by Kimberly Due-Vacco

Created on: August 31, 2009   Last Updated: September 05, 2009

What makes a person a true Christian? Good question. Let's get the boring part over with as we first examine the words true and Christian. Christian means - a follower of Jesus Christ. The word true means real or consistent with. If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, then you are, by definition, a Christian. I don't personally think that Christian needs the adjective true before it. There is no true or false about it, it is a non-ambiguous state of being; you either are a believer/follower or you are not. However, for the sake of argument, let's go to the scripture to find out how a true Christian is defined.

Jesus never put any caveats on who could be his follower. There were no political restrictions, nor any based on gender or race or sexual orientation. Romans 3 clearly states that there is no difference in a person one to another when it comes to faith; everyone is the same in the eyes of God. Jesus himself says in John 12:46 "I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness." (emphasis mine)

It is hard to imagine that God is no respecter of persons, but our faith teaches us that it is true. The person next door whom we view, for whatever reason, as condemned or a false Christian, is just likely to be sitting next to us in heaven. God keeps no account of rights or wrongs. We are all justified through faith in Jesus (Galations 2); nothing more is required. If we could gain righteousness through the law, then Jesus died in vain.

Our hearts are what mark us as Christian, because that belief starts in the heart and predominately resides there, since a lot of faith in Christ cannot be reasoned out in one's head; it is the hope in the unseen (unreasonable) that gives us our faith. Proverbs 4:23 says that above all else we should guard our hearts because our hearts are the wellspring of life. So, it stands to reason, that if we have belief in our hearts, our actions will follow.

To follow Christ is to desire to be like Christ. The attributes of Jesus should be evident in our life if we are a Christian. Those attributes can be found in the fruit of the spirit, which are: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Those attributes have nothing to do with politics, race, sexual orientation or gender, because, again, Jesus had no bias based on these things; all were welcome to sit at his feet and to call themselves his followers.

So next time we are tempted to proclaim someone else a false Christian, it might behoove us to stop, pray and reflect on our own outward manifestation of the fruit of the spirit. It helps us keep things in perspective and our own pride in check when someone disagrees with us on theological matters. We have to remember that believers are all one in God's spirit. He is the one to judge the heart of someone else, and their true Christianity, not us.

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