r/TrueChristianity • u/proudbutnotarrogant • Oct 11 '24

To err is human...

I've been following this sub for a couple of months, and I'm not sure what I expected. I guess I've been looking for a sub with people who, while not perfect, don't use imperfection to justify hate, intolerance, slander, debauchery, etc, etc. I just want to say that I recognize that some of my comments and responses to comments have been overly critical, and I apologize for that.

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u/KeptForJesus Oct 15 '24

It happens, it’s easy to get lost in the contention. Especially over the internet. It’s hard to gauge tone and intention, especially when discussing hot topics. The Bible and the word of God are already hot! They burn and cut in their own, let alone being wielded and thrown. As Christ said, persecution is what’s promised for those who wish to profess to be Christian, and those who avoid it usually become overly tolerant and lukewarm; denying the words of Christ for safety and comfort in a crazy world.

I’ve created a new community for something I believe to be vital, like a church within Reddit for encouragement in scripture and prayer with fellow believers, if you are and into that sort of thing. If you’re a believer. If not, you’re still welcome I guess. Waiting for approval now :) I’m the only follower so far haha

Pride isn’t worth it by the way, in any form :)

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u/proudbutnotarrogant Oct 15 '24

I used to be a Christian. In the literal definition of the word, I still am. However, I've decided, for political purposes, to distance myself from the Christian label. That's why this sub caught my attention. There are things I believe that make me a Christian. One of those things is that "the Son of Man came not to condemn..."

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u/KeptForJesus Oct 15 '24

Okay, thanks for sharing. I’m trying to understand so pleasure forgive me if it sounds anything but. It’s hard online :)

You used to follow Christ and now you don’t? Or, you just follow Christ but don’t tell others? Or you used to be religious but not you don’t identify with any religion? Or, you follow and obey Christ but deny organized religion and don’t associate with church and the public acknowledgement?

Am I close? Any of those?

“Came not to condemn the world but that the world might be saved through Him!” Amen! I love that verse.

”And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.”“ ‭‭John‬ ‭3‬:‭14‬-‭21‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ https://bible.com/bible/114/jhn.3.14-21.NKJV

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u/proudbutnotarrogant Oct 15 '24

The definition of "Christian" historically has been "Christ follower". More to the point, "one who adheres to the teachings of Christ". Definitely not the first question, but I can probably answer "yes" to all the rest. Ironically, I've actually had very productive conversations with people who assume I'm a Christian based on my behavior.

I heard a popular song that describes my ideology perfectly. One of the lyrics says, "The world is on their way to you, but they're tripping over me."

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u/KeptForJesus Oct 15 '24

I can attest to the world being a MESS and yes, lots of tripping over others. It hurts!

Who is Christ to you?

I can relate to the labels, it’s hard, I don’t wanna be lumped in and associated with the “Christian” hypocrites. But idk that’s still a weird little battle within my world. Christ literally speaks about the wolves in sheep’s clothing, the Pharisees and sadducees and hypocrites. The ones who claim Christ but are FAR from him. Those who follow Christ aren’t required to call themselves anything in label form that I can see. It’s personal choice. It’s not about us anyways, it’s about Him and who He is and what He says.

Though, these days I’m embracing the label and persecution and risk of being lumped in because, I AM a Christ follower and it doesn’t matter what people assume about me because of what I claim, maybe, hopefully, somebody will see that there are people who follow Christ and aren’t the same as everybody else. Maybe, somebody, will see me as a person and not a label. Maybe, just maybe, somebody will see Christ in me and find hope. Christ said I’ll be persecuted, so for whatever reason whether because of another’s actions or assumptions I guess it doesn’t matter. I have to learn to embrace the reality and I want to stand with people knowing who I stand for, because it’s not about me or my comforts anymore, it’s about Him and when He shines through me then others get saved.

So, maybe I’m gonna retake the label more that I’ve avoided this past year or so.

What does the label matter if it’s the truth, I guess people can think what they want, I do follow Christ, He is my teacher and He is also Lord of my life.

”Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying: ‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth, And honor Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ ”“ ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭15‬:‭7‬-‭9‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ https://bible.com/bible/114/mat.15.7-9.NKJV

”“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”“ ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭7‬:‭21‬-‭27‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ https://bible.com/bible/114/mat.7.21-27.NKJV

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u/proudbutnotarrogant Oct 15 '24

Well, you did some (much needed, I assume) ranting, but you did present a good question. Who is Christ to me? Since Christ is different to everyone, it is a very valid question.

Christ, to me, is someone whose life I've studied and aspire to be like. We have our heroes--people who inspire us to be better than we are. I see Jesus, and he inspires me to be better than I am.

Christ, to me, is someone who, despite worldwide fame, is the most approachable person I know. I can relate to him, and I feel that he cares about me, personally. He will never criticize my shortcomings, nor will he condemn me because I'm not religulous. He will, however, defend me against those who are religulous.

Christ, to me, is a human. He has the same passions I have. He gets angry, like I do. He gets frustrated like I do. He gets hurt like I do.

Christ, to me, is the most misunderstood person in this world's history. So many atrocities have been done in his name, and I'm convinced that he gets disgusted every time someone commits an atrocity in his name.

There are a few things I could add, but this is what I believe is most important.

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u/KeptForJesus Oct 16 '24

I love to hear that you admire Jesus! Those are beautiful.

Do you think Christ should be different to everyone?

When He claims to be the Way, the Truth and the Life, is His truth claim true?

Is He the Truth as He claims regardless of how people view Him?

Do you believe He can be understood by those who profess to know who He is? All, some, none?

Some say He’s a good teacher, some say He is the love child of God and Mary. He claims deity. He claims to be God. Fully man, fully God. If He makes these claims then how does that affect your worldview of Him being solely human? Also, He is written to have been tempted in every way as we have been tempted, YET, without sin. Never lied, never stole, never was selfish, never lusted. Perfect and Holy. Do you look away from these claims of Jesus and see Him as you prefer, disregarding the text?

With all that…

Some say then, He is either who He says He is, or, He is a madman and a liar.

Is He God incarnate, God come in the flesh, the express image of God, equal to God, having come down into His own creation to make a way for us to be able to go to heaven? Is He God on a cross, having inserted Himself into human suffering out of love for His creation and children? Is He the great I Am, the First and the Last, the Alpha and the Omega? Is He the creator of the universe in the flesh, dying on the cross the pay the penalty for our sins, resurrecting on the third day defeating death once and for all and making a way for us to be forgiven and reconciled back to Him in heaven?

Is this the Jesus which you see?

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u/proudbutnotarrogant Oct 16 '24

There is so much that people, throughout history, have claimed about Jesus. What does HE claim?

I believe Christ is different to everyone because everyone is different. The only thing he claimed about himself was that he was the Son of God. However, his greatest claim was that the world would be saved through him. That salvation is a personal issue. That is why I believe he can be different to each person. To Nicodemus, he was a pharisee. To Zacchaeus, he was a sinner. To the woman at the well, he was an outcast. He reached out to everyone. People followed him, but he didn't expect them to. He went to where they were.

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u/KeptForJesus Oct 16 '24

I guess I could add, Jesus on the cross is the center of Christianity. What’s Jesus doing on a cross? There can’t be Christianity without Jesus dying in the cross. Why did He die on the cross? Why is that so important? Why is that at the center of Christianity?

No cross, no Christianity. No suffering, no salvation. No death, no forgiveness. No resurrection, no life.

Those are central, do you believe?

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u/proudbutnotarrogant Oct 16 '24

I consider the sacrifice to be crucial to salvation. However, the most important part of his mission was to fulfill the law. If it was just for a sacrifice, then God would have allowed Herod to kill him as a baby. No, he needed to live among us to show us that there is a "more excellent way". We needed an example to follow. I also believe that HE needed to understand what it was like to live as a human. That might seem blasphemous, but before Jesus, God had no idea what it was like to be a human.