Why am I a Christian? What is a Christian (Part three)

Why am I a Christian?

First Question:  What is a Christian? (Part Three)

A Christian as I am defining the word is a person who accepts and lives by two theologies and has experienced an event in their lives.   In the last two chapters I defined theology 101 and theology 102 which forms the intellectual content of the Christian faith. 

But to be a Christian as I define it requires more than a mere intellectual understanding but also an existential experience of the living Messiah Jesus in addition to the acceptance of this core theology.   So, beyond theology we must have a personal spiritual encounter with the resurrected person of the Lord Jesus of Nazareth. 

The verse most used to open people to this experience is found in the book of Revelation where the resurrected Jesus says:

" 'Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me. “(Revelation 3:20)

The idea being that we can have a spiritual encounter with the resurrected Jesus through the Holy Spirit in which the presence of Messiah Jesus will come into us and we will have a present day personal relationship and experience HIM inwardly today. 

The converted rabbi and Christian theologian Paul describes it this way to a first century community of disciples of Jesus.

"Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my body, I do my share on behalf of His body, which is the community of believers, in filling up what is lacking in Messiah's afflictions. Of this community, I was made a minister according to the stewardship from God bestowed on me for your benefit, so that I might fully carry out the preaching of the word of God, that is, the mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations, but has now been manifested to His saints, to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Messiah Jesus in you, the hope of glory."  (Colossians 1:24-27)

So the final step in becoming a Christian is not just to come to the conclusion that one is a moral failure deserving just punishment by God at death and having a conviction that Jesus of Nazareth, was God the Son who became the Son of God to be a pay the penalty through HIS suffering for that immoral life as a substitute by the crucifixion and provide life through HIS historical resurrection, but also to now ask the ascended Messiah Jesus to personally enter our lives to save and transform us from the inside out.   To personally trust in “Jesus, only Jesus” to be the one that will bring us forgiveness, purpose for life, and inner healing. 

The first century Christian theologian Saul of Tarsus explained this way.

 "But what does it say? "THE WORD IS NEAR YOU, IN YOUR MOUTH AND IN YOUR HEART"—that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. For the Scripture says, "WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED." For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; for "WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.""  (Romans 10:8-13)

To “call on the name of the Lord Jesus” is to pray a desperate prayer asking HIM to save us and to come into our lives.  It is to open ourselves to HIS spiritual presence, power, and peace.   It is a desire to begin a personal relationship with the Living LORD Jesus as prophet, priest, and king.   

The term “Messiah” means anointed prophet, priest, and king and therefore to accept and follow Jesus is to personally accept him in these three ways.

As prophet to be the ultimate source of truth in our lives and the greatest teacher we have in our lives.  He is for us “The Truth”.

As priest as the one who paid for our sins and provides now an open door to intimacy to God as our high priest.  Because of Messiah Jesus we no longer fear condemnation for our sins but undeserved favor from God at times of need.   He is “The Way” to reconciliation with God.

As King, we ask the LORD Jesus to be involved in every decision we make, guide us with wisdom as we face problems, and strive to submit to HIS will in every action.  We desire out of gratitude to follow HIM and live a life of loving good works.  Jesus is our “Life” from which we gain the energy and impulse to live a life of faith, love, and hope. 

This experience and encounter with the Living Christ in prayer and having a fellowship with HIS presence is a vital part of being a Christian.  One can be a “Cultural Christian” and formally hold to “Theology 101” and “Theology 102” but only when this theology is applied personally and prayerfully is one converted into being a Christian or disciple of Messiah Jesus. 

So, when I use the term Christian I mean a person who has accepted “Theology 101” concluding that they justly deserve punishment for their immoral actions, trust in “Theology 102” in which the Messiah Jesus suffers for them and gives them the free gift of eternal life through HIS resurrection, and personally encounters the living Christ in prayer seeking a spiritual fellowship with the Lord Jesus as their personal prophet, priest and king. 

Journal Guide

1.  Do you think that this "personal encounter" with the Living Jesus is needed to become a Christian?  Why or why not.

2.  What makes this difficult in our defining of the word "Christian"?

3.  What if you tried to "call on the name of the LORD" but it seemed empty and nothing from your point of view happened?

