| Q
& A |
|||||
 |
What is a “Christian”? I was told that the ones who read the Bible are not necessarily Christians. I asked a person who wear a cross on his neck but he said he was not a Christian. I think Christians are those who go to the church meetings and those who got baptized. Is it right? | ||||
 |
Concerning what Christians are, there is a verse in the Bible. “…that the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.”(Acts 11:26)
“Christians” was a term to denote the ones who believe Christ, as a nick name. To the Jews it is a stumbling to believe Jesus who died on the cursed cross as Christ, Messiah i.e. Savior, and to the Greeks it is foolish to believe that Jesus was resurrected from among the dead. But those who believed Christ loved Christ and often spoke out the name of Christ as “Christ”, “Christ” in the city of Antioch. So as a term of reproach, they called them “Christians” with their characteristics.
And “Christian” is not only a man of Christ, one who is one with Christ, the one who belongs to Him but also the one having His life and nature in an organic union with Him, and who is living by Him, even living Him, in his daily life.（ⅠPeter4：16, Footnote１）
“The Word of Grace” (vol.5) |
||||
|
When I heard that “Christians” are those of Christ, those who are one with Christ, who belong to Chirst, and who have His life and nature in the organic union with Chirst, I am not clear yet. How can you become one with invisible Christ? | ||||
|
Surely this is a mysterious matter but it is not that difficult in experience.
Those who believe Christ were called “Christians” but even before do you know that they were called “the caller of the name of Christ”? Paul was the person who persecute the ones who believe Christ before. He arrested the one who called upon the name of Lord Jesus (Acts 9:14, 21). Because those who believed Christ have called “Oh Lord Jesus! Christ!”, they could easily arrest them. So the believers of Christ were those who called upon the name of Christ.
In this way, those who call on the name of Christ can be one with Christ. “Whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Rom. 10:13). Christians are those who call on the name “Lord Jesus!” and enjoy Christ and experience Christ. When we call on the name of Christ “Lord Jesus”, the resurrected Lord will come into our spirit which is the depth of our heart and become one with us.
“The Word of Grace” (vol.5) |
||||
|
What about the reading of the Bible, going to the meetings and getting baptized? | ||||
| Yes. Christians definitely read the Bible. Please attend the church meetings and get baptized. Christians do not live alone. “…Pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart” (2 Tim. 2:22). Christians always call on the Lord with the companions. Through the church life, we touch the true meaning of life and together with the companions, we were given faith to faith, grace to grace, power to power, light to light, glory to glory and blessing to blessing. So the Christians are really blessed ones.
“The Word of Grace” (vol.5) |
|||||
|
|||||
|
I’ve heard in the church meeting that God is unique and we should not worship idols. And it is also written in the Bible “You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself an idol. …You shall not bow down to them” (Exo. 20:3-5). What is the difference between the true God and the idols? | ||||
|
The true God is the Creator of the heaven and the earth. Man was also created by God. But idols are made by men.
The true God is the God from eternity to eternity, omnipotent and omnipresent, the God who is filled with love, holiness, righteousness and light and the living God. The idols are “dumb” and “unmovable”.
The true God claims for the uniqueness “You shall have no other gods before Me”.But the idols are created by men for the benefit of themselves.
The true God is “the Spirit” but the idols are the works of the hand of men, the produce of thought of man and the result of imagination of men.
“The Word of Grace” (vol.5) |
||||
|
Why does God need to be Jesus Christ? | ||||
|
Salvation needs to come from above. Salvation is not in ourselves however hard we struggle. If you were in the wrecked ship, you could not be saved no matter what you tried. Salvation needs to come from the other space. And it was Jesus Christ the Son of God who came as an elevator of salvation. Even if you know God exists, without God coming to be a man, man has no way. Only Christ is our Savior. Here is God’s great love. It is not man-made god.
The movie “Ben-Hur”
Lew Wallace was a general and talented with the gift of Literature. He firmly determined and promised with his close friend to write a book to bury Christianity as a myth forever. He wanted to destroy Christianity because it was just a superstition, so he studied and studied looking for documents in the libraries both in Europe and U.S. However, while he was writing the 2nd chapter of that book, he suddenly knelt down and cried “My Lord! My God!” to Lord Jesus. The proof of Christ’s divinity had constrained too strongly and once for all.
He could not no longer deny that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He was captured by Christ. After that Lew Wallace rewrote to prove that Christ is a real person in the history and the living Savior who rose from the dead and brought out his novel “Ben-Hur” into the world. And as you know this was made into a movie.
“The Word of Grace” (vol.5) |
||||
|
He is the living Savior who resurrected from the death. This is a great matter. How can I get saved? | ||||
| According to the Bible, Christ’s coming was foretold few thousand years ago. Then at the fulness of the time, He came. And He died on the cross for us and resurrected from the death and became the life giving Spirit. Now He is the living Savior whom you can touch. He is very close to you.
“Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you shall be saved”（Acts16:31）. So if you pray “Lord Jesus, save me!” you will be saved. This is not a knowledge. Once you touch Him, you will be saved.
“The Word of Grace” (vol.5) |
|||||
|
|||||
