Ok, I have heard it said several times that there are a lot of non-Christians on this site because there is no test to see if someone is a Christian or not. So, if there was a test, what non yes or no questions would you ask to check if someone was saved?
For example:
Why do you think that you are a Christian?
A. My family has always been Christians, and I have try to live a good life.
B. We are all God�s creatures, and God loves us all.
C. Because even though I am a sinner, God died on the cross and arose again to pay the price for my sins.
I don't think that there can really be a good "Christianity test" because who are we to judge a person's heart? I can say that my parents aren't really Christians because their life doesn't show it, but they both claim to be Christians. I can only judge what I know or see, but there is A LOT that I don't know and can't see so I am not a sufficient judge of that. I can only see a small part of the picture, but God can see the whole picture - He is a sufficient judge for all of our hearts.
Some people can say and do the right things, but their heart isn't in the right place. They might say that they are Christians, and their lifestyle choices might show that, but their heart isn't in the right place. I don't think that we are a good judge of where a person's heart is or isn't based on their lifestyle choices, because we can't see the big picture - we can only see a small portion of it.
I agree with you that one can never TRULY know if someone is a Christian or not, that is between them and God. But, as a Christian, there are some basic questions that one should be able to answer.
1 Peter 3:15 (NASB)
15 but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence;
Truthfully, the test could never find those that are Christian, what it would really do is filter out those that are not, or at least don�t know the correct answers to �fake� it. In my question above, there is only one correct answer. The other two are not evidence for salvation.
is not so much what is of importance, but rather how good of a Christian are you? How much do you follow Christ? How well do you know Christ?
I would argue that somewhere in this world there is a person that exemplifies every Christian Virtue and would be held up as a �Wonderful Example of Christianity��but that person is a Buddhist or a Muslim.
Even just a few years after Christ�s Death on The Cross there were �factions� of those that claimed to be �followers of Christ�, yet could not be any further from �True Believers�! If you were to ask those that followed Christ �why do you call yourself a Christian?�, they would answer �because I FOLLOW Him (The Christ).
Even these people that would sit at His Feet and catch His Words (like True Manna from Heaven), would be confused sometimes as to just what Christ meant. Can you imagine if they tried to do these �confused� things? Can you imagine how much more we are confused today?
The very fact that we are �imperfect� makes us Christians. If we were perfect�we would not need Jesus. The very fact that we admit that we are sinners and that we Need a Savior, makes us Christians.
My �test� is simple. Do you believe that Jesus died for your (individual) sins and that Jesus is The Only Way to Heaven? Do you believe in The Trinity (Father � Son � Holy Spirit)?
The Church came up with three �Professions of Faith� � The Apostles Creed and The Nicene Creed and The Athanasian Creed.
Apostles Creed
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord: Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary; suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell; the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of Saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen.
Nicene Creed
We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
and of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made, one in Being with the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us men and for our salvation,
he came down from heaven:
by the power of the Holy Spirit
he was born of the Virgin Mary, and became man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered, died, and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in fulfillment of the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge
the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son.
With the Father and the Son he
is worshipped and glorified.
He has spoken through the Prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic
and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism
for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come.
Amen.
And finally The Athanasian Creed ( Very Catholic and perhaps too much for some of you to read, but beautiful still�) (courtesy of beginningCatholic.com)
The Athanasian CreedThis is the Athanasian Creed, as used in the Roman Catholic Church. It's used in the liturgy only rarely (sometimes on Trinity Sunday), but like all of the Church's creeds, it is still valid and respected.
Although no longer officially attributed to St. Athanasius (died in 373 A.D.), it still bears his name. This beautiful creed contains a detailed meditation on the nature of the Trinity.
The Athanasian Creed is also called the Quicumque vult, after its first words in Latin.
This creed can also be found in the Handbook of Prayers, edited by James Socias.
Whoever wishes to be saved must, above all, keep the Catholic faith.
For unless a person keeps this faith whole and entire, he will undoubtedly be lost forever.
This is what the Catholic faith teaches: we worship one God in the Trinity and the Trinity in unity.
Neither confounding the Persons, nor dividing the substance.
For there is one person of the Father, another of the Son, another of the Holy Spirit.
But the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit have one divinity, equal glory, and coeternal majesty.
What the Father is, the Son is, and the Holy Spirit is.
The Father is uncreated, the Son is uncreated, and the Holy Spirit is uncreated.
