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What does it mean to be a Christian?

HattemHattem
edited December 1969 in Personal Issues
The blessings of our Lord Christ be with you all.

With the start of a new year, I like to cast an interstingly hard question to people...and this year, I am asking you all this:

"What does it mean to be a Christian? Is it mearly one of many faiths that one attempts to find fullfiment in? or is it merely no more than moral-code that we live by? or is it only something we do because we were taught in sunday school that is we are not good chrsitains we will go to eternal damnation of hell and fire?"

Before I make up my conclusion, I would like to get some of your ideas and contemplations.

Pray for me always.

Hattem

Comments

  • SafaaSafaa
    Hattem,
    Welcome to tasbeha, it is so good to have you among friends!!

    You asked a very important question which, I think needs pages to fill and conference with multiple speakers to attend, but I will try to put just some headings to try to scratch the surface of this important subject:

    1- A Christian person is the one who knows that he/she is created in the image of God

    2- God has loved that person so much that He gave His only begotten Son to die instead of him/her and paid the price of their disobedient.

    3- A Christian person is priceless because he/she is brought with the sacrifice of the Son of God on the cross, and has been given another chance.

    4- A Christian person is the dwelling of the Holy Spirit, and consequently must..........

    5-- Live a holy and pure heart to be worthy of the price paid for his/her redemption.

    6-- He/She must be separated from the world and not be conformed to the image of the ungodly peoples.

    7- To be in the image of God as possible and light in the world.

    8- Always depends on God, as a little child depends on his father.

  • Christ4LifeChrist4Life
    to be a christian means you love Christ with all your heart. he is all you want and all you need, he is the one thing you will come out of this life saying you have gained. to be a christian means you display the image of God as best as possible, as you were created in his image. the pages of all the books of the world and all the words of the dictionary wouldn't be enough to say what a christian is, but ill sum it up with a verse, "Be perfect, as your father in heaven is perfect."
  • chiefofsinnerschiefofsinners
    hi

    ok, this is a tough question with a simple answer that leads to a new question.

    the word CHRISTIAN, can be split into two words CHRIST and IAN. the first word means christ, lol. the second word however, means like. so if you put it together it literally means CHRIST-LIKE, so to be a christian, means to be LIKE christ. which should be our goal in life. another example is Egyptian. EGYPT-LIKE, like egypt, or having the characteristic of someone from egypt.

    this answer will probably make you wonder, what it means to be like christ. the best answer i can give is, being wise,humble, generous, forgiving, good harded, self-controlled, strong spiritually, and most of all a light amoung the darkness. someone who doesn't need to answer the question "what religion are you?" it should be known by your ACTION what you believe, not what you say.

    hope this helps

    Pray for me
    cheifofsinners
  • marian6marian6
    Hello

    I haven't post much yet, but I really like this topic, because it has made me think about it.
    It's not an easy question and there are lot of things to answer.

    But I can only say that being a Christian give me the opportunity to do something with my life. Now can I give my life a meaning.
    But most of all I gained a lot of it, more than the duties I have.. so the things I got back are more than the things I have to do for it.

    Marian
  • Unknown
    I liked that response marian6, thank you for that, I have benefited a lot from it, and you were right when you said "But I can only say that being a Christian give me the opportunity to do something with my life. Now can I give my life a meaning."

    Forever,
    Coptic Servent
  • HattemHattem
    Dearest brothers and sisters,

    I pray that the blessings of Epiphany is a source of joy to you all...

    I must say, Thank you for the overwhelming responses and loving welcomes that you have given me, it truely shows how Christ is actually working in your lives, and it's a true blessing and big lesson for me, and I look forward to a long and beautiful friendship and fellowship with all of you.

    Yes, I agree with all of you...Being Christian is learning to give back, and realising that we are in God's image. But I think in answering the questions that arose from you guys, I was hoping one would elude to the direction that one must head towards in order to reach that stage.

    All your reponses were brilliant, but it yielded more questions in my head (which comes to show that this is a true open discussion and we can grow together)...
    All responses were great, but most answers only applies to anyone who is already a Christian...what about those that are not Christian, or not in the Truth of the Fullness of the Orthodox faith? That Automatically implies a destinction between Christians and non-Christians, which in essence is incorrect, because ALL of mankind where created in God's image and ALL were called to accept the gift of salvation of the Lord Christ through His Sacrements.
    Correct me if I am wrong, but that Automatically tells me that there must be a far more basic and fundamentally solid foundation and a purer essence for being a Christian on which everything else is built upon, and it comes back to -John 3:16-
    "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."
    The key words that Jumps out of this verse is "God so loved the world" ... and..."believes in Him"...
    So is it fair to say that the true meaning of Christianity is about Love? and being spiritual beings, we would yiern for the love of the Father through belief in His Son? So am I correct in saying that the meaning of being a Christian is about a Father-child relationship between God and mankind? and how do we achieve that? and is this the source of which one would spread the true Good news of Christianity and Orthodoxy to our fellow brothers and sisters?

    Please, do not take this as the only answer...I only wanted to throw a spanner in the works and create even more loving discussions...I look forward to all your resposes.

    Pray for my weekness.
    Yours in Christ
    Hattem

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