Can you be Greek Orthodox and a Christian?
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Can you be Greek Orthodox and a Christian? I guess a Greek Orthodox person might also ask, can you be a Reformed Calvinist and a Christian? The bigger question is ‘What makes a Christian?’
In the year 325AD a group of church leaders got together to answer this very question. At the time there was no division between the Catholic and Orthodox church. There was no split between the Reformers and the Catholics. It was just one church. A people united by their pursuit of a person. Jesus.
This group of church leaders had gathered because of a church leader called Arius who was trying to change the nature of the Godhead. Through a number of gatherings known as church councils the church leaders eventually wrote a document in 381AD called the Nicene Creed.
This document was a clear statement about the nature and work of Jesus. Today this document is still used throughout the Christian world and still brings clarity for what we as Christians believe. The amazing thing is that whether you are Reformed or Catholic, Pentecostal or Russian Orthodox, we all agree on this same document. If you have never read the Nicene Creed, then here is your chance:
Nicene Creed
I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of Heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Only-begotten, begotten of the Father before all ages; Light of Light: true God of true God; begotten, not made; of one essence with the Father, by Whom all things were made; Who for us men, and for our salvation, came down from the heavens, and was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and became man; And was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered, and was buried; And arose again on the third day according to the Scriptures; And ascended into the heavens, and sitteth at the right hand of the Father; And shall come again, with glory, to judge both the living and the dead; Whose kingdom shall have no end. And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Giver of Life; Who proceedeth from the Father; Who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified; Who spake by the prophets. In One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church. I confess one baptism for the remission of sins. I look for the resurrection of the dead, And the life of the age to come. Amen.
For me the real question is whether or not someone has heard the gospel and responded to the gospel through repentance and faith? Is the person of Jesus living and active in a persons life through the work of the Holy Spirit? Has that person recognised their sin and need for a saviour and found forgiveness and healing through the Holy Spirit as they put their trust in Jesus and in his death and resurrection?
Paul in 1 Corinthians 15 tells us what the gospel is:
1 Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.
3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,
I have found that you can be Reformed, Catholic or Orthodox and have a living relationship with Jesus Christ and believe in the gospel. I have also found that it is possible to attend a church that is Charismatic, Pentecostal or maybe Anglican and yet not be a Christian.
The power to save people from their sin and bring people from darkness and into the light and love of Jesus is only found in proclaiming the gospel. The Holy Spirit takes the gospel and he is the one that convicts people of their sin and he is the one that powerfully works in the heart of a person to bring eternal transformation.
Our hope is in Jesus alone. Our mission is to love people and to lead people to Jesus.
Our goal is to proclaim the death and resurrection of Jesus and to help people see their need to turn from sin and trust in Jesus.
I love being on the streets where we help people experience the love of God and lead people to Jesus. Over the years, I have developed a question that helps cut through to the heart of what it means to be a follower of Jesus. I ask people - ‘have you ever asked Jesus into your life?’
For me a true Christian is someone who has a living relationship with Jesus as their Lord and Saviour. It is someone who knows the work of the Holy Spirit in their life as he forgives and fills people with peace, love and eternal life.
I often meet different people who tell me about their church experience. People will tell me that they are Catholic or Pentecostal or that they visited some church one time or that they hate church. I don’t judge. I don’t condemn. I am always positive and often thank people for telling me about their lives.
I then go on to ask the simple question: ‘Have you ever asked Jesus into your life?’ I am always looking at what the response will be to this question that I ask. Very often, I will then go on to give the gospel and give an opportunity for people to respond to the gospel.
Over the years, as I have talked with many thousands of people, I have discovered that a lot of people have never heard the gospel. I have found that people are actually open to Jesus. They just needed someone to tell them. Someone like you.