The Father is boundless, the Son is boundless, and the Holy Spirit is boundless.
The Father is eternal, the Son is eternal, and the Holy Spirit is eternal.
Nevertheless, there are not three eternal beings, but one eternal being.
So there are not three uncreated beings, nor three boundless beings, but one uncreated being and one boundless being.
Likewise, the Father is omnipotent, the Son is omnipotent, the Holy Spirit is omnipotent.
Yet there are not three omnipotent beings, but one omnipotent being.
Thus the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God.
However, there are not three gods, but one God.
The Father is Lord, the Son is Lord, and the Holy Spirit is Lord.
However, there as not three lords, but one Lord.
For as we are obliged by Christian truth to acknowledge every Person singly to be God and Lord, so too are we forbidden by the Catholic religion to say that there are three Gods or Lords.
The Father was not made, nor created, nor generated by anyone.
The Son is not made, nor created, but begotten by the Father alone.
The Holy Spirit is not made, nor created, nor generated, but proceeds from the Father and the Son.
There is, then, one Father, not three Fathers; one Son, not three sons; one Holy Spirit, not three holy spirits.
In this Trinity, there is nothing before or after, nothing greater or less. The entire three Persons are coeternal and coequal with one another.
So that in all things, as is has been said above, the Unity is to be worshipped in Trinity and the Trinity in Unity.
He, therefore, who wishes to be saved, must believe thus about the Trinity.
It is also necessary for eternal salvation that he believes steadfastly in the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Thus the right faith is that we believe and confess that our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is both God and man.
As God, He was begotten of the substance of the Father before time; as man, He was born in time of the substance of His Mother.
He is perfect God; and He is perfect man, with a rational soul and human flesh.
He is equal to the Father in His divinity, but inferior to the Father in His humanity.
Although He is God and man, He is not two, but one Christ.
And He is one, not because His divinity was changed into flesh, but because His humanity was assumed unto God.
He is one, not by a mingling of substances, but by unity of person.
As a rational soul and flesh are one man: so God and man are one Christ.
He died for our salvation, descended into hell, and rose from the dead on the third day.
He ascended into heaven, sits at the right hand of God the Father almighty. From there He shall come to judge the living and the dead.
At His coming, all men are to arise with their own bodies; and they are to give an account of their own deeds.
Those who have done good deeds will go into eternal life; those who have done evil will go into the everlasting fire.
This is the Catholic faith. Everyone must believe it, firmly and steadfastly; otherwise He cannot be saved.
Amen.
The Athanasian Creed is one of the treasures from the early Catholic Church. (Note that the Catechism refers to the Athanasian Creed in item #192, among other sections.)
Be sure to see the Apostles Creed and the Catholic Nicene Creed, too. They're the most common creeds used in the daily life of the Roman Catholic Church.
But the Athanasian Creed stands alone in its detailed and beautiful description of the Holy Trinity.
Ok Arch, that was good. So how would you pose that in a multiple choice question? In every multiple choice question there are mostly wrong sanswers. What would the question and answers look like?
If I didn't have a ton of stuff to do for school today (finals tomorrow!), I would make up a big long test, because I do think there should be one and I have some very definite ideas on the subject. I'll try to remember to come back after school is done.
In addition to the test, I think that CDFF needs to utilize church discipline, in that people who aren't walking the walk and refuse to repent are eventually kicked off. It would sure cut down on a lot of the stuff on these forums. There's a woman on here, who posts almost daily, who called me a "b*tch" in a private message on here. It was reported, and she's still here... And there's all the other hate mail I've gotten and reported... Those people are still here too (with a couple of exceptions). And we've all seen the horrible insults and accusations (sometimes false) openly here. I could go on-and-on. Sometimes I wonder if the admin. even get my reports, because I've reported stuff on here SO much (pretty much weekly) that's blatantly wrong and blatantly against the terms of service, and the people are still here for the most part. Matthew 18 is very clear that people who don't repent aren't allowed to continue on in fellowship with believers. There could be a few questions on the test about people's thoughts on Matthew 18.
I have never reported anyone or any thing except (scammers).
Have I had some reportable offenses...definitely. But....I understand we all lose it now and then, no big deal...I see heresy here all the time and use it as a tool to sharpen me the same way one can use a offense to practice the art of forgiveness .
For those who want to live in a perfect world you are going to have to wait until you die, ...
