Take for example a person (secularist maybe) who doesn't "believe" in Jesus and who is obviously not a Christian. Then they go and say "You know what? I'm gonna be a Christian. There, I did it. I slapped the Christian lable on myself. Now I'm a Christian."
What has taken place there but the labeling of oneself? How has anything changed? What would really happen? I'm talking about something tangible. Not promises of "heavenly blessings" or "the spirit dwelling within your heart" or intangibles like that. Something tangible, something earthly. What, if anything, is changed when a person adopts a label?
Does it mean nothing more being "part of the club"?
2007-08-15 10:33:50 · 17 answers · asked by Fish Stick Jesus 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
That person would just be making his choice in life like the rest of us and he'd be welcome.
That's it.
2007-08-15 10:50:18 · answer #1 · answered by NoGood 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Your are right,to you it is a label. You have no tangible evidence. Does it make it so just because someone says so? You look at a Christian as being just a member of a club? Now I am a Christian! The spirit bears confirmation with our spirit that Jesus Christ is Lord. We act on the word of God with his spirit transforming our minds and hearts.
You may adopt a label and say anything. But God does not leave his chosen orphaned. The battlefield is the mind.Can you change the way you think on your own? If you think so, you are not a Christian. Acts chapter 1. no one can do any thing in the name of God without his (God's) spirit inside of him. It starts in the heart and it transforms your whole being. Jesus asked the man after being in that condition for 38 years. "would you be made whole?" God's word starts on the inside and then it comes to the outside..that is when the world sees and knows. You do not always have to tell others they know. Your attitude and your responses our like Jesus.
2007-08-15 18:08:14 · answer #2 · answered by God is love. 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you go from being a nonbeliever to just someone who says they believe and are really not acting or living by Gods law, then yeah you are just adopting a label. But if you go from not believing in Jesus to believing and repent of your sins, and change your life to follow Gods commandments, then the bible says you have walked out of death and into life. Anyone can proclaim there a christian and go out living like hell the next day, and be called a hypocrite. But if they say they are a christian and adopt God and the commandment in there heart then a change will automatically begin to occur in the person to break away from the club.
2007-08-15 17:48:24 · answer #3 · answered by 4-GiVeN 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
He gets a nice shiny yellow halo... [somewhat more] Seriously - nothing, except he's decided to play xtian awhile. If there is a real change I didn't notice it when I was in my very serious wet-behind-the-ears xtian-phase.
Some may be more considerate, and "nicer" for awhile. Then the basic set of Xtian memes they've ingested mentally may make them more zealous and have other deleterious effects, like them carrying Biblea everywhere, and trying to immediatley convert the heathen -- it's called being insufferable!!....
2007-08-15 17:50:28 · answer #4 · answered by sheik_sebir 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If a person truly accepts Jesus Christ as Savior, they receive 40 irrevocable things from God.
One being the Holy Spirit.
As soon as you sin, you lose the spirit.
To get back in fellowship , use 1John 1 :9 "If we name our sins he is just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
This is a technique called "rebound".
Some examples of sin are: arrogance, anger, bitterness, implacability, hatred, worry, fear, anxiety, gossip, maligning, judging,stealing, etc. etc.
Prayer is another tangible effect.
Peace, rest and relaxation.
Trust.
You gain a lot.
You have to study though.
You have to suffer.
I used to be a hater of the creatior, now I am a lover of the Lord.
2007-08-15 17:51:12 · answer #5 · answered by 1angel 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Jesus said that when we are born from above (ie born again), it is not by the will of man, nor by the flesh, but by God.
He "adopts" us into His "Forever Family" when we acknowledge and repent of our sins and ask His forgiveness based on the fact that Jesus, who knew no sin, became sin, Himself, in our place, and took the penalty for our sins when He died on the cross, but then rose again the 3rd day.
When that occurs, yes - there will be a marked change in our lives. In my OWN case, I was set free from all the drugs I used to take, totally and instantly (well, maybe it took 3 seconds). I no longer wanted any drugs, nor needed any more. I was set free from the effects of the drugs as well. Also my craving for cigarettes disappeared.
The problem here is that anybody can call themselves anything they want, but that doesn't make it so. In fact, Jesus even said that many would come claiming to be Christians and Jesus would have to say to them, "Depart from me you workers of iniquity. I NEVER KNEW YOU!"
You get the gist there? They didn't KNOW Jesus. They only knew something ABOUT Him.
2007-08-15 17:41:27 · answer #6 · answered by no1home2day 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Unless you know someone well, you cannot tell for sure. Who knows what percentage of Christians have experienced a transformation. For many it is a club. Social status, family, roots, and popularity too all factor in. But there are genuine believers, but what percentage I don't know.
.
2007-08-15 17:45:52 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
GREAT QUESTION!!
you cant just up and decide, "hey, i think inm gonna label myself a christian."....doesnt work that way. when you truly accept CHRIST, it will be obvious to htose who are around you a lot.... because you are a Christian, you will WANT to do things that are pleasing to GOD... your whole way of thinking changes, and your heart becomes softer.....that is tangible enough for me.... trust me, if it happens to you.. you will know it without a doubt.
2007-08-15 17:49:32 · answer #8 · answered by heather b 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
What would change, if the conversion was authentic, would be the guy's behavior. He might seem crazier, and more ready to screw people over and lie to them, after all, Jesus would forgive him.
Not sure that is "tangible" or not....
Other than that, prolly [sic] not much.
2007-08-15 17:42:32 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
One tangible effect is that you lose 20 IQ points.
2007-08-15 17:42:22 · answer #10 · answered by Shawn B 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