What is the evidence that you ae a genuine christian?

[rose73]

Can someone acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, and at the same time lives a live conforming to the world? Recently I talked with a friend of mine who said she acknowledged Jesus Christ as Lord of her life years back and so she is saved.
she said she had no doubts that she will go to heaven. But she was someone caught up in things of the world and so I pointed out Mathew 7: 21 which says, "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven, she just asked me back who knows what the will of God is?
I was baffled. Isnt necessary to examine our life in the light of the scriptures?. Didnt Jesus tell us to abide in Him? Can a person who says that he /she had an encounter with God and accepted Jesus as saviour continue in a life conforming to the world? Isnt that a big big lie?

 

[Lecrae]

The ultimate test is laid out in 1 John to see if you're a genuine believer or not. Genuine believers will inherit the characteristics told to us in 1 John.

Real believers:

We don't walk in habitual sin (1:5-7)
We acknowledge and confess our sin (1:8-9)
We obey his commands (2:3-5)
We walk as Jesus did (2:6)
We love, we do not hate people (2:9-11)
We do not love the world (2:15)

There are more tests that I didn't mention or missed, so I'd encourage you to read 1 John. It's a short but good read.

 

[just-me]

The ultimate test is laid out in 1 John to see if you're a genuine believer or not. Genuine believers will inherit the characteristics told to us in 1 John.

Real believers:

We don't walk in habitual sin (1:5-7)
We acknowledge and confess our sin (1:8-9)
We obey his commands (2:3-5)
We walk as Jesus did (2:6)
We love, we do not hate people (2:9-11)
We do not love the world (2:15)

There are more tests that I didn't mention or missed, so I'd encourage you to read 1 John. It's a short but good read.

One more. We hate those things that separate our enemies, and neighbors from God because we love them.

 

[Alfa]

It's a big lie! Once you accept Jesus you must walk by the Spirit and not by the flesh Galatians 5:16-24. If you continue with old sinful ways you will not inherit his kingdom but if you follow his commandments and keep from sin especially sexual sin or lust, you will inherit his kingdom. The most valid evidence for a Christian is rejection from friends after giving life to Christ. Your friends will be calling you to do the same old sinful stuff you used to do but since you are a new creature you can't do them anymore so they will look at you like a freak.

Mathew 5:11-12 says, "Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you and falsely say all kinds of of evil things against you for my sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven for they persecuted the prophets before you ".

 

[LovePink]

What saves your soul? What do you think righteousness means and what is justification. Did Jesus Christ die for all of your sins on that cross, taking them out of the way and to the grave, reconciling you to God... or is your sin still a perpetual issue that you have to do something about to receive forgiveness continually? What does being crucified with Christ and being dead to sin mean? Did Jesus satisfying God's justice mean anything by His resurrection, what? And, what does it mean to be a new creature, the one new man? What is the inner man for, if all can be lost from the power of God to mean what He says and do what He promises? Maybe just ask, what is the gospel of your salvation?

The message of Christianity is about rescue & redemption. A new identity before God, thanks to the faith of Christ and His work, His living and doing and dying a horrible death, perfect sacrifice. He paid a great price to rescue us, don't turn to obeying some religious hokey pokey, turn to God, trust God, believe God, rely on God, ask God... He wants you to know, He wants you to have assurance.

 

[LovePink]

Jesus is my righteousness.

 

[just-me]

What saves your soul? What do you think righteousness means and what is justification. Did Jesus Christ die for all of your sins on that cross, taking them out of the way and to the grave, reconciling you to God... or is your sin still a perpetual issue that you have to do something about to receive forgiveness continually? What does being crucified with Christ and being dead to sin mean? Did Jesus satisfying God's justice mean anything by His resurrection, what? And, what does it mean to be a new creature, the one new man? What is the inner man for, if all can be lost from the power of God to mean what He says and do what He promises? Maybe just ask, what is the gospel of your salvation?

The message of Christianity is about rescue & redemption. A new identity before God, thanks to the faith of Christ and His work, His living and doing and dying a horrible death, perfect sacrifice. He paid a great price to rescue us, don't turn to obeying some religious hokey pokey, turn to God, trust God, believe God, rely on God, ask God... He wants you to know, He wants you to have assurance.

Good questions. Salvation is a way of life, understanding the gravity of the alternative. We are saved from a certain death. Every day is the day of salvation denying the flesh, and living in Christ.

Psalm 96:2 (KJV)
[SUP]2 [/SUP]Sing unto the LORD, bless his name; shew forth his salvation from day to day.

