and,

The first definition only includes those who profess a belief in Jesus Christ or follow a religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus.

There are also two definitions for profess.

1. To affirm openly; declare or claim:

2. To make a pretense of; pretend:

To openly affirm something simply does not make it so and to pretend a belief in Jesus Christ does not make you a Christian.

As always words have multiple meanings. There are evidently two kinds of Christians. Those who live according to the teachings of Jesus and those who are only pretending to be Christians and are either self deceived or deceived by others or are liars.

If we define a True Christian as one living according to Christ's teachings we may distinguish all others, who only profess Christ but are following something or someone else, by another name. The first definition above of a Christian does not conform to the teachings of Christ. Jesus makes it clear in Mtt. 12:50 when he said, "For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother." This is repeated again in the gospel of Mark Chapter 3 verse 35, "For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother."

Doing the will of God is part of the precepts, doctrine and ordinances of Jesus. If a Christian is one who has repented, turned around and follows Christ's teachings, then one who is not following those teachings is not a Christian.

There are those who say that all you have to do is believe and you are saved. I cannot disagree with that statement but the question is, "Do you really believe or are you just professing, pretending or saying you believe with your mouth but doing contrary to the teachings of Jesus"?

James makes it clear that, "Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?" James 2:18-20.

Before I go further there should be a distinction made between someone who is following Christ and stumbles along the path and one who turns completely around and goes the other way or possibly never has repented at all but has just taken on the name of Christian in vain. The latter is not Christian and may never have been Christian though they profess to be and are members of a religion based on Jesus life.

For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. Mt 24:5

Many religions have risen up who do contrary to what Christ taught though they call themselves Christian.

Jesus made it clear that professing him is not enough. One needed to know and do the will of the Father as opposed to doing works of iniquity.

Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets. But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all [ye] workers of iniquity. Lu 13:26-27

This is not to say we are saved by works but if we have real faith in Christ that faith will generate a certain kind of activity compatible with the teachings of Christ. If it does not then our faith is brought into question as being false. Is this professed faith of those calling themselves Christians true or merely something professed by liars?

James points out in 2:24 that, "Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only." He also says in verse 20, "But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?" If a body has the Spirit of God dwelling in it then it will manifest that Spirit in its works.

"For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also". Jas 2:26

It is fairly clear that the works or deeds of an individual or a body will help us determine whether they are really Christian or not. We see the same precept repeated over and over. It is not what they say they are but what they do that speaks truth.

They profess that they know God; but in works they deny [him], being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate. Tit 1:16

Even Jesus made this idea very clear in the Gospel of John when he spoke to his contemporary ministers of the kingdom of God.

Ye are of [your] father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. John 8:44

Who was he talking about? Jews? At least some of the Jews, yes.

Who were the Jews? Again the same word may be defined several ways.

Some times the word Jew referred to the tribe or Kingdom of Judah of which some of its members were converts to that Kingdom. Judea like Israel was not a religion but a nation and a government. All governments are systems based on faith and allegiance.

Jews, or Ioudaios as it appears in the Greek, means someone belonging to that nation. Jews were the citizens of Judea which was the remnant of God's Kingdom, known earlier as Israel. Jews were not just a bloodline or a race but they were citizens of a country and included many nationalities who had converted or joined that system of government.

The word Jew or Christian today has been associated with religious philosophies that have some basis in the Bible but is not always in conformity to what Moses and Jesus were teaching. Jesus and Moses were in agreement but modern Jews and the Christian are not always in agreement with each other and their founders. Some of those religious Jews have formed a nation called Israel and enjoy dual citizenship much as they did in the days of Rome and Judea.

Jesus said there was a group of Jewish citizens, a powerful faction, who claimed that the patriarch of their nation was God the Father but they were really "liars". They eventually told the truth and denounced the rightful king and therefore his kingdom and proclaimed another ruler.

But they cried out, Away with [him], away with [him], crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Shall I crucify your King? The chief priests answered, We have no king but Caesar. John 19:15

When they denounced the king, one Jesus, and proclaimed another government Benefactor they literally were expatriating and no longer qualified as "Jewish" citizens of God's government. They kept up the show with all the robes and rituals, words and salaries. They continued to run for political offices and to work daily in the temple but they were not Jews. We see them later mentioned in Revelations.

I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and [I know] the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but [are] the synagogue of Satan. Re 2:9

These were the same people who denounced Christ as king and John says they were not Jews but blasphemers. A blasphemer is by definition a "malicious liar". So, it wasn't Jews who killed Jesus but a bunch of "malicious liars" pretending to be Jews.

Is this the same thing that happened in history where Christians supposedly killed Jews?

