“This is a Christian country. I go to a Christian church. I believe in God and the Bible, so what right have you to judge me and tell me I’m not a Christian?”
A question like this must be handled with care. It is certainly possible to
conclude from a person’s life and actions that they are not living in a
Christlike way; it may be discerned and pointed out that their beliefs about
salvation and the Christian life are not in harmony with what the Bible
teaches. But ultimately the question of whether a person is a ‘real’ Christian
or not can be answered only by God, or in the case of a genuine child of God, by the individual believer.
Those who lack saving faith may not even be fully aware of it themselves.
In Matthew 13:24-30 Christ tells a parable about weeds growing up in a field of wheat. These weeds look exactly like wheat as they mature, and the farmer must wait until the harvest to tell the two apart.
In the same way, only God is fully able to tell the difference between real believers
and those who only pretend to belong to Him. The “harvest time” when He will
make that distinction clear to all is the Day of Judgment. Our human powers of
observation are limited, so until that day, we cannot presume to be certain
about who is truly saved and who is not. We can only be sure of our own
relationship with God.Those who lack saving faith may not even be fully aware of it themselves.
We can, however, examine the scripture to make sure we know what a Christian is.
The Bible says that believing in God does not make a person
a Christian. “You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that — and shudder”.
It is not enough to simply believe that a God exists, or even to believe that
He is the God described in Scripture. If we truly believe in God, we must
listen to what He says and do His will. “For My Father’s will is that everyone
who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will
raise Him up at the last day”.
Salvation is found only through faith in Jesus Christ, not by church attendance or good works.
Salvation is found only through faith in Jesus Christ, not by church attendance or good works.
Although some people have been taught or brought up to
believe that Christianity is a matter of culture or church affiliation, the
Bible — and indeed Christ Himself — clearly teaches otherwise.
RJA
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