jesus is also a God,He is the Son of the Heavenly Father.

You just get told we don't.Yet if you looked at our teachings and what we believe you would understand.People don't look for themselves,they just find out second hand.

Jesus is the firstborn son of an exalted "man" who became the god of this world.

God just isn't God of this world,God is the creator and ruler of everything.
As we are made in God's image it makes sence that he would have a body similar to ours,but that does not mean that we are exactly the same as Him.

Jesus teaches that we can become like Him.The NT has many verses where his disciples can perform miracles.Such things indicate that if we can aquire Christ like attributes we can also become divine.This is not a new doctrine.


maxwellinstitute.byu.edu...

God created a church and this is mentioned not only all throughout the NT but the OT as well in specifically the Psalms and Malachias.....

God gave them power to forgive and bind sins, and also he gave the hierarchy literal power to loose and bind things on Earth that the holy ghost shall reveal to them...

before 1500 only one church existed and it was catholic...

before the bible was put together only the church existed....

God calls this church literally the bride of christ and it holds the sacrafice and the sacraments, and the fact is even Daniel talks about the sacrafice being taken away at antichrists time...

I could go into much more but I am too tired...

peace.

before 1500 only one church existed and it was catholic...

True.

The word Catholic is derived from the Latin word katholikos', meaning "general; universal." The earliest known use of this term in connection with Christians is from a letter written by Ignatius to Christians in Smyrna around 106.Although the term "Catholic Christians" only entered Roman Imperial law when Emperor Theodosius I (379-395) reserved that name for adherents of

"...that religion which was delivered to the Romans by the divine Apostle Peter,as it has been preserved by faithful tradition and which is now professed by the Pontiff Damasus and by Peter,Bishop of Alexandria ...as for the others,since in our judgement they are foolish madmen,we decree that they shall be branded with the ignominious name of heretics,and shall not presume to give their conventicles the name of churches..."

We can see clearly that Rome designated themselves (Catholic Christians) as the "chosen people." Anyone who didn't tow the line were not only non-Christian,they were also branded as heretics.





Bigwhammy.

The word "Christian" literally means "Christ ones" .It is the Greek word "christianos," and it means an adherent of Jesus Christ.

Came across this in the link below.

Christian was first used as an English word in 1526 originated from the Latin word christianus. In 1779 it was borrowed from cretin the French word crétin, medieval inhabitants of remote Alpine valleys used the word synonymously as one would use the word human. Because of the lack of iodine in their diets many people in remote areas of Switzerland contracted severe thyroid diseases including goiters and congenital idiocy. Deserving of pity the local Priests referred to these unfortunates as Christians, or as in 'at least they are human'

Beginning as a struggle to shape and define their identity and faith the first Christians were a diverse group of early followers. First called Christian in Antioch 1 the word appears in Acts 26:28 and 1 Peter 4:14-16

The origin of the word remains obscure and is composed of the word Christ, meaning annointed one in Greek and the ending designating partisans of or followers of. Jews initially referred to the earliest followers as the sect of the Nazarenes and seemingly thought of Christians as a Jewish group outside of those who didn't accept Jesus as the Messiah.

It is implausible that the followers of Jesus originated the term among the first Christians because most referred to themselves as saints,the Way, brothers,and frequently throughout the Gospels as well as the New Testament as disciples.

The term was used as a mocking remark by Agrippa in Acts 26:28; as an admonishment in 1 Peter 4:14-16 and apparently in disparagement of the small sect of first followers. The ancient historians of Rome also used the term this way. In Annals 15:6 Tacitus refers to the Christians as people despised for their evil deeds and in Lives of the Caesars Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus calls them a new and evil supersition.

If it was used as a term of ridicule and scorn for the first followers of Jesus in Antioch, most likely Roman officials coined the word to differentiate the Christian group from Judaism. It has also been conjectured by biblical scholars that Christian was used to designate the Christian movement hostile toward Agrippa. Regardless as to where the term began it is agreed upon by most scholars that it was first use was as a pejorative. However, by the end of the first century of the common era the expressed acceptance of the word among Christians is seen as a comforting sign of God's glory.

everything2.com...

reply to post by JesusisTruth


a little more study into history will reveal that the catholic church was not the church that apostles of Messiah were put in charge of on the day of pentecost in 33 ad.

the apostolic church kept the holydays of leviticus 23 and the membership ate the clean meats of leviticus 11 and deuteronomy 14.

the catholic church teaches none of these laws of G-D.

what became the embryonic catholic church consited of those that fell away from the apostolic church approximately 110 ad .

they left to save their butts from the roman legions that were murdering jews and those that appeared to be jewish-----the apostolic church.

get yourself a copy of dr.samuel bacchiocci's book titled from saturday to sunday.he explains the origions of the catholic church.

reply to post by jakyll


you asked who is a christian?

the answer is in the new testament book of romans 8:9 if anyone does not have the spirit of Messiah he does not belong to Him

in other words no matter whether you are attending a church or not makes no difference and no matter how many labels 1 could claim to themselves -------if they in reality do not have Messiah's spirit----they are not christians in G-D's eyes

Originally posted by yahn goodey
the apostolic church kept the holydays of leviticus 23 and the membership ate the clean meats of leviticus 11 and deuteronomy 14.

