Are you a real Christian or just a fake?
Yes, you might have prayed the sinners’ prayer, but did you mean it, or was it just taking out eternal life insurance for when you die? Are you serving God, or are you continuing to serve the world as you have in the past?
Genuine Christians should live according to biblical principles. Any “Christian” who does not live by these principles may not actually be a Christian. Just because someone claims to be a Christian does not automatically mean that they are Christian! Be discerning!
Note that while good works themselves cannot save you, they are the evidence of your salvation in Christ. Faith without any works is demonstrated to be dead (James 2:17-26). Your commitment itself to the Christian life won’t save you, but it will demonstrate the genuineness of your saving faith in Christ.
The world is an enemy of the genuine Christian
If your worship is acceptable to the world, then it cannot be acceptable to genuine Christians. The world system hates the genuine Christian, and the genuine Christian has no love for the world (1 John 2:15).
“If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, ….. therefore the world hateth you.” (John 15:19)
The world is the enemy, not the friend, of the genuine Christian.
“whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.” (James 4:4)
So, if you or your worship is acclaimed by the world, then it probably isn’t very Christian! You will either love the world or you will love God. You cannot do both!
So what is a biblical Christian?
They must have called upon the name of the Lord to be saved (Romans 10:13). No matter what terminology is used, it must come down to this one simple fact:
Romans 10:9-10; 13 – 9That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
13For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Becoming a Christian is a covenant between you and God
If you call upon the name of the Lord, you are making a contractual agreement with God, by which God promises to save you to the uttermost (Hebrews 7:25) and to never leave you nor forsake you (Hebrews 13:5). But contracts involve commitment by both parties. You as the saved Christian should also abide by the requirements of this covenant. And, that includes taking up your cross of suffering, following Jesus, denying yourself and forsaking the world.
Matthew 16:24 – Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any [man] will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
Praying is easy but the commitment is tough.
Praying a simple prayer from the heart might be easy, but it must lead into a commitment to live the Christian life. You must take up your cross of suffering, follow Jesus, deny yourself and forsake the world, without which you cannot be Jesus’ disciple (Luke 14:27), nor are you worthy of being called by Jesus’ name (Matthew 10:38). When the going gets tough, the tough Christian gets going!
Living the Christian life is tough
Living the Christian life is not for the faint-hearted! Being saved might be as simple as calling upon the name of the Lord, but living the Christian life is tough. It means suffering and trials (1 Peter 2:21; 2 Timothy 3:12). It means taking up your cross, following Jesus, denying yourself and forsaking the world. It means accepting your side of the salvation covenant that you have made with God.
And, if you want to follow Jesus, then you should live like Him.
Matthew 16:24 – Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any [man] will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
Also Luke 14:33.
If you don’t take up your cross, you cannot be Jesus’ disciple.
If you aren’t prepared to take up your cross of suffering, you cannot be Jesus’ disciple. If you think that being a Christian is all fun and no pain, then think again.
Jesus said “And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:27) That is, if you love the comforts of this present world too much (like Demas did – 2 Timothy 4:10), then you are not an acceptable disciple of Jesus. A genuine Christian has to get out of his comfort zone!
If you do not take up your cross, you are not worthy of being a Christian.
If you don’t want to suffer for the sake of Christ who suffered for you, do not bother applying for this task. Clearly being a Christian is not a fair-weather task. It could cost you your possessions, your job, your family, even your life. If you cannot make this commitment, then you may not be a genuine Christian.
“And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.” (Matthew 10:38)
If you don’t forsake all your worldly goods, you cannot be Jesus’ disciple
If you love anything in this world more than your love for God, if you cannot bear to give up worldly possessions in order to serve God, if your worldly security is too important to you, then you cannot be Jesus’ disciple. “So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:33)
A genuine Christian should let go of anything that is in conflict with his worship of God. That even includes his family and loved ones. “He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.” (Matthew 10:37)
The genuine Christian fulfills his side of the contract with God
The true Christian will take up his call to suffer for the sake of Christ his Master.
1 Peter 2:21 – For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:
If you aren’t suffering for Christ, then you may not be the genuine Christian you claim to be.
Also, it is the good Christians, the godly ones, who are most likely to suffer.
2 Timothy 3:12 – Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
Are you suffering for the sake of Christ? If not, then why not?
The mark of the genuine Christian
You will have prayed (from the heart) to God to save you through Christ. This is essential, for God will not save you unless you call upon Him to save you (Romans 10:13). But, in praying the sinners’ prayer, you are accepting the conditions of the covenant that you are asking God to make with you. Those conditions are tough and demanding. They may cost you everything you have. But unless you accept those conditions when you pray the sinners’ prayer, then your prayer may not be genuine. Even the genuine Christian can stumble and fall at times, but you should never lose that desire for a genuine commitment to Christ. And it is this desire that will lead you to confess your sins to be forgiven (1 John 1:9). A genuine Christian can never be satisfied with worldly living.
The genuine Christian has genuine salvation and eternal life
If your desire to be saved does not include a desire to forsake all and suffer with Christ, then your prayer may be just so much hot air. If you think that you need to pray that prayer as life insurance for when you die, but intend to live your worldly life until then, then do not be surprised if you are denied that eternal life in the judgment. Not everyone who claims to be Christian will be accepted. If you genuinely want God to save you, then you must also genuinely commit yourself fully to God. If you love God, then you will obey His commandments (John 14:15). If you think you are saved but have little or no thought of living your life for God, then your sinners’ prayer may have been false. Works in themselves cannot save you, but faith without works is dead (James 2:17). And not everyone who thinks they are saved are really saved!
Matthew 7:21-23 – 21Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 22Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
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