Are you a REAL Christian? | Here Are 4 Ways to Prove It
What makes you a Christian? See how you measure up as we identify four specific traits— from the Bible—to define just what is a Christian.
Learn more about following Jesus Christ in true Christianity with our free book, "What Is a True Christian?" https://bit.ly/40BPjpO
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00:00 What Is a True Christian? These 4 Signs Identify True Christians
01:37 1. True Christians Acknowledge Salvation Through Jesus Christ (Acts 4 12)
04:25 2. True Christians Keep God’s Law
07:04 3. True Christians Follow Jesus’ Example (1 John 2 6)
13:10 4. True Christians Overcome and Stop Sinning
I hope you are not offended by this question, but are you a true Christian? How do you know? How does the Bible define a Christian with requirements?
Please be patient with another personal question: Is it possible you could be deceived? After all, doesn’t the Bible say that Satan has deceived the whole world? But how can that be when the world’s largest religion is professing Christianity? And what about Jesus’ warning to beware lest we be deceived?
On today’s program I’ll be exploring, according to the Bible, what is a true Christian? Now stay with me as I’ll be right back to give you four signs of a true Christian and reveal the best one-verse description of what it means to be a Christian.
A warm welcome to all of you from all of us here at Tomorrow’s World, where we look to the Bible for answers to life’s most important questions. We also tell you not to believe us just because we say it, but believe what you see in your very own Bible. And, of course this advice applies to other ministers as well. Believe what you read in your own Bible!
I’ll be giving you four signs of a true Christian, and I’ll also reveal the best one-verse description of what it means to be a Christian.
Most people have regrets over things they’ve done. They instinctively know that some things are wrong. Furthermore, they know that they are guilty of doing wrong. So how does one undo the wrongs he or she has committed?
Some turn to doing good works to erase their past—volunteering at a homeless shelter, giving money to feed the poor, or becoming a warrior against climate change. But does that make them a Christian? By that standard, secular humanists and atheists could be considered Christians. But are we saved by good works? Paul explained:
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast (Ephesians 2:8–9).
It takes more than good works to be a Christian, but is God against good works? Absolutely not! Notice the next verse:
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them (Ephesians 2:10).
God expects good works from those who are saved through faith. Others think that they can be saved by observing ritualistic laws, such as vain repetition of memorized prayers. Again, what do the scriptures say? Paul wrote:
Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified (Galatians 2:16).
By only one name and one way can we be saved, and that name is spelled out in Acts 4:
Let it be known to you all… that by the name of Jesus Christ… this man [that had been healed] stands here before you whole…. Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved (Acts 4:10, 12).
Salvation only comes through Jesus Christ. Therefore sign number 1 is:
1. A true Christian recognizes Jesus as his Savior
This leads us to our second sign of a true Christian:
2. A true Christian keeps the law of God
While justification is needed for salvation, justification does not mean salvation. Justification means our past sins have been forgiven. But what is sin? Dust off your Bible and look it up:
Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law (1 John 3:4, KJV).
Now let’s go back to the passage I quoted earlier in Paul’s letter to the Galatians, a verse often quoted by those who teach that everything has been done for us and that we no longer need to keep the law. As with other passages used to abrogate the law, this one is taken out of context: A man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified (Galatians 2:16).
Was Paul advocating the abolition of law because of grace? Not at all, as we read the verses that follow.
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