Do you have to read your Bible and pray everyday to be a good Christian?
Do you have to strive to exemplify all things Christ like to be a good Christian?
Do you have to stop doing drugs to be a good Christian?
Do you have to stop drinking, dancing, or smoking to be a good Christian?
Do you have to stop gossiping to be a good Christian?
Do you have to use big words like redemption or Pentateuch to be a good Christian?
Do you have to dress a certain way to be a good Christian?
Do you have to stop swearing to be a good Christian?
Do you have to stop being friends with anyone who is NOT a Christian to be a good Christian?
Do you have to stop listening to Rock and Roll to be a good Christian?
Do you have to let everyone know how right you are to be a good Christian?
Do you have to bring so many people into the kingdom of heaven to be a good Christian?
Do you have to give a certain amount to the church to be a good Christian?
Do you have to not get a tattoo to be a good Christian... or get rid of the ones you have?
Do you have to do all these things to not only be a good Christian but to be used of God?
Why?
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10 comments:
Why what?
I can't tell what you are asking.
You are a good Christian if I say you are...simple.
If you are not going to do it for God, then do it for Jay.
OOOOH for Jay then! Ya dork. No I guess my point was... WHY exactly do I HAVE to do all this stuff to be a "Good Christian" becasue quite frankly I don't think you have to. I think to be a good christian you need to be a christian, plain and simple. These other things are just stuff. Stuff you do.
Christianity isn't some posterboard chart that you get a gold star on everytime you DON"T go to the Bar or you DON'T smoke a cigarrette, and it's driving me crazy the people recently who have been trying to qualify it as that.
Some of the most CHRIST LIKE people I know, are in fact some of the WORST sinners I've ever met. Heck, dare I say not even Christians to begin with. But they are the most caring, sensitve, give ya the shrit of thier back, kinda people, and I see Christ in them more than I would and "Good Christian" that wears a tie to the grocery store and doesn't have a tatoo.
Why do people feel you have to DO all that stuff? That's just works...
We are back to the "Do to Be vs. Be so we Do" conversation. If you want to have standards, that is great, just don't think they justify you. There are several things on your list that will be manifest often in the life of a Believer because of a relationship with Christ. However, one shouldn't do them because it will result in "Good Christian" status, but because it validates the new life status. Plus, the Bible is fairly clear on a good chunk of them, so obedience, rather than works demands we pay them some attention.
What is your bias here? Are you upset because of someone's judgmental view or are you criticing someone's pious self view?
You're right. I'm being redundant.
It's just when I hear things insinuated like this it gets me thinking. And then I start thinking... well I don't necesarrily do this or that, so then does that make ME bad? Does that make THEM better? And yeah, the Bible is pretty clear on some of them, but I was just writing things down.
Basically I have to remind myself of the do vs be conversation when I get all riled up. Right?
I'm comfortable in my life right now, living my Christianity the way I am. (ok there is definite room for improvement, but overal I'm ok) I am NOT ok with someone telling me I HAVE to change this or that to be better. If I change I better myself, but it has to be of my own valition, not because bossy told me to.
Maybe I just have a problem with authority. :)
I think whatever you do is your own conviction. If you have to convince youself that it's ok it's probally not. If you have to tell youself ok just this once i won't do it again then don't do it the first time. You are the one that will be judged for your own decesions you have made in your life.
I always look at it like judge not that ye be not judged. I think each individuals relationship with God is between that person and God. Even if you followed everything you listed on your list, you would be sinning. The people I find I bond with the most are the ones who love to talk about God (i love a good religious converstation...) BUT know they are sinners and know they are a mess and just doing the best that they can with the humanity they have within their hearts to work with.
It's almost like people who try to follow that list of rules to be a good "christian" end up being judgmental. We are surrounded by sin and we sin everyday, we can't help it. Just our thought process alone.....sins a poppin up left and right.....I think the best we can do is try to follow our convictions of what WE feel we need to do. I think God is disappointed with each and every one of us, I know HE is. He loves us, but sin abounds within us. I think the fact that you are questioning what makes you a good Christian is what matters. Not what you DO, but that you care. God knows in your heart if you care. We will never be perfect, but if we let Him guide us and when we are wrong and He chastises us, accept the punishment and learn from our mistakes........yanno.....it's a crazy ride down here and I really don't know the answers. Guess that was a BIG ramble that basically doesn't make alot of sense...cuz I question all the time what God is thinking. I smoke cigarettes. Should I quit because God wouldn't be happy. Then maybe I should not eat unhealthy food or drink pop or lay in the sun.....yanno....everything seems to revolve full circle. I drink a beer every now and then. Is God mad about that. I don't know. I hope if He is He lets me know in some way and I hope my heart is open to accept His changing of me.... I grew up in the whole system of rules like no pants, no rock music, no movies....and what I tended to see is people who didn't do those things were trying REALLY hard, but they were still human and still messing up....and sorta fake. Like behind closed doors, it wasn't what it was in the church fellowship hall. Like it's a list of rules Christians established for themselves that make them a cut above the rest. Do they really follow those rules because they think it makes God happy, or do they follow those rules to be as spiritual as the Jones's??? I don't know. But I don't feel when I get to heaven God will reprimand me for wearing pants. Maybe HE will. Who knows. All I can do is have a open heart/mind and let Him guide me...yanno...
I'll stop wrambling cuz I could mutter on all day:-)
I love your rambling. :)
So.... which of those q's are things your really want to know and which are the fillers?
love ya
S
Do what Jesus said to do.
Love God.
Love others.
What did the 1st Century Christians do?
- they didn't read their Bibles every day (they didn't have any!).
- did drank a hell of a lot more than most non-Christians do today
- they dressed modestly and appropriately for their environment
- Paul used Greek swear words in this writing
- they gave to others and each others not a percentage to an organization
...and the beat goes on.
I think your questions are justifiable, and necessary to where you are at right now. Not to scare you, but they are only going to get deeper and harder from here.
Is Jesus alive?
Do I have to believe that Jesus really rose from the dead and is sitting somewhere next to God to be a Christian?
Can I follow Jesus' teachings as a historical figure and not believe all the Christian jargin that goes along with it?
Do I even need to be a Christian?
Keep walking, asking, talking, searching, knocking, looking...and you will find.
TOOOOBBEEEEE
*whining*
I don't want to be deep! I want to be superficial, and fake. It's easier!
:)
Thanks for your input. Good stuff.
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