What about Peter's dream in Acts chapter 10? Sure it was symbolic for the Jew and Gentile then being declared equal. Yet the same holds true with the abstaining from certain meats.

If one places any bearing on what one consumes, he is then doing what the Galatians did. Attempting to perfect himself in the flesh. Now sure one who is contentious will then argue that he was only talking about circumcision and nothing more, but anything concerning the flesh applies. Whether it be some feast day, ritual, food, drink, or removal of skin etc. As all of that is flesh and no flesh will glory in his sight.


What goes in a man's belly has absolutely nothing what so ever to do with his spirit, as both the meat and the belly will perish.

We are the circumcision who worship GOD in spirit and in truth, and have no confidence in the flesh, neither what it eats.

acts 10:11-16 the vision repeated 3x.peter says verse 14 i have Never eaten anything unholy and unclean.
verse 17.peter is perplexed as to what the vision ment.
acts 11 peter goes to jerusalem to the headquarters church after this vision in joppa and tells them what happened verse 5-10 in verses 17 and 18 peter and the rest of the church leadership say that the gentiles (whom jews believed were unclean)also were being granted repentance unto life.

the vision was to prepare peter and the church to accept gentiles into it---------not to get the church to eat unclean/unholy meats.
leviticus 11 and deuteronomy 14 are the chapters in what G-D tells us what meats are unclean/unholy.
2 corinthians 6:17G-D speaking says do not touch what is unclean and i will welcome you,it is a quote from isaiah 52:11
isaiah 66:15 is a prophecy of the Messiah's return,He didn't come with fire and a whirlwind and a sword the first time.the 2nd thing Messiah mentions after false religion in verse 17 is those that eat swines flesh that will be consumned together.
the same G-D Being that was the G-D of the old covenant was also the Messiah of the new testament (john1:1-14) and G-D says He doesn't change(malachi 3:6)what was unclean is still unclean

Originally posted by yahn goodey
the 2nd thing Messiah mentions after false religion in verse 17 is those that eat swines flesh that will be consumned together.

Yes one shouldn't cast pearls before them, let alone eat from them.

Now a nice smoked country ham is a different ball game entirely.

Originally posted by yahn goodey
the same G-D Being that was the G-D of the old covenant was also the Messiah of the new testament (john1:1-14) and G-D says He doesn't change(malachi 3:6)what was unclean is still unclean

Was he the same before he gave the law to Moses?

Was he the same when he counted Abraham's faith as righteousness?

Was he the same when he said in Genesis 9:3 that every moving thing that lives shall be meat for you?


I hate to hammer you with a load of questions and sound all arrogant, but honestly the last thing I want is for anyone to turn from his freedom in Jesus Christ back to the yoke of bondage.

It's a serious thing that many leave their first love for a load of flesh. It's grieving to witness to be quite honest. Yet everyone has a choice.

Yahn Goodey you are what i call someone who throws qoutes at people without knowing what mercy is and what the bible really taught..

First of all the bible clearly tells us that we are not to be judged about food and meats we eat.... this is clearly taught In the NT...

Secondly about the church breaking away in 111 ad... That is impossible because God said he would be with the church until the end...

2. The fact God said this church would spread throughout rome and the whole world in the OT and predicted throughout the bible...


so why would God make the catholic church spread throughout the world and break away from the real church which would never be heard from again?


Communion confession and the sacrments of extreme unction and so forth were practiced even during the first century... This church had to spread throughout rome and become Romes state religion....

It is the bride of Christ which has produced 100,000s of saints who worked miracles.....

and about the sabbath being chnged from Sat. to Sund..

It's because Sunday is when christ rose again and it was changed by God himself because he has power over the sabbaths,,

And the bible tells us to not be judged of sabbath(s) or let noone judge us of sabbath which are a forshadow of things to come...

peace/

[edit on C:U31America/ChicagoMon, 31 Mar 2008 17:37:31 -050031M by JesusisTruth]

the same G-D Being that was the G-D of the old covenant was also the Messiah of the new testament (john1:1-14) and G-D says He doesn't change(malachi 3:6)what was unclean is still unclean

Leaving aside the debate of is Jesus God,for obvious reasons,lol...Jesus states that he has made new covenants with Jews & Gentiles.Paul also backs this up,as can be seen in such books as Hebrews.

New covenants have to be made because times and people change,yet with each change God remains the same.