Skip to main content

Conditional Identities - Friend and Neighbor in the Bible

The New Testament talks of relations as conditional identities, implying that people can only claim certain identities with Christ if they fulfill certain conditions. Following are some of them.

1. Only those who receive Christ and believe in Him have the right to become the children of God (Jn.1:12)
2. Only those who obey the commandments of Christ are His friends (Jn.15:14)
3. Only those who deny themselves, take up their cross daily, and follow Christ are fit to be called disciples of Christ (Lk.9:23)
4. Only those who do the will of the Father is mother, brother, and sister of Christ (Matt.12:50)
5. Only those who show mercy to others, regardless of who they are, are the true neighbor (Lk.10:36-37)
6. Only those who confess their sins and cry out for mercy are marked as justified (Lk.18:13-14)

Christ cannot recognize those who do not practically fulfill these conditions, no matter what they believe (Matt.7:21-23)
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Tale of Something, or Nothing, and God

In the beginning was God and nothing. Then, God created something out of nothing. But, soon that something forgot she was once a nothing. And, forgetting herself and God, she assumed herself to be everything. And, assuming herself to be everything, she died to everything else and God. After many days, when this something had run out of everything she got, She came to her senses and "Who am I? Where am I?" she thought. Then, she realized she was a nothing without her God, And so returned to her original place in God. In the end was God and something.
Post a Comment
Read more

Not I but Grace

I worked...yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. (1Cor. 15:10) I get tired and weary most times; grace, never. I feel weak sometimes; grace, never. I get confused at times; grace, never. I see darkness at times; grace, never. I wish to give up sometimes; grace, never. I fail many times; grace, never. I have misunderstandings at times; grace, never. I am afraid at times; grace, never. I feel broken sometimes; grace comes to heal. I feel estranged sometimes; grace comes to comfort. I feel purposeless sometimes; grace comes to guide. I feel powerless sometimes; grave comes to strengthen. I feel I am that I am because of what I am; grace departs.... For God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.
Post a Comment
Read more

August 15 Speech - School

Honorable Director, Respected Chief Guest, Principal, Teachers, and Dear Friends: It gives me great honor to speak on the occasion of the 66th Independence Day Celebration of India. As we know, our country went through various phases of foreign domination, finally falling subject to the British Crown, before we saw the Sun of Freedom rise over our nation. But we were never slaves to anyone. In our minds we were always a free spirit. Mahatma Gandhi said, "The moment the slave resolves that he will no longer be a slave, his fetters fall. Freedom and slavery are mental states." Freedom begins within, first, then comes in action externally. The Austrian psychologist Viktor Frankl said, "Forces beyond control can take away everything you possess except one thing, your freedom to choose how you will respond to the situation." This sense and life of freedom, subject only to the Law of God, to the Law of Justice, Equality, Liberty, and Fraternity, is the spring and fountain...
Post a Comment
Read more