Biblical Christanity 101

Having read Bruce's essays on the Christian Right, I'd like to clarify one thing. Just because these right winger's hold a certain belief, that doesn't make it a Christian belief. Just because they claim a certain belief is "scriptural" doesn't mean it is in line with the teachings of the Bible. Just because they as individuals claim to be Christian, doesn't mean they follow the Christianity of the Bible. That's why there are all these denominations involved in the Christian Right, but they don't believe the same things, as Bruce mentioned. In fact, each thinks the other is drop dead wrong. Go figure.

So what is a real Christian (according the Bible) and how can you recognize one? Good questions both. I'll try to answer without quoting a lot of scripture here but linking you to the pertinent text so you can see I'm not selling you a line.

There's no easy way to explain what a Christian truly is. Certainly just claiming to be one doesn't make you one. Nor does being baptized or following the creeds of a certain church or religion. Nor do you have to follow some specific steps, a "Roman Road" as it were. The problem with any of these things is that a person can do them and yet live a life as unchristian as ol' Luther's boots.

Being a Christian involves agreeing to a covenant between you and God. The Bible speaks of a number of covenants, but these three are the most remembered - the rainbow covenant, the old covenant, and the new covenant. Covenants are like contracts - they involve promises. In the rainbow covenant, God promised never to destroy the entire earth by a flood again, no matter how sinful the people became. He put the rainbow in the sky to remind him of that promise. The old covenant between God and the Jews was given to Moses on Mount Sinai. This covenant is set forth in the books of Exodus and Leviticus and is rehashed in the book of Deuteronomy, and begins with the familiar 10 Commandments. The rest of the old covenant is not all that well known to modern Christian, but the Christian Right likes to pick and choose parts of it to ram down people's throats as if it were still in effect for Christians. It isn't.

Christians are under the new covenant, which Jesus spoke of at the last supper. There are only four "commandments" in the new covenant - 1. love God and 2. love your neighbor 3. believe in Jesus and 4. love each other. Jesus said the first two commandments sum up the entire old covenant. As you can see, all this isn't as difficult as most religions make it out to be.

So how can you tell who's a Christian and who isn't. Well, you're not supposed to go around pointing fingers, but the Bible says that you can tell who's a Christian and who isn't by the things they do and say. It gives some pretty good examples. Do they give their clothing to the homeless? Visit people in prison? Look after the sick? Which do they love more, God or money? Not so difficult is it?

How important is this new love commandment? It's top drawer stuff. Some of the strongest admonitions of the New Testament are given to it. Many right wing Christians will tell you that only faith counts in salvation, not what you do. That doesn't even sound very right does it? They say, "Works won't get you saved, only belief." Actually, neither will - only love. But you can tell love by words and deed.

So there you go. Marcia Ellen's mini-course in Biblical Christianity. I'm not saying there isn't more to it than this, but it's enough to know who's putting you on and who isn't.

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