Its so good to see how some of you "Christians" act


No better than Obama --- Talks one thing and does something else.

And before any of yall get ya panties in a wad notice I did say SOME

What we talkin bout Willis?

We talkin about how SOME "Christians" spew on about how to live the good life and be a better person then turn around and their actions show something totally different.

I hope this has nothing to do with the douche bag that stole people money!! If so stop while your ahead

Please keep it clean in here guys.

Not just saying cause of all the back and forth comments as of late

Nope -- nothing to do with it at all

Brad

Have you read the entire New Testament? If you do so, you will find that "false Christians" or people that fake the funk are not new, and have been around a long time.

Jesus told the religious folks of his day that they were just whited sepulchers full of dead men’s bones. Basically, he said they looked good on the outside, but were fake on the inside.

Your statements are pretty broad and general. Can you be more specific?

Generally in the Bible, you will find the term "religion" is not used in a positive manner. One exception is in the 1st Chapter of the book of James, where we are told (I am paraphrasing) that true religion is taking care of the widows and orphans. The command is given to the individual, and not the collective (not a government task).

Some folks claim they will not attend church, because there are to many hypocrites present. My answer, is there is always room for one more.

I guess the best place for a hypocrite is sitting on the church pew. At least there, there is a chance that the preaching may penetrate that hard shell, and the Good Lord can make a change for the better.

I hear what you are saying Ranger --- Just gets old sometimes

I do not profess to be Christian or any other organized religion. I have my beliefs and TRY to do the right thing.

I realize nobody is perfect but when your actions change by the company you are keeping..... Just annoying thats all

Brad - to your comment "I do not profess to be Christian or any other organized religion"

I think you are mixing terms and definitions here. The term "Christian" gets used very loosley. Christian is not a religion, or an organized religion. Instead of religion, it is a relationship.

Some folks would have you believe that if you go to the Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian.... church, that you are a Christian. Some think you are born into Christianity because your mom or dad was "Christian", others believe you are baptized and become a Christian. If you actually read the Bible, none of these answers are correct.

The term "Christian" never shows up in the Bible, until the book of Acts. In Acts 26:28, King Agripa tells the Apostle Paul "Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian". When you read previously, you will find that Paul was not trying to get him to join a church, get baptized, pay tithe, or use the label of Baptist, Catholic, and Methodist... Basically, Paul was on trial, and Paul just gave Agripa his testimony on how he realized his lost condition, and entered into a personal relationship with God.

One again, it is relationship. When a person realizes that they are not perfect (are sinful), and cannot earn their way to heaven ( Rom 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God). They have to come to the knowledge that if they get what they have earned, they will spend eternity in hell (Rom 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.).

Basically, you will never be good enough to win your way to heaven. Not you, not me, not the preacher, Sunday school teacher, or anyone. We deserve death. God did not wish death upon us, and provided a way to heaven. The entire reason Jesus came to this earth, and live a perfect life among men, and died on a cross, was to pay the way for you and me. When a person has this realization, and comes to God, admitting his wrongdoings, and accepting the gift paid at the cross, he becomes a Christian. Once again, it is a relationship with God, that is made possible by the sacrifice his Son made by dying on that cross.

Ephesians 2 8-9 makes it very clear - For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast

Grace is a free gift that was not earned; faith is belief in something not seen. The last verse tells us that it does not come by works.

The book of James tells us that real Christians will not earn (by works) their salvation, but if they are saved, you will see it in their works.

Once a person is saved, redeemed, born gain, or has become a Christian, they will still sin, and will not be perfect. If they are truly saved though, their sin will bother them, and they will feel the need to make it right with God, to continue their relations ship with God. (1 Jon 1:8 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness)

You will never meet the perfect Christian, but the true Christians will be visible by their works. Christians are just sinners saved by Grace.

Hope this explained it a little better. I am no Bible scholar, but feel free to ask any questions. If I do not know the answer, I will find it for you.

