Romans 8:9 "But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit..."

But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. Any one who dies not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. (Romans 8:9)

Question:

If someone asks if a person is a Christian, what should he/she answer to the person asking? That they believe in God or only Jesus? I have been embarrassed and confused by ladies in Bible study classes, by saying the person in question believes in God. I come home in tears and want to be shut off from all human contact or ever attend another ladies Bible study class. Would you give me the right answer?

Comment:

I certainly hope you will not let the fact that your views may differ from others keep you from human contact or from exploring the richness and support of the Bible. The question of whether anyone is a Christian or not depends on the definition of the term. I follow, accept and believe the universal spiritual truths that Jesus Christ taught and demonstrated in his life and ministry. To some people that makes me a Christian. To others it does not, because I do not fully accept the interpretation of Jesus held to be true by various Christian churches. Specifically, I do not believe that Jesus is unique in his relationship to God. I believe he is the son of God. I believe we are all sons and daughters of God—eternal spiritual beings with the potential to express our own Christ energy as fully as Jesus expressed his. We are not yet able to become fully the Christ as he did. But he assures us—and I believe—that we can and will. I think what Paul is describing here is not whether the Christ exists in each of us (it does) but whether we know that truth and fully believe it. Our existence is not limited to the flesh; we are spiritual beings. If we know and believe that about ourselves, then we truly “belong to Jesus” in that we are able to understand his teachings and follow his example. What’s important, then, is not whether someone thinks I’m a Christian or whether I consider myself to be a Christian. What’s important is whether I believe the teachings of Jesus Christ and am willing to follow those teachings to realize my own Christ power.

Blessings!

Rev. Ed