Can you be Christian and not know Christ?

Question

I do NOT mean "raised Christian". I mean can you be a converted/believing Christian and NOT have a personal relationship with Christ?
I just wonder.....I KNOW that no one is perfect, but I know fellow Christians who are so consistently mean/rude/jugdmental and I wonder if they even have a relationship with Christ. I am not JUDGING them (I am not saying they are bad people/going to hell, anything like that), but I am curios if it is possible to BE a Christian but not know Christ......and is it possible to KNOW Christ, but not act like someone who is striving to follow him?
What do you think?

To clarify.....can you be a Christian in the sense that you BELIEVE in God, Christ, the Bible, but still not know Christ?

Answer 1

        Through the influence of God the Holy Spirit, you can definitely begin to exhibit traits of a Christian before you have learned what it means to be a Christian. The Holy Spirit is always trying to bring somebody to Christ that way.

God bless.

EDIT:
        Oops, I just read the rest of your question.

>> To clarify.....can you be a Christian in the sense that you
>> BELIEVE in God, Christ, the Bible, but still not know
>> Christ?

        Yes, definitely, You mean someone whom thinks they are a Christian but they really aren't. Jesus spoke of those kind:

Mat. 7:20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
Mat. 7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
Mat. 7:22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
Mat. 7:23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

God bless.

Answer 2

There are so many different viewpoints to consider why answering your question. Lets assume you are referring to an evangelical born again Christian. If that is the case then the answer is no. If you are a born again Christian you must have a personal relationship with Christ. However, in a far greater scope, how are Christians suppose to act, I would hope not mean, rude or judgmental but Christians are human also and have faults. We must always endeavor to grow with Christ and become more Christ like but it is not fair to assume that if someone has traits/failures they can not be Christians. Many times we see these traits in those we love the most, our family, because some people do not know how to express love. I wish you well.

Answer 3

Some people hear about Christ for the first time and immediately convert -- but their relationship starts from scratch. They don't know much about him but are still Christians. Their faith and relationship grows over time (as it does for everyone).

Others learn about Christ over a long period of time, and feel they are developing a relationship with him, and then have the conversion experience.

Answer 4

There is a difference between a knowledge that God exists, that He had a son Jesus, and that Jesus is the Christ and believing that Jesus is who He says He is and making Him the Lord of your life. People live like that every day and label themselves Christian. Even Satan and his angels knows who God is and who Jesus is, yet they reject Christ and reject God's authority. The real question you must ask yourself is this: who do you think Jesus is? Either he was a simple man and a lunatic or He is sitting at the right hand of the Father, fully God and fully man.

Answer 5

Yes definetely a person can know what it takes to be saved,can know the Bible inside out and back to front yet may never have that intimate bond that humbles and breaks a person,severs them from their old ways and compels them to live for God,rather than for themselves.
Basically knowledge does not save,this was a common apostasy in the early days of the Christian church,it was known as Gnosticism.

Answer 6

No. You have to have a personal relationship with Jesus in order to be called a true Christian. If you have a true faith then you will change over time to be more like Christ. If you are not showing in some way that you are trying to follow Christ and his teaching, then you are not truly Christian.

(you, refers to anyone.)

Answer 7

Many christians stray from the path God intends for them. Being a good christian is hard work, setting a good example is hard work. It takes constant prayer to maintain an upright life. But NO, you cannot be a christian and not have a relationship with Christ. That IS what it means to be a christian. Otherwise , you just believe in God. Not in his Son.

Answer 8

Actually yeah. I'm a Roman Catholic and I didn't at all believe in Christ until I was 13, despite the fact that i went to CCD and stuff.

So when I was younger I had not much of a relationship with Him. Over time I just began believing and now I have a relatively good relationship with Him and I don't act like someone who is striving to follow him...

not sure if I'm answering ur question but yeah:-)

Answer 9

It happens. They are called carnal Christians who live by the flesh and not by the Spirit. They're the ones that misrepresent Christ and grieve the Holy Spirit.

Answer 10

the christians will say NO.
What I think is irrelevant as I am not a christian (not any more)

And yes, I do agree with your argument. They do not show a christ like nature. (Its called hypocrisy and its the MAJOR reason I left the church).

You might want to consider DEISM. A philosophy where we believe in God, but not the Bible, not Jesus, and not in the revealed religions.

God gave us reason, not religion.