Am I a Christian?

Many would argue that to be a Christian, the key issue is to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and saviour. This could be described as the personal salvation gospel. Under this interpretation of Jesus’ teaching, you believe and gain eternal life in heaven. For some this seems to have little impact on life now other than condemning those who do not believe.

Sadly, some who hold to this view also believe that Israel remains God’s chosen people and that modern Israel does no wrong. It goes further than that into believing that the destruction of people of other faiths is acceptable. The current war with Iran is seen as a precursor to the final battle that they see described in Revelation. I reject this theology and line of reasoning.

I regard my faith as Christocentric. That is I believe

  • in Christ in all things,
  • that Christ seeks to reconcile all things to Himself,
  • that Christ seeks to have a personal relationship with all people,
  • that the kingdom of God or heaven is here on earth,
  • that followers of Christ are supposed to live as though they live in the kingdom of heaven now, and
  • that the best way to understand Christ’s intention for this world is to follow Jesus’ way of life and his teachings.

What I reject is

  • the idea that believing in Jesus is all that matters,
  • that having done so you are saved,
  • that how you live after accepting Jesus into your life, does not matter, and
  • that heaven and hell are mystical places separate from earth.

I do not believe that I have some special privilege because of my beliefs to judge others. In fact, I find that there are people of many other belief systems who share some of my beliefs about how we should live in this world.

I do not believe that war is a solution to anything. War is simply just war. War seems to be used by men with some power to try and force their will on others. War is about power and privilege. It has little to do with justice and seeking the best for humanity. Nor does any war abide by the agreed rules of war. I will repeat it that “War is just war.”

Location: Onerahi, Whangārei, New Zealand

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