The Uncommon Christian

What does it mean to be saved? How do you become saved? How do you know if you are saved? All common questions among those new to Christianity. In my opinion, our focus shouldn’t be on salvation. Our focus should be on emulating Christ and leading a life that is pleasing to God. When you put Christ and God first in your life then salvation is much more likely. Unfortunately, there’s no cheat sheet, aside from the Bible, on how to be saved. You won’t find an accurate, easy to follow check list of what you must do to be saved. The Bible gives the best explanation of what salvation is and how to achieve it. So, what does it mean to be saved? Many Christians that I’ve spoken with view salvation as a means to get into Heaven upon death. You will pass through judgement into eternal life with God and Christ. Salvation is more than a post-death reward, though. Salvation, to me, is a state of mind. You’ve received the Holy Spirit, you’re part of the body of Christ, and now you grow, learn, ...

In a nation where over 70% of the population considers themselves to be one denomination of Christianity or another, you would think there would be more to show for it. Murder, rape, abuse, abortion, homelessness, hunger, and theft are daily occurrences in this country. Why? It’s not because only non-Christians commit crimes. There are a lot of Christians that go in and out of prison. Many Christians also see homeless or hungry people and do nothing to help. We pray, but that’s all most of us do. We need to do more and I think that there are some things we’re saying to ourselves, or hearing from other Christians, that is keeping us from being better Christians. 1.    “I go to church every Sunday.” I know that many Christians want to believe that this is the most important part of being a Christian, but church attendance is NOT what makes you a Christian. Yes, we are called to fellowship, but fellowshipping isn’t part of our salvation. It is something that we do for ourse...

While driving to work, I was listening to the radio. The host came on with breaking news about a recent school shooting that left multiple people dead and many more injured. It was first announced, but no actual information was given about the event. There were no updates nor encouragement to reach out to the community affected by the shooting. It was merely a call to see the good within the tragic event, pray for the families impacted by it, and know that God has a bigger plan that will turn this into something good. There’s nothing wrong with trying to see the good in any given situation. In fact, we’re told to be content and find peace under any circumstances. However, we’re also told to weep with those that weep. Tragedy is always difficult for those so close to it. News reporters display the tragedy as it unfolds, but they often focus on the negative. This is damaging because overwhelming yourself with negativity makes finding peace near impossible. However, going to the other ...

If you have God and are saved you don't, or won't,  have any mental illness. God cures mental illness. Taking pills for mental illness means you are not saved.  You can take medicine for other things, though. In the bible mental illness isn't covered. Things like lepracy, blindness, and other illnesses are, though. Jesus lays hands upon them, or just thinks of their healing, and they are healed. So wouldn't it make more sense to say if you have faith in God and are saved then your blindness, or other physical illness, will go away?  Chemical imbalances are equal to physical deformities, birth defects, and other neurological disorders such as CVS, migraines, and addiction. Gasp ! Addiction . That is up there with mental illness. If you truly have God in your heart then you won't have mental illness or addiction, right? Saying that is saying that we don't need medicines at all. Unless you are a believer in faith healing then I doubt you feel that way...

A common debate among most Christians is are drugs biblical? What about the verses speaking of being sober and sober minded? What about the verses of not being drunk? I could use this post to list every single verse regarding this, but I won't. There are just too many and not all are talking of actually being sober in regards to alcohol or drugs. I will, however, give you my personal thoughts on this subject. We all know drugs are bad. If you are from older generations you remember all of the famous quotes from your childhood that were taught in schools, you remember D.A.R.E, and you remember all of the commercials. Obviously, drugs like meth, heroin, crack/cocaine, etc. are  really  bad drugs. No-one should be partaking in those. What about the others, though? What about marijuana, CBD oil, and opiates (if used by prescription for legitimate health reasons)? Even drinking alcohol is considered a sin in many denominations. I do have a verse for that one I will pull out. ...

We believe in karma, yet we believe God wants us miserable. Does God care solely about everyone being happy 24/7? No. Does He want us to do stuff that is stupid or possibly damaging because it would make us happy? No. But does that really mean we can’t take any risks, do risky things, or push the boundaries of our safety nets because of it? NO! Just because God never said all He wanted was our happiness does NOT mean He said all He wanted was for us to be miserable. We can take risks and do risky things. We can push the boundaries of our safety nets. Will there be consequences? Of course! There are consequences to everything in life. Good and bad. Karma doesn’t mean taking a risk equals bad payback. It means you do good - you get good. You do bad - you get bad. If my risk isn’t hurting anyone then what does it matter? If it isn’t outright stupid, then something outright stupid probably won’t happen. We get so scared to do anything if there is any risk involved at all. Then we b...

This is a very debated subject. Verses are pulled from every part of the New Testament. Both sides have very compelling arguments. However, neither make sense. It is to the point that both sides repeat the similar generalized statements of, "We can't fathom it as humans," "God is too complex for our human minds," and so on. They come up with analogies that "aren't just right" to explain their side. What if I told you that I believe neither of those two are accurate? What if I told you that my beliefs, while forming through verses like theirs did, actually come from the Old Testament? That my beliefs stem from Genesis. The very first book of the Bible. The very first chapter of that book, even. Genesis 1: 3-5  "Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and God divided the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. So there was evening, and there was mor...

A common saying I hear is, "I have a personal relationship with Jesus.". I never heard an explanation to that, though. Before I believed in God I always wondered how you could have a personal relationship with someone who you had never met, who you couldn't talk to face to face, and you only know on an internal level. Now that I am a believer, have read the Bible a few times, and have prayed quite often I finally understand. Jesus is my Facebook friend. That sounds ridiculous doesn't it? Well, hear me out first. I have a friend I have never met in real life. I go to them for everything. They are my shoulder to cry on, my go-to for sharing my most exciting news, and my biggest confidant. They help me feel secure, loved, reassured, and able to take on my day-to-day life as well as the world. I go to them when I am scared, lonely, upset, anxious, insecure, ecstatic, and every other emotion I could have. I share my bad news and my good news with them. I share everythi...

Almost every single day, someone mentions Heaven. I live in Oklahoma, so it’s not surprising. But Oregon was the same way. Anyone that is going through a rough patch or who just lost a family member seems to go into this default state where Heaven is repeatedly mentioned. It makes sense, too. As Christians, we’re all taught that Christians go to Heaven when they die. Plus, the thought of our loved ones retreating from the problems of this world to a place of complete paradise is comforting. Do those thoughts have any biblical backing, though? Where did the thought of immediate ascension into Heaven upon death come from? From what I can tell, no one truly knows. So many people make claims and try to disregard, or discredit, the opposing opinion. “Soul sleep is unbiblical.” “Immediate ascension into Heaven is unbiblical.” I’ve seen people go back and forth with those two lines for hours. Each person has a long list of verses to pull from, and each verse is vague and open to interpreta...