Is Christianity transferrable by birth?
In the Western world Christianity is a totally misunderstood perception and differ from one denomination to another. Children are raised to believe that they are Christians, because their parents are Christians. They are taught that paedobaptism (infant baptism) makes them believers and followers of Christ. THIS misinterpretation of Christ's teaching is carried over from generation to generation. The question however that needs to be answered is whether it is Biblical?
Can someone live as a sinner AND a Christian simultaneously and STILL be called a Christian, Or does he have to experience a spiritual metamorphosis…spiritual rebirth? The ONLY way to FIND answers to these compelling questions is by referring to the Word of God (The Bible.)
In Matthew 16:24 Jesus made it VERY clear that the ONLY way to become HIS follower.... a Christian, was to deny ourselves and to pick up our cross; meaning to entrust our lives UNCONDITIONALLY to God and to live a holy life. Becoming a member of the body of Christ is NOT an automatic right. We have LOST that right at the fall of man. It needs to be RE-ESTABLISHED through a PRESCRIBED process.
God created Adam without sin. When he however disobeyed God by eating of the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden, he became sinful, and spiritually died. Satan opened a trapdoor which is called a sinful nature. The ENTIRE human race born AFTER Adam, were sinners. They did not GO astray AFTER birth, but was BORN that way....into a sinful nature (Psalm 51:5 and Romans 5:12). THIS in turn implies that we are BORN separated from the grace and presence of God. We NEED to RESTORE our relationship with God, BEFORE His spirit can return to our lives; take possession of us AGAIN. It’s however of VITAL importance to understand that we HAVE to accept Jesus Christ into our lives as our Saviour to achieve this. NO SON = NO RECONCILIATION WITH THE FATHER and NO RECONCILIATION WITH THE FATHER = NO SON (John 14:6). THIS is the primary criteria to become a Christian. There’s NO other way around it.
Arguments and questions among others, such as: "These biblical texts were written against the background of certain contexts." or " Jesus is ONE of the sons of God" OR " Is Jesus the ONLY way to the Father?" is IRRELEVANT to Christians. In the FIRST instance twenty-first-century Christians do NOT follow the teachings of the Messiah because they have SEEN the miracles He performed, or because it MATTERS whether or not He uttered specific texts against the background of ANY given context....it is irrelevant. What matters is that HIS followers...Christians, must follow Him blindly in child-like faith. THIS is what it means to deny ourselves and to pick up our cross. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from ALL unrighteousness. It doesn't matter WHAT we've done in the past (1 John 1:9). Faith in Jesus Christ is a firm conviction that He is who He says He is and that He will help us when we seek Him. Faith in Christ means trusting in Him, remembering Him, and following His teachings. By FAITH we BELIEVE that He IS the Son of God, the way, the truth and the life.
If the New Testament teachings are lies and the God-head of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are fabricated perceptions, then I only have ONE question to ask: "WHY were and are Christ's followers prepared to be burnt in furnaces, devoured by wild animals, be decapitated and tortured in the MOST brutal and savage ways?" Is THIS the evidence of a dead-end religion? It started in the FIRST century and it is STILL on-going today. In fact, instead of reducing in numbers over the centuries as a result of their persecution and slaughter, they are escalating; the LARGEST monotheist AND world religion, followed by Islam and Judaism.
Judging from the preceeded available statistics it would be DIFFICULT not to believe in Christ's teachings: "But when the king came in to look over the dinner guests, he saw there a man not dressed in wedding clothes, and he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without wedding clothes?’ And he was speechless. Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, and cast him into the outer darkness; in that place there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ For many are called, but few are chosen.” (Matthew 22:11–14). WITHOUT faith we can NOT please God and would become condemned statistics. (Hebrews 11:6)
I am CONVINCED; or must I say I BELIEVE that the holy spirit of God can NOT occupy a person's space where Jesus Christ is absent. This brings me to the point that man can NOT serve BOTH God AND the devil at the SAME time, because they BOTH represent EXTREME opposites. Luke 16:13 "No servant can serve two masters.Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other." Hebrews 11:1 (NKJV) "By Faith We Understand. Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Out of a personal point of view I would rather bet my soul on the teachings of Christ, than on ANY other world religion; be it atheism, budaism, hinduism, evolution OR the big bang theory.Whether I am right or whether I am wrong, would be determined by God's grace.
However, it does NOT stop here. As Christians we FOLLOW the teachings of our Lord WITHOUT question, because it becomes a way of life, EVEN if it differs from world opinion. CONTRARY to secular believe, baptism is a PREREQUISITE for becoming a Christian, because in THIS, Jesus has set the example. In Mark 16:16 Jesus says: "He who believes AND is baptized WILL be saved, but he who does NOT believe will be condemned." Believing + baptism = salvation (being saved). Jesus said that both believe AND baptism are required to be saved. But man, at the prompting of Satan, are resisting the truth. He has taken the LORD'S words and TWISTED it in every way possible to please HIS father the devil. When Jesus revealed the TRUTH about His identity, the Jews REJECTED His teachings in the SAME way they are doing today. And THIS was the Messiah's response: "Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you are unable to accept My message. You belong to your father, the devil,and you want to carry out his desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, refusing to uphold the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, because he is a liar and the father of lies (John 8:43-44)
Baptism is a symbolic act through faith BY converts who display their submission to Christ AND a conviction to follow Him throughout their lives. When they repent of their sins, a minister, evangelist, Bible teacher OR other Christian authority will baptize converts by immersing them in water and raising them back up. This ordinance, or ceremony, suggests burial and rebirth, symbolizing the end of their old sinful life as portrait in Galatians 5:19-20 and the beginning of a new life as portrait in Galatians 5:22-23 as a follower of Jesus Christ.
At conclusion I refer to the evidence based on Biblical reference, and is convinced that a Christian is NOT someone who’s relationship with God is determined by the righteousness of his or her parents, OR the tradition and dogma of the church, but is a sinner who was spiritually reborn and symbolically washed by the
blood of Jesus. He OR she follows in the footsteps of Christ and live by HIS examples. ANY other opinion OR suggestion is irrelevant to the Christian.
