We often hear Christians say: "Christianity is not a religion; it's a relationship."
But if a Christian has a bad relationship with God (i.e. they don't communicate, frequently disagree, and he deliberately goes against Him), can he still call himself a Christian?
Do share with me your thoughts on this by leaving me a comment here. I have thoughts of my own too, but I'd like to hear yours before I tell you mine.
Happiness Or Happy-less?
7 months ago
5 comments:
i) depends. there's a thing we always say about being Christians by name/religion (you know, for Law sake) but not living a life of one. in this state, one is not so much aware of having a relationship with God, whatmore to say having a good/bad one.
ii) if he had experienced His forgiveness, and still deliberately go against Him, then he should, check himself thoroughly.
iii) in the world's eye, Christianity is just a religion. but in His eyes, being a Christian means having to take up one's cross, by having this Father-son relationship.
anyway, this got me thinking as well :)
The way you describe them reminds me of the Pharisees....and the rebelious Israelites.....
It still falls back to the definition of "Christian"...
The word "Christian" first appeared in the church of Antioch in the Book of Acts
I believe it means followers of Christ...
So if a person does not follow Christ, hence he/she is not a Christian...
Then again, a persen can always still claim themselves to be a Christian...
It is also important to understand the term "relationship" to have a clearer view...
Just think of a father and son relationship and how it works..
The best example is Jesus and Father in heaven....
I'm just gonna end here...don't know how to finish what I just typed =P
It's interesting that both of you relate the 'relationship' term with that of a father and son relationship. But we have to always understand that the nature of a father-son relationship is unconditional, which means whether a son has a good or bad relationship with his father, he will still be his son. Even though the son does not communicate with his father, deliberately disobeys his father, all these doesn't change the fact that he is still his son.
Now, contrast that with a husband-wife relationship. If the couple doesn't communicate and are constantly on each other's nerves, we can very well expect the marriage to be heading for disaster, if nothing is done about it.
Again, friendships are also a form of relationship. But similarly, if two friends do not click well, chances are that they would no longer be friends in the future.
We read and know from the Bible, we are called to be children of God, the Bride of Christ, and we are also known as friends of Jesus. But as you can see, these three types of relationships demonstrate three different levels of relationships:
The first is immutable, in which the relationship is established from birth and is not of choice, like a father-son relationship;
The second is covenental, in which two people enter into an irreversible relationship (ideally speaking) out of their own freewill, like a husband-wife relationship; and
The third, is mutual, in which two people enter into a relationship out of mutual agreement, and may be undone at any time.
As you can see, I'm arguing this solely on the usage of the term, 'relationship'. This is because of my concern about this usage of the term; if we say that Christianity is a relationship, what kind of relationship is it? Now, don't get me wrong here; I too believe that Christianity is a relationship, but which perspective do we adopt? What is the nature and boundaries of this relationship? What are the consequences of violating this relationship?
We need to understand the kind of relationship that we are in with God, in order to answer the questions posed above.
Again, I would like to hear more of your opinions regarding this matter, before I discuss this matter further. Keep the comments rollin' in!
It's true to say that a Father-son relationship cant be broken no matter what, and so the same goes with God. Once you are saved, the same power of God that saved u will also keep u to the end.
However, the question is, how do u know you are saved in the first place? What is the assurance of your salvation?
This message will give u a very good answer..it's long but well worth listening through.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ky8dTyPpiAo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuabITeO4l8&feature=related
Nick listens to Paul Washer like I listen to Jazz. LOL
Post a Comment