How can you distinguish between a genuine Christian and a nominal Christian?
If
you do not have the Spirit of Jesus it is impossible to distinguish
between a real Christian and a nominal Christian. Both may speak the
same language, dress in the same way, go to the same church, perform the
same religious activities, play the same sport, live in the same
neighborhood or subdivision.
But one is alive-the genuine
Christian, the other is dead-the nominal one, in the life of the Spirit.
The first is heading to the joys of heaven, the latter to the torments
in hell.
The following indicators therefore are not external
criteria by which we can segregate the genuine Christians from the
nominal ones. They are indicators which we can reflect upon and search
within ourselves to discern whether we are genuine or nominal
Christians.
Of course, the elements in these indicators naturally
and normally surface in the lives of people who are genuine Christians.
But again their manifestations can be imitated by the ingenious nominal
Christian.
For example, we may think that a person who devotes one
hour every day faithfully in praying while kneeling in a church has a
personal, growing love for Jesus. Such may be very deceptive. It may be
true that indeed he has a personal, growing love for Jesus. It may also
be true, as Jesus once commented, that he is pretending to pray long
prayers in the hope of devouring the houses of widows. The Pharisees
were performing long prayers but Jesus told us they were not following
him; they rejected him.
While it is true that there are millions
of Christians who are satisfied and comfortable with their nominal
Christianity, there are a few though who sense that their lives lack
something which they may not be able to pinpoint out or even vaguely
describe. For these few the indicators described here may help them
reflect on their lives and motivate them to search how to live a genuine
Christian life.
It may also happen that a nominal Christian
reading these indicators may come to the realization that what he has
been presuming all along his life, namely, that he is a real Christian,
is an illusion. Upon knowing this he may want to move from nominal to
genuine Christianity.
These indicators are to be taken as an
integrated whole set of indicators, not each one separately. If an
indicator is missing, most probably the person is not a genuine
Christian.
Here are the seven indicators.
1. The person has experienced God speaking to him personally, either through a preacher, a book, or other circumstance.
2.
The person has experienced listening to an explanation of the Bible or
reading it such that he felt his mind was opened. His reaction is: Now I
know, whereas before I did not realize this was the meaning. If he is
literate he has experienced a thirst for reading God's word. If he is
non-literate he has experienced a thirst for listening to the reading of
God's word.
3. The genuine Christian has a personal, growing love
for the person of Jesus the Christ, talking with him with more and more
time of his day.
4. He has a certain or sure conviction of the
forgiveness of his sins, whether past, present or future. He has no fear
of being punished.
5. He has a complete distrust in his works as a means of pleasing God.
6. He has a deep and growing love for other genuine Christians and he seeks out their company.
7.
He has a compassionate love for the non-Christians and the nominal
Christians and desires to bring them to genuine Christian life.
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