Christian - guilty or not

“Christian,” “saved” and “born-again” are terms which are misunderstood and misused. These terms have sadly become widespread and are glibly thrown around with little or no significance.

If you were accused of being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?

Do you call yourself a Christian but look, talk, and act just like the World?

Do you love the world, your money, and your possessions? Do they mean more to you than the Lord Jesus Christ? Do you have a stronger desire for the things of this world than you do for God's Word?

1 John 2:15

"Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him"

A lot of people say they believe in God, but what would prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that they really do have faith in God? Faith is also more than just believing an idea. If you simply acknowledge that Jesus existed and died on the cross then that is not a definition of faith.

Faith is not optimism either - I can say all day long that “I believe” a chair will probably hold me up, if I stand on it, but that is certainly not faith, that’s merely optimism. True faith would be for me to go over and actually stand on the chair with confidence.

If you say that you are saved, that you’re a Christian, but nothing has changed in your life, then you have reason to question whether you have really exercised genuine faith in Jesus Christ.

Have you felt the conviction of the Holy Spirit over an issue of sin in your life and then repented?
Have you grown in love, joy, peace, patience and kindness?

The Holy Spirit is our unity with God, our source of communication from God, and the guarantee that we are His children. The Holy Spirit is promised to those who receive Jesus Christ as their lord and saviour. Either you have the Holy Spirit within or you don’t!!! Either God lives in your heart or He doesn’t. Either you are saved or you are not.

Faith without works is dead – it’s not real faith, its empty words. Genuine faith is believing God and responding in obedience to Him. A true born again Christian will display fruits of the spirit.

The Fruits of the Spirit is God's love and work in us, the love of Christ flowing in through His Holy Spirit. All because we have a personal relationship with Christ, we have God's living presence in us. The result is we have the ability to reflect His character.

Galatians 5:22-23

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law".

No one produces these amazing fruits of the spirit by themselves. Trying harder to be godly will never work. Character transformation occurs when we submit to God, giving Him complete control of our lives. Only then will the Holy Spirit be free to produce fruit within us as children of God.