4.  How could one develop a personal relationship with the LORD Jesus?  


See http://examen.me/  

For ideas on how to do this. 

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Basic Christianity: What is A Christian (Part two)

What is a Christian

By Dr. Norman Wise – Chapter three of Why am I a Christian?

A Christian is a person who accepts and lives by two theologies and has experienced an event in their lives.  So far, we have look at one of those theologies or “Theology 101”

To summarize the first theology or “Theology 101” a Christian is one who believes

1.     God exists

2.     In life after death.

3.     In a judgment day after death in which justice is given to each human being.

4.     That no own will be declared righteous in that judgement but all rightly condemned to suffer punishment that is a fair. 

According to a first century Christian historian, Messiah Jesus summarized the idea that only those who admit they are “sinners” need to consider HIM, when HE said:

 " It is not those who are well who need a physician, but those who are sick. "I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance." "  (Luke 5:31-32)

So, the only people that have a personal need of thinking about becoming Christians are those who admit that they are moral failures deserve punishment at their deaths due to their transgressions and failure to love others as they should have done. 

Because of the unique teaching of Christian faith that all are moral failures and deserve just punishment for their transgressions against pure love is “theology 102” needed. 

What is Theology 102?

The converted Rabbi, Saul of Tarsus summarized Theology 102 in these words.

"And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. (Theology 101)

But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Messiah (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Messiah Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Messiah Jesus.

For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not because of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Messiah Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them." (Theology 102) (Ephesians 2:1-10)

"Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Messiah died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,” (1 Corinthians 15:1-4)

Theology 102 is the belief that the Messiah Jesus who was God the Son who became the Son of God[1]; suffered the punishment that our lives deserved on the cross and there suffered the just penalty for our sins.  This has satisfied God’s justice towards HIS people.  The resurrection of the Messiah Jesus indicates that God is satisfied with this suffering.  The moral failures of those who accept the Messiah Jesus as their hope for acceptance by God are “paid in full”.  They will be saved from the just penalty of their sins by God’s work of mercy, undeserved favor, and sacrifice alone.

Theology 102 states that:

1.     God has associated us into the life of Messiah Jesus

2.     His death and punishment became our death and punishment

3.     His resurrection became our rebirth to a new creation

4.     His ascension into heaven became our being accepted into the kingdom of heaven

5.     By an undeserved act of God through the Messiah Jesus, we have been pardoned, adopted, forgiven, and saved from the deserved punishment for our moral transgression as a very expensive but free gift of God.

Now such faith creates love and loyalty to the Messiah Jesus and changes the direction of a person’s life.  The Holy Spirit comes to dwell in true believers and the full potential then of their lives can be fulfilled.  The lives of true believers who accept the resurrected Jesus as their Messiah and Lord now are dedicated to doing loving acts of good for others not to earn salvation but because they have been given salvation by the mercy of God.  

The Christian is one who having lost faith in their own righteousness now hopes to be accepted by God on judgment day not based on their efforts but because of “Jesus, only Jesus”.   Having lost hope in their own righteousness they now hope that the suffering of the Messiah will pay the price of their moral failure and give them the kingdom of heaven as an infinitely expensive gift. 

To be a Christian one must accept not only theology 101 but also theology 102.  But in addition, they must have an experience as well.

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[1] The understanding of God that is revealed in the Christian gospel is a triune being in which we understand that The Father, The Son, and the Holy Spirit are God and yet are unique “persons” within this “Godhead”.   We will discuss the logic of this later.  But acceptance of Messiah Jesus as “God in the flesh” is vital part of the Christian message (John 1:1-18; https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11841-011-0265-1 )

Journal

1.  If you had to state "Theology 102" in your own words how would you explain it? (Explaining an idea does not mean you accept an idea)


2.  What is the hardest idea to accept in "Theology 102"?

3.  What is the danger of accepting "Theology 102"?


4.  What could the benefits be of accepting "Theology 102"

5.  Other ideas, questions, or musings that came from thinking about "Theology 102"