How can anyone really define what a REAL Christian is?
Well, I cannot.
But God, and more specifically His word, can and does.
And we can look at the earliest Christians and their groups of fellowships throughout the Roman Empire of the first century.
As you read this, some of you will come to realize that no, you really don’t know Christ, or more importantly, Christ doesn’t know you. Others of you will be steadily reassured that yes, you do indeed know Christ and most importantly He knows you.
Matthew 7:22-23
Many will say to Me on that day [when I judge them], ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, and driven out demons in Your name, and done many miracles in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them publicly, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who act wickedly.’”
So, my reason for writing this is to open your eyes to the reality of what it means to follow Christ, to be a REAL Christian according to God's word.
Today, in our post-Christian culture, there is very little talk of what it really means to be a REAL Christian.
What percent of the population is Christian?
In 2019 according to the Pew Research Center 65% of America claims to be Christian.
This is absurd.
We, as REAL Christians, MUST proclaim and live out the TRUTH of God’s word!
What percent of self-identified Christians are REAL Christians?
According to a 2022 study, “The State of Theology” by Ligonier Ministries and Lifeway Research:
Four statements to which respondents must strongly agree to be categorized as evangelical:
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The Bible is the highest authority for what I believe.
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It is very important for me personally to encourage non-Christians to trust Jesus Christ as their Savior.
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Jesus Christ’s death on the cross is the only sacrifice that could remove the penalty of my sin.
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Only those who trust in Jesus Christ alone as their Savior receive God’s free gift of eternal salvation.
God learns and adapts to different circumstances…
Agree - 51% Christians / 48% “Evangelical Christians”
“Jesus was a great teacher, but he was not God.”
Agree 43% of “Evangelical Christians”
“The Bible, like all sacred writings, contains helpful accounts of ancient myths but is not literally true.”
Agree - 53% Christians / 26% of Evangelical Christians
“Religious belief is a matter of personal opinion; it is not about objective truth.”
Agree - 38% of Evangelical Christians
“God accepts the worship of all religions, including Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.”
Agree - 56% of Evangelical Christians
So the question, “Does a person really have to go through Jesus to have eternal life?” has clearly become questioned within the realm of Psuedo-Christianity today.
And it seems that very few pastors, leaders, and fellow Christians are concerned with confronting and warning others.
If you call yourself a Christian because you go to a church, whether it be twice a year, every week, or multiple times a week for that matter; this DOES NOT mean you are a Christian.
Because your parents are or were Christians DOES NOT mean you are a Christian.
Because you were baptized, touched the pope, or even went to seminary, still DOES NOT mean you are a Christian.
Belief in and recitation of creeds and confessions DOES NOT mean you are a Christian.
Even if you combine ALL these things, AND are a really good person, feeding the poor and homeless, helping the down and out and those in prison, giving money to various charities..., it DOES NOT mean you are a Christian.
After being confronted with God's words to the prophet Ezekiel, I was compelled that this book had to be written.
Ezekiel 33
And the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 2 “Son of man, speak to the sons of your people [who are exiled in Babylon] and say to them, ‘If I bring a word on a land, and the people of the land take one man from among them and make him their watchman, 3 and he sees the sword coming on the land, and he blows the trumpet and warns the people, 4 then whoever hears the sound of the trumpet and does not take warning, and a sword comes and takes him away, his blood will be on his [own] head. 5 He heard the sound of the trumpet but did not take warning; his blood shall be on himself. But if he had taken warning, he would have saved his life. 6 But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet and the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any one of them, he is taken away because of his corruption and sin; but I will require his blood from the watchman’s hand.’
7 “Now as for you, son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; so you shall hear a message from My mouth and give them a warning from Me. 8 When I say to the wicked, ‘O wicked man, you will certainly die,’ and you do not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man will die because of his sin; but I will require his blood from your hand. 9 But if you on your part warn the wicked man to turn from his [evil] way and he does not turn from his [evil] way, he will die in his sin; but you have saved your life.
I write this book as a plea to my friends, family, countrymen, and the rest of humanity.
Turn from your wicked ways and repent, follow Christ and enter the Kingdom of God.
Your children and grandchildren are and will be reaping the harvest of what has been sown. The only hope for you or anyone else is to LEAVE the kingdoms of men and ENTER The Kingdom of God.
Let me state emphatically right up front; Salvation is NOT by works in any way, shape, or form. A person is justified or “made right” before God purely by God’s grace alone through His gift of faith alone in Jesus Christ alone for His applied righteousness. A person is NOT justified by their works because this would give a person reason to boast.
Ephesians 2
8 For it is by grace [God’s grace] that you have been saved [actually delivered from judgment and given eternal life] through faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [not through your own effort], but it is the [undeserved] gift of God; 9 not as a result of [your] works [nor your attempts to keep the Law], so that no one will [be able to] boast or take credit in any way [for his salvation].
You can not DO anything to gain justification [right standing with God]. Right standing with God can only be obtained through God’s grace alone by His gift of Faith alone in Jesus as Christ/King alone and His finished work of atonement on the cross for your sins.