-Removed-A Christian is a follower of Jesus Christ, which is impossible to be until and unless one is "born again". Saved! By the blood of Christ!
Salvation is all of God. In other words, God does the saving. Our part is in the believing. We can add nothing to what saves us by anything we do.
Then comes the part where we obey. Obedience doesn't save, but it is an essential part of what makes fellowship with God deepen with each passing day.
God's plan of redemption is nothing short of miraculous, and a sure sign of his love for man.
@secondson saidSo one must obey Christ's commandments in order to be a Christian?
Then comes the part where we obey. Obedience doesn't save, but it is an essential part of what makes fellowship with God deepen with each passing day.
@fmf saidThat's not what I said.
So one must obey Christ's commandments in order to be a Christian?
Firstly, one must be "born again", then one is a Christian.
Secondly, one must obey in order to have the kind of fellowship that only a Christian can have with God.
Without obedience the Christian is subject to God's chastisement. Not punishment. "Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby."
It's a Christian thing. You wouldn't understand. 😄
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-Removed-The verse is true of course. However we are speaking of different things.
My verse from Matt 25 speaks of eternal life in the Kingdom of God, in which Jesus speaks clearly of who gets in and who is cast out.
Your verse is from the writings of Paul who speaks of being saved. Both are true but saved is NOT ETERNAL LIFE in the Kingdom of God.
Paul did in fact speak of eternal life in the Kingdom of God but you choose to cherry pick and ignore that part.
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@secondson saidSo a person can be a Christian without obeying Christ's commandments? There'll be "chastisement" and a lack of "fellowship" but not obeying Christ's commandments does not make one not-a-Christian, is that what yoy mean?
That's not what I said.
Firstly, one must be "born again", then one is a Christian.
Secondly, one must obey in order to have the kind of fellowship that only a Christian can have with God.
Without obedience the Christian is subject to God's chastisement. Not punishment. "Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby."
@fmf saidThat definition is fine. Not all Christians will be in the Kingdom of God as Jesus clearly said. Christians will come calling Lord Lord, and because they are workers of iniquity, who choose not to obey and keep the commandments, Jesus will cast them out.
So a person can be a Christian without obeying Christ's commandments? There'll be "chastisement" and a lack of "fellowship" but not obeying Christ's commandments does not make one not-a-Christian, is that what yoy mean?
@secondson saidIts a church thing, we understand.
It's a Christian thing. You wouldn't understand. 😄