If I follow Christ teachings but don't believe he is the literal son of God does that not make me a Christian?

Question

I know this question was probably asked before, but I am fairly new and would like to hear some opinions on this.

I guess I should clarify my background. My husband is Muslim, but I am not. I used to be mormon I guess, that is what my parents taught me ......I guess you would catergorize me as confused. I don't believe everything in the bible is true, that sometimes people fabricate their stories to make them more interesting or for whatever other reason you can think of. But if anyone can shed some light for me that would be great.

Answer 1

Labels, labels.

All you have to do is Micah 6:8

What does the Lord require of you, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.

1 is hard, do the right thing. Always.
2 is harder---forgive everyone, regardless.
3 is the toughest---walk humbly with God

if you can do these things---or at least strive toward them, you'll be ok. Don't fear the reaper.

Answer 2

"Being a Christian" means this - You've accepted that you are a sinner and fall short of God's glory (otherwise you'd need to be PERFECT). You accept Christ as your Lord and Savior and that He died on the cross (paying your penalty) and rose again (defeating death and the grave). And now you follow His teachings (because He's your Lord).

If you do not believe in His Deity (not really God's son), but that Jesus was a "really, really good man", just how good was He? How good did He have to be to be the perfect sacrifice?

No, to "Be a Christian", one must accept Christ's claim to be Emmanuel (God with us). When He healed people, He didn't just say "Get up and walk." He said "You're sins are forgiven. Get up and walk." He did this to tell the religious leaders there Who He Is.

You see, His claim to be God is the whole reason He was crucified. In old testament times, a "Good Teacher" who went overboard and blasphemed God by claiming to be God was killed - and rightfully so. So either Jesus IS GOD, or we should flee from Him.

Answer 3

No one who knew Jesus before the Ressurection believed that he was the Son of God. Don't feel like the Lone Range. Peter had doubts, even while he was being crucified. John was an old man before he declared this belief from Patmos in letters to churches.

Marking people as Christian, or non-Christian is not good. We all fall short in this department.

Answer 4

The first couple of people answered this pretty well. So what I suggest is read chapter 3 in John. You are not a true Christian until you believe that Jesus Christ is our savior and God's only son.
"For God so loved the world and gave his only begotten son that he whoever believeth in him shall have everlasting life."
- John 3:16

Answer 5

The Bible speaks of the Godhead, which many right this moment call the holy trinity, 3 separate personalities who rule as one. God the father, God the Son (Jesus), and God the Holy Spirit. in an attempt to respond on your question, No. Jesus Christ and God on the immediate are no longer separate, being as He (Jesus) is a factor of the Godhead, hence making Him God.

Answer 6

Correct. Even if you follow His teachings you would not properly be categorized as a Christian because of John 14:6 that says "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me."

Answer 7

Well, since Christ said He was the Son of God and you don't believe Him, then why do you feel you are following Him? I mean, John 3:16 said that God gave His only begotten Son, so it kind of negates the whole "spiritual child" notion...after all we ALL would be considered His children and the verse would be rendered false, right?

Answer 8

Well, then you share the same opinion as these...
http://schnebin.blogspot.com/2007/04/strange-bedfellows.html

Jesus said that He and the Father are ONE (heis in Greek which means literally the number 1)
Jews seek to stone Him for claiming to be God incarnate.

John 10
"I and My Father are one."
Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him.
Jesus answered them, “Many good works I have shown you from My Father. For which of those works do you stone Me?”
The Jews answered Him, saying, "For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God."

The whole reason the Jews sought to kill Jesus was because He, being a man, made Himself out to be God. If He was NOT God, then He was rightly put to death and was then a sacrifice WITH sin and blemish. Since He IS God, then His death was that of the Lamb WITHOUT spot or blemish.

OK, so if Jesus was NOT God incarnate, then Jesus was not the perfect sacrifice and your sins remain.

Answer 9

You're correct. Jesus as the son of God is one the basic tenets of the Christian faith. Probably Jesus himself didn't mean that much, but his followers did and enshrined it as a non negotiable foundational premise way back in the IV century after Christ.

Answer 10

A lot of people are good, but there is only one way to be a Christian. You must believe that Jesus is your personal Savior. It's having faith that Jesus is God's son and that Jesus was the perfect sacrifice and that He died on the cross for your sins.