The teacher asked the class: ‘What does it mean to be a Christian.” The class, m
ID: 3486364 • Letter: T
Question
The teacher asked the class: ‘What does it mean to be a Christian.” The class, made up entirely of Christians, raised their hands. The first student answered: “To be nice.” In addition, the other students added “help each other” and “love one another” to the answer, “nice.” The teacher responded, “So, according to your definitions, a nice Muslim or a nice Hindu would be Christian?” Three questions: First, are “nice Hindus” Christian? What is missing from the students' answers? Second, why would a classroom of Christians focus on “nice?” How important, in Christian theology, is treating one another? Finally, how does “Free Will” impact Christian theology, especially in terms of the belief in an afterlife…where the good are rewarded and the evil punished?
Explanation / Answer
Being a Christian means following Jesus.A Christian is a person who follows Jesus,has a deeper relation with Jesus and life is deeply rooted in Jesus not just outwardly,but, necessarily inwardly.A Christian is a person who has accepted Jesus as the way of life and the Savior of his/her life.Importance of Jesus was missing in the answers of the students.
Being nice is a general virtue that everyone wants to follow,and there is shift in Christianity from Jesus to being nice. Jesus has commanded to love one another as you love yourself. And the Love of God is best described in Jesus who sacrificed his life for the redemption of mankind. Jesus by the example of his life has taught and inspires to be good and loving,but,most importantly he says hate sin but not the sinners.He gives the call to keep away from disobeying the will of God.Hence, just being nice doesn't fulfill the criteria of a Christian,but who has a fellowship with Jesus Christ,he/she who keeps his commandments and keeps away from the ways of disobeying God's will with all his/her heart and dedication is a true follower of Jesus,it includes being good to others as a part.
God has never enforced his will on the mankind, but,has always given the "free will" to choose.Even in the Garden of Eden Adam was given a choice to choose with respect to eating of forbidden fruit.Gid never wants anything that is done out of compulsion but He needs all the things to be done in love with full dedication from a whole heart. Jesus has warned of the hypocrisy in Bible at many instances,so whoever follows Jesus and wants to attain eternity must have a deeper fellowship and communion with Jesus and follow his ways with all his/her love and dedication.
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