2 Corinthians 6:2 (KJV)
[SUP]2 [/SUP](For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)

1 Corinthians 15:31 (KJV)
[SUP]31 [/SUP]I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.

Luke 9:22-23 (KJV)
[SUP]22 [/SUP]Saying, The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be slain, and be raised the third day.
[SUP]23 [/SUP]And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

 

[duewell]

Can someone acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, and at the same time lives a live conforming to the world? Recently I talked with a friend of mine who said she acknowledged Jesus Christ as Lord of her life years back and so she is saved.
she said she had no doubts that she will go to heaven. But she was someone caught up in things of the world and so I pointed out Mathew 7: 21 which says, "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven, she just asked me back who knows what the will of God is?
I was baffled. Isnt necessary to examine our life in the light of the scriptures?. Didnt Jesus tell us to abide in Him? Can a person who says that he /she had an encounter with God and accepted Jesus as saviour continue in a life conforming to the world? Isnt that a big big lie?

conforming to the world? isn't that a big lie?

i must ask why you conform to the world and use the internet. did you write this post on a computer? conformity !! or wait did you eat food produced on earth? conformity !!! are you breathing the air ? conformity!

or wait, maybe i'm not aware of what type of conformity your friend is up to that i can be judgmental about it. could it be that we are still of the world even after our experiences with Christianity. we eat we sleep we work we play we do a lot of things.

i would also add that its not really our job to catch other Christians in a lie. im looking at you catholics and protestants! so many act as gatekeepers to Christianity and don't understand who is at the door when you knock. spend more time worrying about your own conformity to the world and how it effects your faith instead of looking at your friend and questioning theirs.


duewell
mark 4 v 11-13

 

[38miles]

A new identity before God, thanks to the faith of Christ and His work, His living and doing and dying a horrible death, perfect sacrifice. He paid a great price to rescue us, don't turn to obeying some religious hokey pokey, turn to God, trust God, believe God, rely on God, ask God... He wants you to know, He wants you to have assurance.

Rev 2:12, The angel of the church in Pergamos, (known as the compromising church) in which we hear of sacrifice to idols, sexual immorality, and the "hated" Nicolatians, yet to those who repent and overcome, 2:17 is such a beautiful picture of that new identity that we are inheriting.

 

[Simona25]

Can someone acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, and at the same time lives a live conforming to the world? Recently I talked with a friend of mine who said she acknowledged Jesus Christ as Lord of her life years back and so she is saved.
she said she had no doubts that she will go to heaven. But she was someone caught up in things of the world and so I pointed out Mathew 7: 21 which says, "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven, she just asked me back who knows what the will of God is?
I was baffled. Isnt necessary to examine our life in the light of the scriptures?. Didnt Jesus tell us to abide in Him? Can a person who says that he /she had an encounter with God and accepted Jesus as saviour continue in a life conforming to the world? Isnt that a big big lie?

The biggest lie (and arrogance) is someone to think about himself that he is already saved.

 

[38miles]

Isn't that a big big lie?

I think the doctrine of sanctification is instant through Jesus but ongoing through ourselves. The journey we have, and are on, will uniquely effect and shape our faith. Yet we are all on very different journeys. The very idea of being a genuine believer has to be in a true belief that salvation and acceptance in God's kingdom is through Jesus Christ alone. It can't even be that I believe in Him, but that He believes in me. After all, we approach saying, "yes I believe" but it is His word that affirms that truth, not ours.

...comparison can be the thief of joy. I think it can be unwise for us to compare others' journeys to our own, or what we perceive to be God's way with us, especially when we consider salvation. I cannot convict someone else of their sin--that work belongs solely to God. Obviously we need to teach and "be light" to those with less illumination than us, but the evidence that we are genuine is never ours to decide, but God's.

 

[ladylynn]

Condemnation kills - fellowship with God - Our emotional health, physical health. Gives us a burden we no longer have to carry. Jesus has taken the burden of sin for us. We have been freed. Why do we keep trying to do this daily walk in our own strength when Jesus calls us to let Him carry it for us? Why is His yoke easy and His burden light? Is that a promise for us only in the celestial sky in the sweet by and by?


We were first without God in the world. Sin was "imputed" to us by Adam's disobedience.

Abraham was not under the law because it was not given yet. But God called Abraham righteous before Abraham did anything. He was never rebuked for lying about Sarah being his sister. (The king was however held accountable for taking Sarah.) Was Abraham rebuked by God in his life time?

After the law was given people died faster we can notice in the Bible. People then had the law and the knowledge that they sinned along with the guilt and condemnation of sin. Then when Jesus died on the cross, His righteousness was imputed to us for salvation and our daily christian walk. No guilt or condemnation of sin. By an act of Adam we were all sinners. By an act of Jesus, we were made righteous. Completely.

Imputation: (im-pu-ta-shun) the act of imputing or charging; anything imputed or charged, especially in the way of discredit; censure; reproach, insinuation; the doctrine that the sin of Adam is attributed to his posterity, and the righteousness of Christ to the believer.

impute; to charge, attribute, or ascribe, especailly a fault; attribute (sin or righteousness) as derived from another.

