Comments on: “Identity in Christ” http://www.dailyjesus.info/ones-identity-in-christ/ Daily Jesus - Holding Firmly To The Word of Life Mon, 06 Feb 2012 10:27:18 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1 By: gatorwade http://www.dailyjesus.info/ones-identity-in-christ/comment-page-1/#comment-117 gatorwade Thu, 30 Jul 2009 13:27:38 +0000 http://www.dailyjesus.info/?p=501#comment-117 Curtis, Very strong post! I reflected greatly on the line that not only does our identity define who we are but also defines how we must act. The two of those go hand-in-hand! Excellent post! -Wade Curtis,

Very strong post! I reflected greatly on the line that not only does our identity define who we are but also defines how we must act. The two of those go hand-in-hand! Excellent post!

-Wade

]]> By: Dave Leaumont http://www.dailyjesus.info/ones-identity-in-christ/comment-page-1/#comment-101 Dave Leaumont Sun, 26 Jul 2009 06:28:19 +0000 http://www.dailyjesus.info/?p=501#comment-101 Great post, Curtis. I agree completely, and I used to refer to myself in many ways that you outlined. Another way we categorize ourselves is under a specific Christian denomination. I am a firm believer that no denomination is infallible, and that we have enough information in Scripture to fulfill God's purpose of loving Him, loving our neighbors and making disciples of all nations. However, in our pursuit of knowing more, we often become dogmatic about disputables. The problem this creates is an errancy in our denominations. When we call ourselves Catholics, Episcopalians, Lutherans, Evangelicals, Protestants, Calvinists, Arminians, etc. first, I think we run into a same problem that you mentioned above. Denominations can falter. Anyone who has lived through a church split, or scandal can attest to that. We need to be followers of Christ first. We need to be open to Scripture and interpretations that go against our traditions. This is not to say we need to be so open minded our brains fall out. We need to prove all things and hold to what is true. Warren Wiersbe has a quote I truly love. He said "don't be a system disciple. You might get to Heaven and find out your system is not His system." On the subject of theology, many Christians disagree that Jesus is a permanent support in our lives because of a belief in lost salvation. I am a firm believer that Scripture can be interpreted either for or against lost salvation if we close our minds to the opposing concept and look for what supports our ideas and traditions. I am also a firm believer that Scripture gives us the answer without contradiction and that we must study deeply. There are verses that sound like contradictions, but God cannot contradict Himself. While I am not a Calvinist (I try to avoid tags and I also believe in some Arminian positions), I do believe Calvin's concept of eternal security is fully supported by Scripture. We are given eternal life, and become a new creation when we are saved. I am writing this post instead of writing on Col 3:12-17, which I have an assignment on for class. During my study of this passage, I am covering how it conveys that the elect/chosen ones of God are loved with the same fervor Jesus is loved by God. We are to put off the old and put on the new while we are still on earth because we are new creations. Being created anew cannot be undone, because we are in Christ and that cannot be undone. Therefore, we are granted a down-payment of sorts on our eternal life. So, I invite any who hesitate or struggle with Curtis' statement and believe Jesus' promise can be undone; or any who think that salvation is temporarily bestowed on us based on works, I invite you to look deep into Scripture for the answer (don't take my word for it...only take the Word's word for it.) I believe you will find great comfort in Christ for those who believe. I thank God for His Word and for the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus, Dave Great post, Curtis. I agree completely, and I used to refer to myself in many ways that you outlined. Another way we categorize ourselves is under a specific Christian denomination. I am a firm believer that no denomination is infallible, and that we have enough information in Scripture to fulfill God’s purpose of loving Him, loving our neighbors and making disciples of all nations. However, in our pursuit of knowing more, we often become dogmatic about disputables. The problem this creates is an errancy in our denominations. When we call ourselves Catholics, Episcopalians, Lutherans, Evangelicals, Protestants, Calvinists, Arminians, etc. first, I think we run into a same problem that you mentioned above. Denominations can falter. Anyone who has lived through a church split, or scandal can attest to that. We need to be followers of Christ first. We need to be open to Scripture and interpretations that go against our traditions. This is not to say we need to be so open minded our brains fall out. We need to prove all things and hold to what is true. Warren Wiersbe has a quote I truly love. He said “don’t be a system disciple. You might get to Heaven and find out your system is not His system.”

On the subject of theology, many Christians disagree that Jesus is a permanent support in our lives because of a belief in lost salvation. I am a firm believer that Scripture can be interpreted either for or against lost salvation if we close our minds to the opposing concept and look for what supports our ideas and traditions. I am also a firm believer that Scripture gives us the answer without contradiction and that we must study deeply. There are verses that sound like contradictions, but God cannot contradict Himself. While I am not a Calvinist (I try to avoid tags and I also believe in some Arminian positions), I do believe Calvin’s concept of eternal security is fully supported by Scripture. We are given eternal life, and become a new creation when we are saved. I am writing this post instead of writing on Col 3:12-17, which I have an assignment on for class. During my study of this passage, I am covering how it conveys that the elect/chosen ones of God are loved with the same fervor Jesus is loved by God. We are to put off the old and put on the new while we are still on earth because we are new creations. Being created anew cannot be undone, because we are in Christ and that cannot be undone. Therefore, we are granted a down-payment of sorts on our eternal life. So, I invite any who hesitate or struggle with Curtis’ statement and believe Jesus’ promise can be undone; or any who think that salvation is temporarily bestowed on us based on works, I invite you to look deep into Scripture for the answer (don’t take my word for it…only take the Word’s word for it.) I believe you will find great comfort in Christ for those who believe.

I thank God for His Word and for the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus,
Dave

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