What does it mean to be a true Christian?
“Everything God thinks are called facts, everything we think are called opinions!”
1 John 5:3-4
“This is love for God; to obey His commands. And His commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.”
Matthew 7:21-22
“Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in Heaven.”
John 10:4-5
“When he [the Shepherd] has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.”
John 14:15-17, 26
“If you love Me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Counselor to be with you forever – the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept Him, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you know Him, for He lives with you and will be in you...But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.”
John 15:8
“This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.”
1 Corinthians 2:12-14
“We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.”
1 John 2:3-6
“We know that we have come to know Him [Jesus Christ] if we obey His commands. The man who says, ‘I know Him’, but does not do what He commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But if anyone obeys His word, God’s love is truly made complete in Him. This is how we know we are in Him; Whoever claims to live in Him must walk as Jesus did.”
1 John 3:6
“No one who lives in Him [Jesus Christ] keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen Him or known Him.”
1 John 3:10
“This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother.”
Believers are expected to be holy and act differently from this world and if they are not, they should submit themselves to correction and rebuke from more mature Christians; but unbelievers are not held to that standard and are not expected to heed to Christian correction or rebuke -- as they cannot please God in any way (Hebrews 11:6).
Don’t think just because you believe in God you’re a Christian. Even Satan and all the demons recognize God to be God, they just don’t trust their lives to Him, submit to Him as their Lord and Master and certainly don’t obey anything He tells them (James 2:19).
We all fall short of the glory of God because we have all sinned (broken the Ten Commandments), therefore, we are all in need of a Savior, because there is nothing we could ever do to be accepted in the sight of a holy God, except through faith in Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, born of a virgin, who lived a perfect, sinless life, willingly offered to take the blame and punishment of our sins on Himself, then rose again on the Third day to prove He alone is God and has the power to defeat sin and the second death, which is eternal damnation in Hell. A true convert of Christianity is someone who hears the Gospel of Jesus Christ, believes it in its entirety, understands it and repents of their sins (that means turn away from them and forsake them), then asks Jesus to save them from what they rightly deserve -- the wrath of God.
No one except Jesus Christ satisfies the perfection God requires, because only Jesus Christ is sinless, He alone was 100% man and 100% God, while here on earth. Though He was tempted in every way to sin, just as we are, He was without sin. By trusting in Jesus Christ as your only source of true life, eternal life and freedom from the bondage of sin here on earth, you have made a trade, God’s righteousness for your sinful life (2 Cor 5:21). Acknowledging this, a true convert of Christianity will (not perfectly, but will habitually) live only to please God and no longer to please their sinful nature. And from this, they will bear the fruit of the Holy Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Galatians 5:22)
If you’re just now discovering you may not be saved or someone you love may not be saved, then I’ve got GREAT news for you....God’s adoption process is still open! Repent and trust in Jesus today! And teach others to do the same. Read your Bible every day and read the link on your right entitled “Save Yourself Some Pain” to help you get started in your new life with Christ!