NATIONAL
DICTIONARY
self-pronouncing
based on the principles
established by
NOAH WEBSTER
and including a practical guide to
Business English
1938 EDITION

It was surprising the other day when i looked up the word - imputation - after hearing it in a sermon. The 1938 edition is different then the Webster's II New Riverside University Dictionary.

The imputation of sin... How many christians today do not know they have been delivered from the imputation of sin? How entangled r we in guilt and remorse for our sinful behavior even after we confessed? How long has sin and it's confusion held us in it's grip even after we accepted Jesus Christ as Savior?

We believers need to accept now that there is therefore NOW no condemnation. There was condemnation and guilt before Jesus Christ. We are the sons and daughters of Abraham and Sarah as it is written in the Bible. The law is not our task master any longer with it's punishment, guilt, condemnation. We now have FREE access to God through His son Jesus. To not avail ourselves to this GREAT gift is to live a life of doubt and confusion. Looking to our own works even our own minds understanding when we must see ourselves IN JESUS instead in order to walk in the victory of Christ.

There is much more to this salvation that Jesus secured for us even today as we walk on planet earth. To know the love of God is to be free to be what He wants us to be. No condemnation brings joy and freedom as children of God. No longer alienated from God and His promises. Allowed to draw near as sons and daughters (Saints) not sinners. No longer getting what we deserved but getting what Jesus secured for us by HIS sacrafice.

Our daily life and joy and happiness is secure as well as the salvation of our souls when we die in these mortal bodies.

Learning to use Gods unmerited favor and love when we fight the good fight. God has given us weapons. The enemy will seek always to have us question the love and acceptence of God. We have the security of what Jesus did on the cross and now as our high priest Jesus sits at the right hand of the Father ever making intercession for the saints.

When we sin, the blood covers us each and every time.
Like the old hymns "The Cleansing Stream" "There Is A fountain Filled With Blood" continually cleansing over and over. Many of those old time saints had a handle on the grace of God.
The love of God is secured in His Son Jesus for us. We are seen through Christ not having our own righteousness. Taking a hold of these truths and more brings the joy of salvation and the strength to continue here in our lives. The JOY of the Lord is our strength. Not the condemnation of the Lord. Amen. The condemnation is not for His children, it is for those who do not have the Blood of Jesus as a covering. So we must keep giving out the Good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

 

[RedTent]

conforming to the world? isn't that a big lie?

i must ask why you conform to the world and use the internet. did you write this post on a computer? conformity !! or wait did you eat food produced on earth? conformity !!! are you breathing the air ? conformity!

or wait, maybe i'm not aware of what type of conformity your friend is up to that i can be judgmental about it. could it be that we are still of the world even after our experiences with Christianity. we eat we sleep we work we play we do a lot of things.

i would also add that its not really our job to catch other Christians in a lie. im looking at you catholics and protestants! so many act as gatekeepers to Christianity and don't understand who is at the door when you knock. spend more time worrying about your own conformity to the world and how it effects your faith instead of looking at your friend and questioning theirs.

duewell
mark 4 v 11-13

This post isn't about whether your neighbor is showing signs of his Christianity, but what would the evidence be? The internet isn't what God is referring to when scripture says not to conform to the world. That means do you judge what you do by God's word or what the world (media, neighbors, etc.) say.

I think the teachings of todays church are against showing evidence. Churches say that Christ's explanation of law wiped out any law, only what each of us have within us as law after we receive Christ. They say you don't have to check yourself with written law. So such things happens as the pianist in our church is up front in clothes meant to advertise her sexiness, and with most agreeing with the world's definition of tolerance rather than God's definition of it, those of us who object are shouted down.

I can't tell by knowing my neighbors well who is Christian and who isn't, it just doesn't show in most people's life. I think it should. I find the best place to know about a person's spiritual life is in their gossip. I found that spiritually grown people look for the good in others, those without God leading them enjoy discussing the faults.

 

[RedTent]

Abraham was not under the law because it was not given yet. But God called Abraham righteous before Abraham did anything. He was never rebuked for lying about Sarah being his sister. (The king was however held accountable for taking Sarah.) Was Abraham rebuked by God in his life time?

I think this entire line of reasoning is based on this paragraph, and I don't think scripture backs it up. If this was so, Cain and Abel wouldn't know to make any sacrifice, to say nothing of knowing that sacrifice required blood rather than the results of personal labor. Scripture wouldn't tell us that the first thing God did was put his light in the world. God's light includes how it is to operate in our world, or law. Abraham wouldn't have known that his faith had to be so great that if God said to do something, no matter the personal cost to him he could so depend on God's way it was best to obey. That is biblical faith, not something you carry in your head without being able to act on it.

When the ways for humans to live with God's law was written on stone to help them, it wasn't establishing law, for it was only expressing the law established at creation.