Christians were considered Jews by Rome as Christ's ministers served the kingdom. They worked daily in the temple and preached the kingdom from synagogue to synagogue. When they deported the Jews under Claudius they also deported the Christians like Paul and Aquila. These Christ loving Jews and converts did not call themselves Christians but rather the followers of the Way. They for the most part were Jews at first and thought of themselves as citizens of the Kingdom preached by Jesus Christ the king. Jesus was the highest son of David and proclaimed the rightful heir to that royal throne by many people, priests and Rome.

A modern Jewish historian once told me that Christianity was an off shoot of Judaism. Well if Jesus was the king then what we call Judaism today was an offshoot of the Kingdom of God and the true Christianity is the kings loyal citizenry.

Those who denounce the king became strangers to the kingdom, even traitors. Jesus, as king, made some very specific royal proclamations to his faithful citizenry.

But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; Mt 5:44

But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and [to] the evil. Lu 6:35

But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. Mt 6:15

Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots. Lu 23:34

But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses. Mr 11:26

Jesus made it clear that we should be a people who forgive not persecute. This was not a new law in the kingdom. Moses had said the same thing centuries before.

Thou shalt neither vex a stranger, nor oppress him: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt. Ex 22:21

[If] ye oppress not the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, and shed not innocent blood in this place, neither walk after other gods to your hurt: Jer 7:6 [Zec 7:10... Mal 3:5.].

For any Christian to attempt to oppress strangers in their midst or persecute or kill people because of their beliefs would be a violation of the basic tenets of True Christianity, the Law of the Anointed King and the judgment of God. Can Christianity be redefined by such apostate activity? Christianity is not defined by Christians but by Christ and such Christians would not be a faction but a fraud. They would not be Christians but would be blasphemers,

Jesus made it clear:

And he said unto them, The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and they that exercise authority upon them are called benefactors. But ye shall not be so: Luke 22:25 [Mt 20:25... Mr 10:42...]

What part of, "ye shall not be so" don't people understand?

The fact is throughout history people calling themselves Christians have been exercising lordship over other people persecuting them, oppressing them, killing them. Not just the Jews but Christians also have suffered. These prevaricators have been giving Christianity a bad name. These are not Christians doing this but pretenders, liars and blasphemers. Their mouth says one thing but their deeds and works another.

Christianity and the Church, called out, and appointed by Christ to serve the kingdom are defined by Christ and those who attempt to redefine them are anti-Christ.

Black's Law Dictionary in the 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th editions says the:

"CHURCH In its most general sense, the religious society founded and established by Jesus Christ, to receive, preserve, and propagate his doctrines and ordinances."
"A body or community of Christians, united under one form of government
by the profession of one faith, and the observance of the same rituals and
ceremonies."

If a "Church" as a body is founded or established by an authority other than Christ then it would not be a Church by this definition.

If it receive, preserve, or propagate someone else's doctrines and ordinances that are contrary to Jesus Christ then it would not be a Church by this accepted definition.

If a body or community was composed of people not following the teachings of Christ it would not be a Church by this definition.

If a Church was not united under one form of government then it would not be a Church by this definition.

This would mean if a Church incorporated by the authority of a state government immediately becomes a "body" [e.g. corpus.] established by an authority other than Jesus Christ. It would no longer be His corporation and by this profession of faith and allegiance to another ruling power would no longer qualify as a Church according to this definition.

If the governing powers that united this Church 'exercised authority' or oppressed the stranger, policies forbidden by Christ, then it would not be Christ appointed Church by his definition.

It would not be very politically correct for Christians to call a particular group of Jews the synagogue of Satan as John did nor call particular groups of Christian the churches of Satan. In truth it could not be classified as hate speech to do so, since, Christians are told to love their enemy and there is nothing more loving than telling someone the truth no matter how much it hurts.

Telling the truth has been the policy of the prophets of God's kingdom from its inception. The truth exposes the lie and dismantles the false altars of apostasy which are first constructed in the minds and hearts of men and women.

As a matter of policy and practice Christians have never persecuted Jews or other Christians. Any organized body who persecuted, oppressed or killed others could not be considered a Faction of Christianity but would be a Fraud.

We know the works and blasphemy of them which say they are Christians, and are not, but are the Church of Satan, e.g. The Adversary of Christ.

After 2000 years of alteration, modification and permutation the modern Church looks little to nothing like that first century Church born out of the teachings and appointments of Christ. A fresh look at what Christ actual taught and propagated as the gospel could undoubtedly raise the persecuting ardor of many modern professing Christians as it once did with professing Ioudaios, Scribe, Pharisees and Sadducees.

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