How to tell a True Christian From a Fake One

 

Many people call themselves "Christians" these days. Yet so few really are. It's gotten so bad that I no longer want to call myself a Christian, but rather a follower of Jesus. When I first got saved nearly 30 years ago, I was naive when it came to Christians. I just assumed everyone loved the Lord as much as I did and wanted to serve Him. Boy, was I wrong!  But how do you tell the true Christians from the fake ones? I found my answer in 1 John. I'll list several verses below that speak for themselves. Please don't just skim them. Read them all, asking for discernment and wisdom! (All passages taken from the Classic Amplified version)

If we say we are partakers together and enjoy fellowship with Him when we live and move and are walking about in darkness, we are speaking falsely and do not live and practice the Truth.  1 John 1:6

 Whoever says, I know Him but fails to keep and obey His commandments (teachings) is a liar, and the Truth of the Gospel is not in him.
But he who keeps (treasures) His Word [who bears in mind His precepts, who observes His message in its entirety], truly in him has the love of and for God been perfected (completed, reached maturity). By this we may perceive (know, recognize, and be sure) that we are in Him:
 

Whoever says he abides in Him ought  to walk and conduct himself in the same way in which He walked and conducted Himself. I John 2:4-6

 

Do not love or cherish the world or the things that are in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in him. v 15

As for you, keep in your hearts what you have heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the first dwells and remains in you, then you will dwell in the Son and in the Father [always]. V 24  (I included this verse because of the IF qualifier, showing that we must keep ourselves in the Lord. Because it says IF, that means we can walk away)

 No one who abides in Him, who lives and remains in communion with and in obedience to Him—deliberately, knowingly, and habitually commits (practices) sin. No one who habitually sins has either seen or known Him recognized, perceived, or understood Him, or has had an experiential acquaintance with Him. 1 John 3:6

 No one born (begotten) of God [deliberately, knowingly, and habitually  practices sin, for God’s nature abides in him and he cannot practice sinning because he is born (begotten) of God.
 By this it is made clear who take their nature from God and are His children and who take their nature from the devil and are his children: no one who does not practice righteousness [who does not conform to God’s will in purpose, thought, and action] is of God; neither is anyone who does not love his brother (his fellow believer in Christ). v 9-10

 We know absolutely that anyone born of God does not deliberately and knowingly practice committing sin, but the One Who was begotten of God carefully watches over and protects him [Christ’s divine presence within him preserves him against the evil], and the wicked one does not lay hold (get a grip) on him or touch [him]. 1 John 5:18 

 

I think these Scriptures are pretty clear. True born-again believers in Jesus do not purposely and habitually practice sin. Yes, we all sin, most of us probably everyday, but the difference are the words, purposely and habitually, which indicates a sin that we knowingly do all the time. Some examples might be watching porn, stealing things from your workplace, cheating on taxes, sleeping with people outside of marriage, practicing homosexuality, idol worship (putting anything above God), lying, gossiping, cussing, temper tantrums, etc.  Also true born again believers do not love this world or the things of this world more than Jesus.

 

Alternatively, on the positive side, we can spot a true Christian as someone who practices righteousness and who loves his fellow Christian, someone who walks in obedience to the will and purpose of the Lord. This doesn't have to be a perfect person. This can even be someone who struggles with sin and various weaknesses. But the difference is that this person loves the Lord Jesus with all their heart and is continually growing in Him and learning to overcome sin, the devil, and their own weaknesses as they mature. They do not habitually sin, but rather when they mess up, they quickly repent and ask the Lord's help the next time. They want to please their Savior more than anything and they are constantly allowing Him to change them into His image.

 

Sometimes you have to hang out with someone for awhile to make this determination, but eventually, they will show their true colors. Why am I posting about this? Bad company corrupts, and the Bible is clear that we are not to hang out with people who say they are Christians but aren't true believers. The only caveat to that is that we can friendly to non-believers with the goal of getting them saved.