What makes a Christian a good Christian?

[MobBoss]

I'm not Christian, but hey? Why not try:

Believe that Jesus Christ was the son of god and died for humanity's sins; follow the word of God as described in the Bible; be a good person; (IMO) don't try to convert people; Emulate the holiness that was Christ (also my opinion, since even though I'm not Christian, Hindus believe - here, at least - that Jesus was a great guy...we just don't follow his path)

Actually, its a direct order from Jesus to go and do precisely the part I bolded and underlined.

Edit: and yeah, big crosspost with several others who also pointed this out.

 

[GinandTonic]

There is certainly a lot of disagreement about this.

Outstanding

 

[Ansar]

Actually, its a direct order from Jesus to go and do precisely the part I bolded and underlined.

Somebody already posted that...

 

[MobBoss]

Somebody already posted that...

You crossposted my edit....

 

[LucyDuke]

I think there's a variety of ways. He gave us the Bible, yes - he also gave us consciences, that can tell us right from wrong. He gave us logic, we can use for reasoning things out. And yes, he did give us the church, other believers, who can help keep us on track.

As a semi-Protestant (I'm not a member of any Christian denomination, but the churches I attend are Protestant, and my beliefs are mostly Protestant) Of those, I'd say the Bible is the most important. Logic and reason is just as important, in a way, but I think it should be used to explain, expound, and build off of Scripture, rather than try to find alternate moralities. (I'm speaking as a Christian here - all you pagans and Satan worshipers can do what you want ) Consciences can be valuable as well, but what you feel isn't always accurate, and can be tampered with by upbringing or stress or just plain human fallibility; guilt or the lack of it doesn't always mean much for determining morality. And the church, of course, can be wrong. And aside from all of these, I would include personal revelation - spiritual inclinations, ideas, experiences, that you believe are from God, and tell you how to live your life.

It may look like I just shot down most of my ideas, but really, I didn't. I think you need to balance all of them with each other. Ignoring any one is dangerous, and can lead to disaster - all of them are valuable, and all of them are necessary. Because while it's impossible to lead a perfect life, or make perfect choices all the time, or have perfect theology, we should strive to have best theology and the best lives that we can. We know we are forgiven for our imperfections - but we should seek to be as close to perfection, to Christ, as possible, because that is a large part of our purpose.

Make sense?

Good answer.

Being a Christian means declaring Jesus as your lord and savior and following his tenents in your life. There is no such thing as a 'good' christian. Jesus is clear in stating there is no such thing as a 'good' person as well in Matthew 19:17 where he states: “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.”

So, if there are by definition no good christians then what are we? Simply christians trying our best to emulate Jesus and following his teachings, albeit imperfectly. Does that make us hypocrites? Possibly, but only inasmuch if we refuse to repent/or ask forgiveness of our sin.

Is there such a thing as a good baseball player?

See what I'm getting at? We don't need to be divinely perfect to be generally, in the common sense of the word, good. Perhaps nobody is a Godly-good Christian, but surely we have doing-well-enough people, and Christians.

Perhaps what I'm calling a "good Christian" you would simply call a "Christian"? And anyone who I wouldn't call a "good Christian" is not a Christian at all?

 

[Gooblah]

I think educating one about one's faith is perfectly fine. However, attempting to make them change their lifestyle to join your faith even though they may prefer their lifestyle is wrong.

Case in point: India. My parents grew up in Chennai (Madras). Hanging outside the schools and temples and mosques would be evangelical (they put Pat Robertson to shame, according to my dad) Christians who would promise money and food to poor people. The people would accept, then the missionaries would be all like "Jesus gave you this food, so now you must be baptized" and basically forced them into their church. If these new converts accepted gifts and stuff from other faiths, they would "burn in hellfire" and would be told a bunch of crap all about how God was going to strike them down, so they would be unwilling to do anything because they were scared. It's indoctrination, pure and simple.

Educate me about Christianity. I'm willing to learn. However, at that point, back off and let me make the decision of whether or not to convert on my own.

Edit: looked at the bible verses. Fine. To be a good Christian, go out and convert people. However, IMO that doesn't make you a good person.

 

[Eran of Arcadia]

Saying that one's religions is the true one, even to others, isn't bad.

Saying that others should join one's church, still fine.

Saying that they should change their lifestyle, still no problem with me.

Coercion and emotional and spiritual blackmail, not so much. If people aren't going to join your church, even if it is to their disadvantage to do so, there is not much you can do and not much you should do.

 

[Lillefix]

Saying that one's religions is the true one, even to others, isn't bad.

