Folks, I'm willing to say anyone who claims to be a christian -is- a christian, more...?

Question

it's self-proclaimed -christians- who are telling me not all who claim to be christian are truly christian.

I'm just trying to sort out who is and who is not a christian, based on the -christian- claim that not all self-proclaimed christians are truly christian.

And telling me to judge them based on their fruit and love isn't helping, except to eliminate a -lot- of self-proclaimed christians.

Honest, it's a lot easier for me to say "you all look alike", but obviously there are christians who disagree with that approach.

We've got the 'hell n brimstone' christian, we've got the 'i got mine' christian, we've got the 'humble christian', we've got the 'i never read the bible' christian...I could go on.

Why should christians tell me to judge for myself the credentials of self-proclaimed christians if we're not to judge? Why tell me "by their fruit ye will know them" if I'm not to judge?

And when I follow christian advice and try to judge who is and who is not a christian by their fruit, etc, I get jumped by several christians telling me not to judge.

There is just no pleasing some people ;-)

Answer 1

*shrugs*
So, don't try.

I think (mind you, my own humble opinion) that folks get so tangled up in the topic because we weren't meant to sort out folks.

Hey, Christians, you stand over there.
Muslims you get that corner.
Jews, over there!
Hey, Baha'is, you all come and stand with me.
And, hey, while we're at it, Blacks, you get over there!
Blonds, you stand in that part of the room!
Grey eyed people... over there!
Asians! There!

You know, just accord to me...
We keep sorting folks out like this, we're gonna run out of separate corners of this here little world of ours.

Oh, well, Bob, guess all I can really say for sure, is that it never really mattered a great deal to me what others were. Only what I was, to myself and to God.

My little, ol' (if slightly long winded) humble P.O.V.

The Chronicler

Answer 2

A REAL Christian will base all of their beliefs, standards for conduct, and organizational procedures on the Bible, So their position is not egotistical but demonstrates their confidence that the Bible is the right standard against which to measure one’s religion. They are not self-centered but are eager to share their beliefs with others.

Many use the Bible to some extent. But do they really teach and practice what it contains? Consider:
(1) From most of their Bible translations they have removed the name of the true God thousands of times, replacing that Divine Name Jehovah with titles such as Lord or God.
(2) The Trinity doctrine, their concept of God himself, is borrowed from pagan sources and was developed in its present form centuries after Bible writing was completed. (3) Their belief in immortality of the human soul as the basis for continued life is not taken from the Bible; it has roots in ancient Babylon.
(4) The theme of Jesus’ preaching was the Kingdom of God, and he sent his disciples out to talk personally to others about it; but the churches today seldom mention that Kingdom and their members are not doing the work of preaching “this good news of the kingdom.” (Matt. 24:14)
(5) Jesus said that his true followers could be readily identified by their self-sacrificing love for one another. Is that true of the religions of Christendom when the nations go to war?
(6) The Bible says that Christ’s disciples would be no part of the world, and it warns that whoever wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God; but the churches of Christendom and their members are deeply involved in the political affairs of the nations. (Jas. 4:4) In view of such a record, can it honestly be said that they really adhere to the Bible?

Jesus said: “If the world hates you, you know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were part of the world, the world would be fond of what is its own. Now because you are no part of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, on this account the world hates you.” (John 15:18, 19; see also 1 Peter 4:3, 4.) The Bible shows that the whole world lies under Satan’s control; he is the principal instigator of the persecution.—1 John 5:19; Rev. 12:17.
Therefore, True Christians are those hated by other "christians" and other religions.

Work it out, who do you think are those that are persecuted and hated, yet follow the Bible?

Answer 3

I can't tell you who a true Christian is or isn't. I know that God teaches love, honor, truth, and compassion. Those that do not are not Christians. There are a lot of self proclaimed Christians, but they happen to also be backstabbers, hypocrites, all the things Christ abhors. A true Christian will love you, no matter what your color, nationality, or thoughts just because you are God's creation. We truly want ALL people to be saved, and we don't shove it down your throat and call you names because you don't. We are sadden by the rejection, but we leave it in the Father's hands to deal with. We will pray for you, because we love you. We will feed you because you hunger, and we will share with you because we care.

Answer 4

Anyone who claims to be a christian, and shouts it to the world, is really not a christian. They are "posers". The true "Christians" are those who follow the word. You can tell by the way they talk to EVERYBODY and the actions they perform. Some people like to take what they want from the bible and forget the rest.

Answer 5

We can judge righteous judgment, and thats in the bible. If someone has to tell you they are a Christian, and you dont see it according to what God's word says then something is wrong. If someone says I was saved at birth, then that doesnt line up with God's word at all. We all are born into sin, and we all must be born again. These are ways of knowing them by their fruits and judging righteous judgment. Hope this helps ya.

Answer 6

The reason why it's so difficult for you is because no one except Jesus Christ is qualified to make this decision. He is the ultimate "fruit inspector" and His eye will immediately discern who stays and who goes.

Christians should NEVER assume this role for themselves; we can only SUSPECT the "fruit" is bad, and try to pull the false Christian out of error.

Peace.

Answer 7

"There's just no pleasing some people". That's right...it doesn't feel good to be uncomfortable. But maybe, just maybe its the best kind of discomfort a person could feel and maybe it would be a good idea to stay with the tension a bit longer to try to get to truth. It hurts but won't be a fatal wound...at least that's my experience.

Answer 8

the Bible does teach us to examine those who claim to be a Christian, "by their fruits you will know them" well, it's impossible to see someones "fruit" if you aren't doing a fruit inspection! the Bible tells us to also "study to show ourselves approved" through scripture we learn what to see in others. however our first concern is to examine ourselves daily.
people say they don't judge, but on a daily basis, we all rely on our judgments, God instills that in all of us for a reason. to know who are brother's and sisters in Christ are.

Answer 9

Good luck.It takes no effort to say you are Christian.The Bible says "study to show yourself approved".A fair amount of knowledge of the Bible helps but is not the deciding factor.In all truth only God knows.

Answer 10

A Christian is a person who 'thinks' that a Jewish man named Jesus died on a Friday, was walking around the following Sunday, and thus sacrificed Saturday so the rest of the folks are free of sin.


Strange isn't it?