So Baptist, Methodist, Catholic. Ect Ect.... The ones that believe that Jesus died for their sins do not all practice Christianity?

Are they not just different brands of Christianity?

Do they not all pretty much use the same Bible?

Brad - "So Baptist, Methodist, Catholic. Ect Ect.... The ones that believe that Jesus died for their sins do not all practice Christianity?"


That is an awesome question. Remember, "Christian" is a relationship with God, made possible through Jesus death on the cross. There are definitely folks who carry the label, Catholic, Methodist, Baptist..., that are not Christians. Basically, they have religion without the relationship. The religion does not save you. Abiding by the rules of a set "religion" would be considered works. Works does not save, Grace is what saves.

Once a person is saved, born again, becomes a Christian (what ever term you like), then if they follow the Bible, it is evident that they are supposed to worship with a local body of believers. The New Testament lays out how the local church is to be run. Some folks have different interpretations on how that is. I am definitely at odds with Catholicism, and would not attend Catholic Church (because of what I know Biblically), but I know without a doubt that there are Catholic people who are saved, one their way to heaven, and just as much of a Christian as anyone else. Because of how I understand the Bible, I believe there is not an overreaching Church that controls the local churches. I believe each church to be independent, so I attend local old fashion independent Baptist Church. That does not mean that the Southern Baptist folks cannot be saved, because I know plenty of good Christian Southern Baptist, Methodists, Presbyterians...

I can tell you without hesitation, the crowd that I attend Church with has their hypocrites also. There are those who are part of the Independent crowd that are very rule oriented (works). They carry the right Bible, sing the right songs, they don’t drink, smoke, chew, or date girls that do. There wife wears the long blue jean skirt, the oppose abortion, but they have a mean spirit, and they are depending on following a set of rules. That is nothing more than religion (works). If you show up to my church, I do not care if you wear a suit and tie. I do not care if you have a pack of cigarettes in your pocket, or a case of beer in your fridge. I care about the relationship you have with God. If you get the Savior, the standards will come later. I would much rather you get your heart right with God, and have him work in your life, and show you and convict you, then for me to give you a list of rules of do and don't. Because of my personal convictions, I do not drink. I know some real deal, genuine Bible smart Christians who have a daily walk with God, who do not hesitate to have a beer or two. Once again, get the savior, and the standards will come. When you truly come to an understanding that God in the flesh got beat, tortured, spit on, and hung on a cross, to pay for you sins, and your wrong doings, it is pretty humbling, and you would want to be pleasing to such a caring God. You may be a pretty decent person, but I know what a scoundrel I was, and that for God to care enough for me is very humbling.

My best advice for non Christians, is read the book of John, pray for wisdom and God will show you the way. Continue to read and pray, and God will direct you to the Church he wants you to attend. You can learn from other Christians, but you can learn from just daily Bible reading and prayer. I would rather God mold you, then some set of rules from a church.

On Bible versions. You opened up a big ball of wax on this one. I will try to keep it simple. Because of my personal study on the matter, I use the King James Version Bible. The texts used for the King James are the Textus Receptus from Erasmus. Erasmus used the old Carney Greek texts that were spoken in the days they were written. Most of the other translations (NIV, NKVJ, and others) use texts from Alexandria, Egypt put together by Westcott and Hort. They used Classical Greek, which is a more fancy way of speaking, and were not the spoken Greek at the time they were written. Once again, it is not so much something to get wrapped up on. I am not a fan of the New International Version (NIV), but if you pick one up, read the book of John, if you believe that Jesus died for your sins, and if you accept that, then you are just as saved as another person. It is another one of those topics, that I believe a true Christians can study, pray, read, and God will direct them. I would rather you study, pray, and read your NIV every day, than have a KJV sitting in your desk that does not get touched or read. The version of the Bible does not save you or guide you; it is the truth in that Bible that is so important.

Thanks for those relevant questions.

Ranger