 

[38miles]

The internet isn't what God is referring to when scripture says not to conform to the world. That means do you judge what you do by God's word or what the world (media, neighbors, etc.) say.

I understand what you mean, but I also think we want to be careful not to say it "isn't what God is referring to." We live in the world, buy and sell by its currency, enjoy its entertainment, follow the cultural trends that dominate the time. We do that to varying degrees...and I think the first church shows us that we all do conform to the world in ways that we should not, such as the internet. I am sure the internet, TV, etc. are in themselves idols to many believers that, if we were to chart their usage, would mathematically show they spend way more time there than with communing with God and the church. I actually see the internet as the central world-conforming tool that is now ushering in the greatest destructive forces our world and our faith have ever known. Oh technology, thou art the enemy of God! And yet I use it so frequently.

 

[Nick1939]

Hi Rose73 Yes It Is A Big Lie.......

Hi 38Miles In Respond To Your Answer , That It Is Unwise To Compare Others Journeys To Our Owen , And Yet You Say " Obviously We Need To Teach And Be Light ; What I don't Understand Is How Are You Going To Do That Without Telling Them Their Journeys Is Leading Them To Destruction And Ask Them To Repent As In Luke13:5 Unless You Repent Ye Shall ALL Likewise Perish ?. Again In 2 Cor 13:5 Examine Yourselves Unless Ye Are Disqualified; 1 John 4:1 Test The Spirits; 1 John 5:13 A Christian Knows He / She Have Eternal Life...So Rose73 is Right In Telling Her Friend That She Can Not Fight Two Fronts The Flesh And The Spirit Gal 5:16-20 ,, God Bless.....

 

[RedTent]

I understand what you mean, but I also think we want to be careful not to say it "isn't what God is referring to." We live in the world, buy and sell by its currency, enjoy its entertainment, follow the cultural trends that dominate the time. We do that to varying degrees...and I think the first church shows us that we all do conform to the world in ways that we should not, such as the internet. I am sure the internet, TV, etc. are in themselves idols to many believers that, if we were to chart their usage, would mathematically show they spend way more time there than with communing with God and the church. I actually see the internet as the central world-conforming tool that is now ushering in the greatest destructive forces our world and our faith have ever known. Oh technology, thou art the enemy of God! And yet I use it so frequently.

I see your point. But to use myself as an example, I use the internet a lot, but it is Christ centered. I find e-sword an easy way to get around the bible, it lets me compare translations, it enhances my bible study no end. I found a bible study course theology students use, it is in depth and accurate. It makes my bible class at church seem like kindergarten. If I have a question about the bible, there are many on the net who give opinions about it, so I don't need to take only the opinion of the few people I know but I get many pros and cons on it and can look to scripture between them. By looking at the source of the information, I can assess their bias to better know to listen or not. I have access to resource books that would cost me thousands of dollars.

 

[38miles]

Nick - reading Rose's post, it says her friend is "caught up in the things of this world" but I'm not sure what that means, or to what degree. We are all caught up in this world to some degree. Do you agree? Rose only says she was "baffled" when her friend asked, "who knows the will of God?" in reference to her own belief of salvation through Christ and the Lord's sovereign will in being the ultimate decider when it comes to those who profess belief in Him. I don't find fault in her response...none of us can say He says "well done good and faithful servant" until He does. That's his line, not ours. We're merely walking in hope of that.

God's light, His image, destroys us the moment we see it, right? Man's eyes cannot gaze upon The Lord or he will perish. We, when our journey is one of daily sanctification and reckoning, experience greater illumination as God's spirit dwells in us more deeply. My only point is that if another believer, perhaps dimmed down quite a bit because of sin, life experiences, incorrect teachings, etc., sometimes we need to adjust our light so as not to destroy them. Maybe it doesn't make sense...I've been on the internet too long already.

 

[Bazman]

I see your point. But to use myself as an example, I use the internet a lot, but it is Christ centered. I find e-sword an easy way to get around the bible, it lets me compare translations, it enhances my bible study no end. I found a bible study course theology students use, it is in depth and accurate. It makes my bible class at church seem like kindergarten. If I have a question about the bible, there are many on the net who give opinions about it, so I don't need to take only the opinion of the few people I know but I get many pros and cons on it and can look to scripture between them. By looking at the source of the information, I can assess their bias to better know to listen or not. I have access to resource books that would cost me thousands of dollars.

Hi Red Tent. Do you have the website that is e-sword sounds like a useful tool.

 

[38miles]

Red - I am right there with you brother. I have a rotation of about 10 different teachers I listen to throughout the week: Patrick, MacArthur, Chandler, Gillis, Driscoll, Piper, etc, through apps. Then I spend a good deal of time walking through courses on Bill Mounce's wonderful biblicaltraining.org -- so wonderful...if you haven't checked it out, DO!