So what is a New Testament Christian? It's an all too common question now-a-days. People have theories of what it means, but most of their theories are based on traditional teaching that has been passed along from theologian to theologian since the time of Roman rule. So I have decided to answer the question based on what the Word of God states.
In reality, the only way to be a Christian is to be a New Testament Christian. Jesus Christ was not formally introduced to the world until His birth to a virgin in the town of Bethlehem. All of which was detailed in the first four books of the New Testament, which is affectionately referred to as "The Gospel." There are instances in the Old Testament that can be argued that Christ was "The Angel of the Lord" or "The Spirit of the Lord," but His formal introduction was in the New Testament.
So in laying this foundation, we understand that all Christians should be living by what the New Testament truths state, and here is the reason: Christ came to accomplish the purpose of the Old Testament Commandments (Law of Moses) .
Matthew 5:17 - “Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose.
God knew that following The Law of Moses was unattainable, so in His mercy and love for us God sent His only son to accomplish what humans never could. Jesus followed The Law of Moses perfectly and on the day of His crucifixion, He stated "tetelestai" or "it is accomplished."
So with His sacrifice, Jesus ushered in the New Covenant.
2 Corinthians 3:6 - He has enabled us to be ministers of his new covenant. This is a covenant not of written laws, but of the Spirit. The old written covenant ends in death; but under the new covenant, the Spirit gives life.
This is a covenant that gives eternal life through faith in God and professing with your heart and with your mouth that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. This covenant allows you to receive and be lead by the Holy Spirit. It also makes the Law of Moses null and void for those that believe.
Hebrews 8:13 - When God speaks of a “new” covenant, it means he has made the first one obsolete. It is now out of date and will soon disappear.
This is the part that people have a hard time wrapping their heads around.
As a New Testament Christian, you are not under The Law of Moses. All believers in Christ are not under The Law of Moses. What that means is that all of the Commandments in the Old Testament do not apply to you. Now that doesn't mean you can go out and just go crazy and get to heaven. What that means is that under almost any circumstance, God has already forgiven you by His Grace. So your past sins ... are gone. Your future sins .... are gone AND you don't have to do anything special to receive this forgiveness from Him. God's forgiveness is not based on what "you do." It is only based on what "Jesus did." So all you have to do is receive it, nothing more.
Ephesians 2:8-9 - God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.
This is very contrary to what people believe they know about religion. But Christianity was never meant to create a religion. Jesus' sacrifice was meant to create a relationship with God through "He who did not sin." So a "Perfect Being" is the mediator for "unperfect beings."
But throughout time the message of the cross and what Jesus did got muddied up with people teaching that "you must follow the commandments or you're going to Hell" and "God's terrible wrath will fall upon all who disobey His commands. He will cast down FIRE AND BRIMSTONE and destroy you because you are His enemy."
In a way, they were teaching the correct message. But the wrath of God is NOT FOR BELIEVERS IN CHRIST. It is for those that do not believe.
John 3:18 - "There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God's one and only Son.
So unbelievers have already been judged for their unbelief. They are the ones that are facing the wrath of God if they choose to continue not believing in the Son of Living God. Now That doesn't mean that "believers" have a free and open pass to Heaven by doing whatever they choose. God still has commands for us in The New Testament.
Let me state this clearly; God is not mad at us anymore. God loves each and every one of us, even those that do not believe or believe something different. But in the same, God has stated that those that do not turn from their sin will perish in the pits of Hell. The question you should ask yourself is, since the Law of Moses (Commandments) is no longer in effect, what is considered sin?
The Law of Moses detailed exactly what "sin" was. So without it, what is considered to be "sin" today? Some will point out in the New Testament where the old sins were paraphrased in their writings. They believe that this is the definition of sin today. They are incorrect. If God was going to keep the Old Testament sins and make them New Testament sins, why would He send Christ to die for a covenant that is exactly the same as the original? He wouldn't and He didn't.
The commandments of the New Testament are this: You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind; Love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:36-40); Believe in Christ as your Savior (1 John 3:23), and do not Blasphemy the Holy Spirit (Matthew 12:31). These four were stated as New Testament Commandments. There are many other suggestions throughout the books on how to live, what to do and what not to do, but none state themselves as being commands from Jesus or God Himself. Even the fourth one that I included does not state as a commandment. But, it does state that it is a "sin that can not be forgiven." Which in my book means "commandment."
So as a New Testament Christian you are completely free. All the chains of worrying about sinning are gone because once you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior you are under the New Covenant of Grace. But once you truly accept Christ and let Him in, you will notice a change in yourself. You start off thinking "Yes! I can do whatever I want!" but soon you realize that what you thought you wanted, isn't what you want anymore. This is called being lead by the Spirit. It is a process, but once the Holy Spirit is in you, it will start to change you from the inside out. All of the sudden every bad thing in your life such as habits, addictions, frustrations, anger, and hate will slowly start to fade. The Holy Spirit will replace them with love, peace, and joy and there is no feeling on this earth greater than the peace that God gives.
So, in closing, all Christians are New Testament Christians. Don't let your denominational or theological teachings tell you different. Trust in Christ and know that He died for your sins and mine. Only He can set you free.
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