AM TOO A CHRISTIAN!

AM TOO A CHRISTIAN!

Thursday, December 03, 2015

Acts [ESV] 4:8-12 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, "Rulers of the people and elders, if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed, let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well. This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."

Romans [ESV] 10:1-11 Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. For Moses writes about the righteousness that is based on the law, that the person who does the commandments shall live by them. But the righteousness based on faith says, "Do not say in your heart, 'Who will ascend into heaven?'" (that is, to bring Christ down) "or 'Who will descend into the abyss?'" (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say? "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart" (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, "Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame."

  Does anyone other than me remember as small children being teased or taunted, with your adamant response of “Am too!”? I was reminded of this when reading interview of actor Tim Allen.

  Allen was asked “What would people be surprised to know about you?”

  He responded “On a philosophical level, I’m very religious. I call myself an intellectual Christian. I’ve been seeking answers and information about Christianity, as well as Judaism, Islam, and Hinduism, since my father died [in a car crash, when Allen was 11], trying to explain life and death. My brother put it best a long time ago when he said, ‘You’re a lot more perceptive than I ever imagined.’”

  Indeed there are intellectuals that are Christians, just as there are non-intellectuals that are Christians. But there is no such thing as an “intellectual Christian” seeking answers in various religions as qualifier as Christian.

  An intellectual is someone “guided or developed by or relying on the intellect rather than upon emotions or feelings; rational.” Intellect is:      1. the power or faculty of the mind by which one knows or understands, as distinguished from that by which one feels and that by which one wills; the understanding; the faculty of thinking and acquiring knowledge. 2. capacity for thinking and acquiring knowledge, especially of a high or complex order; mental capacity. 3. a particular mind or intelligence, especially of a high order. 4. a person possessing a great capacity for thought and knowledge. 5. minds collectively, as of a number of persons or the persons themselves. (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/intellectual )

  In his writings, the Apostle Paul , whom I consider a great intellectual with great emotion, warned that it’s possible to have a form of godliness, but still deny the power of Lord Jesus Christ; to be ever learning religion and never able to come to the full knowledge of the truth.

  What makes a person a Christian?

  Just defining the word “Christian” will clarify. First mentioned in Acts 11:26, “Christian” fundamentally means “little Christ”, originally thought to be a snide derogatory term. Over time those trusting in Christ as personal Redeemer took it to identify themselves as followers of Jesus Christ. A Christian is a person who follows Jesus Christ!

  It wasn’t until later ages that “Christian” began being used as term in a broad generic sense often having little or absolutely nothing to do with trusting Lord Jesus Christ or Biblical Christianity: Christian nation . . . If not a Jew, then a Christian . . . If not atheist or agnostic, then a Christian . . . or as in Allen’s case, intellectual Christian. Not funny, tragic.  EBB4