Saying that others should join one's church, still fine.

Saying that they should change their lifestyle, still no problem with me.

That's fine, but what many religious people don't seem to grasp(not necessarily you) is that along with this(the right to claim that their religion is right, totally devoid of evidence), comes other people's right to say that they are completely and utterly wrong, and in general mock this religion.

 

[Gogf]

Being a Christian, full stop, is about believeing Jesus is the Christ.

Being a good Christian is about doing what Jesus told us to do.

So if I say Hitler wasn't a Christian, that is because his beliefs didn't seem to match up. Nothing to do with killing Jews. If he was a Christian, of course, Jew-killing and various other crimes made him a bad one.

What if Hitler thought he was following Jesus's instructions when he killed Jews?

 

[holy king]

What if Hitler thought he was following Jesus's instructions when he killed Jews?

yeah, it's totally arbitrary.

"following jesus" or "living one's life like jesus would do" obviously doesnt mean
becoming a hippie guru for most people who claim to do so.

 

[MobBoss]

Is there such a thing as a good baseball player?

If the savior of baseball said that there was no such thing as a good baseball player, except he that created baseball what would your answer be then?

See what I'm getting at?

Yeah, but it doesnt really conform biblically.

We don't need to be divinely perfect to be generally, in the common sense of the word, good.

Maybe not in baseball...but in Jesus' opinion, yes you do.

The real question isnt do I see what you are getting at....the real question is do you see what JESUS was getting at?

If you do, then maybe, just maybe, your question in the OP is answered.

Perhaps nobody is a Godly-good Christian, but surely we have doing-well-enough people, and Christians.

'Doing well-enough' isnt what makes a person good.

 

[CheScott]

Though I am not a Christian, my measuring stick for a 'Good' Christian is the same as it would be for a 'Good' Hindu or 'Good' Satanist.

In my view, a Good Christian is a Good person that happens to be a Christian.

 

[Ramius75]

practice what u preach.... and keep ur religion to urself.

 

[MobBoss]

I think educating one about one's faith is perfectly fine. However, attempting to make them change their lifestyle to join your faith even though they may prefer their lifestyle is wrong.

No its not. Its called having a standard. The entire point of becoming a christian is leaving one life behind and taking up a new one. In that:

Matthew 10:39
He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.

Which essentially means you can live your lifestyle OR you can life your life for Christ. Your choice.

And there is nothing wrong with having that as a standard at all.

Educate me about Christianity. I'm willing to learn. However, at that point, back off and let me make the decision of whether or not to convert on my own.

No one is 'making' anyone choose Christ. It has to be your choice. Its kind of the entire point of the gospel.

Edit: looked at the bible verses. Fine. To be a good Christian, go out and convert people. However, IMO that doesn't make you a good person.

As a christian I would agree with you. It takes far more than that.

 

[MobBoss]

What if Hitler thought he was following Jesus's instructions when he killed Jews?

How could anyone in reading the bible even conceive that such a instruction from Jesus possible? Its so far removed from whats contained in the bible as to be impossible. Unless the person doing so were utterly insane of course - then he could claim anything under the sun, but it wouldnt make it the truth.

 

[holy king]

How could anyone in reading the bible even conceive that such a instruction from Jesus possible? Its so far removed from whats contained in the bible as to be impossible. Unless the person doing so were utterly insane of course - then he could claim anything under the sun, but it wouldnt make it the truth.

of course it would be hard to interpret it that way, but it's totally possible.

that's why there is no clear definition of a "good christian".

 

[MobBoss]

of course it would be hard to interpret it that way, but it's totally possible.

Possible how? Explain to me how a person could biblically come to any such conclusion that the Jews should be murdered en masse and exterminated?

Aside from the sheer simple fact it directly violates the 'thou shalt not murder' commandmant and also Jesus own commandment of loving one another?

 

[holy king]

Possible how? Explain to me how a person could biblically come to any such conclusion that the Jews should be murdered en masse and exterminated?

Aside from the sheer simple fact it directly violates the 'thou shalt not murder' commandmant and also Jesus own commandment of loving one another?

i dont know, maybe take every fourth, sixteenth and 56th letter of every chapter and then it says "kill the jews"

show some fantasy.

 

[Lillefix]

Wasn't it the jews who urged that the son of God should be killed. Not a nice thing to do in the eyes of a christian. And God has been very lenient with genocide in the past.

 

[El_Machinae]

A good Christian is one who chooses to interpret their scripture in such a way that it makes them nice people.