Newsflash! There are fake Christians. Yep. This is no surprise I’m sure. There are lots of people who call themselves Christians but within that group there is a subset that I refer to as the true disciples of Christ. So how do we tell the sheep from the goats or the wheat from the tares? Let me introduce you to the Acme Christian Test.
But before I do that, sniffing out fake Christians doesn’t in itself seem very…well..Christian so let’s change the question… How can I tell if I’m a real Christian? I’m so glad you asked. Here’s how:
I’m going to bring together a few concepts from the bible that hinges on this passage:
John 15:1-8
1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. 7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.
Voila! I’m sure you see verse 8 jumping right out at you. Jesus’ disciples bear much fruit which is proof (evidence) that they are:
- Connected to the vine (Jesus), and;
- Being pruned
Let’s focus on the fruit first. What is this fruit? For that we will turn to another passage:
Galatians 2:22-23
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
So, the first part of the test of a real Christian is to ask yourself if you are exhibiting the following qualities:
- Love
- Joy
- Peace
- Patience
- Kindness
- Goodness
- Faithfulness
- Gentleness
- Self-control
Spend some time on each word. Do some introspection. I find that some of them make me wince a bit (or a lot) while others I feel I’m ok with. That last one, self-control, always makes me cringe. Ouch. But we need to be bearing all the fruit not just a few.
However, bearing fruit is not enough, we also need to be pruned. The second part of the test is to ask yourself if you have been increasing in these qualities. We may all start at different places so a snapshot of a point in time is not really the acid test. Let me illustrate. If I came from a really bad home situation where all the examples around me contained very little of these qualities, I might be quite impatient. Maybe it’s so bad that a single badly chosen word triggers a violent response from me. On the other hand, if Jane was raised in a wonderfully loving home it might take quite a lot to even get her to become angry. Now, Jane and I both convert to Christianity at the same time and after a year through the work of the Holy Spirit I’ve stopped beating up people, but I still get angry pretty easily compared to Jane. But the comparison with each other is irrelevant. The true comparison is with our former selves.
The true disciple is in a constant process of transformation that leads to more and more fruit. Jesus calls it pruning so that we bear more fruit. All true disciples (branches that bear fruit) are pruned. So, you want to know if you are a true Christian? Look back and examine yourself. Do you have more joy, more peace? Have you become gentler, kinder? The moment you stop growing is the moment you were a Christian. You see, a person living in constant contact with Christ cannot help but be transformed. Relationship with Christ changes you at the most fundamental level.
I have found that these are not the questions that trouble most Christians and that troubles me. We are caught in a quagmire of doctrine and religion. The fake tests for fake Christians are for the fake fruits:
- Church/mass attendance
- Bible verses memorized
- Doctrinal accuracy
- Spiritual gifts
- What church/denomination you belong to
- Not going to parties
- Political affiliation
None of these are fruit. They are not evidence that you are being transformed by Christ. They are not even evidence that you have any relationship with Christ. Measuring yourself by such external attributes leads to destruction:
Matthew 7:15-23
15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. 18 A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus you will recognize them by their fruits. 21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’
Every day I have to ask myself, am I a real Christian?
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