I have often pointed out that there is a difference between being a child of God and being a Christian. As strange as it might sound, not all who are God’s children are Christians, although one must be in God’s family to be a Christian. To enter God’s family one must obey the gospel of Christ. Obedience to the gospel involves hearing the gospel, believing its message (that Jesus is the Son of God), repenting of one’s sins, confessing one’s faith with the mouth, and being buried in baptism. To substantiate these requisites as being a part of obeying the gospel, look at the following passages: John 6:44, 45; Mark 16:16; Luke 13:3; Romans 10:10; Acts 2:38.
Anyone who will follow these passages will be added to God’s family. However, many, who become God’s children, do not live as they should. Paul summed up the Christian’s responsibility after being baptized into Christ in Rom. 6:4 where he writes that we should “walk in newness of life.” Genuine Christians do not pick up their same old lifestyle after obeying the gospel. They put off the old man and put on the new (Ephesians 4:22-24). They become new creatures in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17).
Those who refuse to walk worthy of their new vocation, as Paul urged (Ephesians 4:1), are not Christians. Yes, they are in God’s family, for once one becomes a child of God, he will always be a child of God, at least while here on earth. However, this does not mean that one will always be in fellowship with God. When one begins to live a life that is contrary to God’s will, he loses the fellowship with God that was achieved when he obeyed the gospel (1 John 1:5-7).
Who has fellowship with God? Christians, i.e., those who are walking in the light. It is not the case, though, that all of God’s children who profess to walk in the light, are doing so, and those who are not walking in the light, are not really Christians. So, what are some things involved in being a genuine Christian?
ONE WHO LOVES THE LORD
There is no way for a person to be a Christian without truly loving Christ. A Christian trusts and obeys the Lord. He has resolved to follow in His footsteps, that is, to imitate His way of living, or to pattern himself after the great example set forth by our Lord (1 Peter 2:21). Who will follow one whom he does not love? Such a following, void of admiration, respect, and love, would only be temporary. When things are not just the way this follower wants them to be, he will simply quit following. Do you remember those who followed Jesus after He fed them miraculously? They followed Him for the wrong reason—not because they loved Him, but because He filled their bellies (John 6:26). When Jesus said some things that these followers did not like, they stopped following Him. John said, “From that time many of His disciples went back, and walked no more with Him.” They did not love Him, did they? This will most likely be the result of all those who Love not the Lord. Their following will be temporary.
ONE WHO OBEYS THE LORD
Obeying the Lord goes hand in hand with loving Him because a lack of obedience is a sure sign of a lack of love. Jesus declared, “If ye love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15). It is those who love and obey Jesus who are true Christians. They are the ones who shall reap the joys of eternal life. The Hebrews writer said that Jesus is the author of eternal salvation for all that obey Him (Hebrews 5:9). The Hebrews writer understood that salvation was only promised to the obedient, for they are the genuine Christians in the world. As far as the disobedient are concerned, the only promise they have is to be punished with everlasting destruction (2 Thessalonians 1:8, 9). Will there be some in the family of God who shall experience that dreadful fate? Yes! Will there be genuine Christians who experience everlasting destruction? No! Why? Because true Christians obey God.
ONE WHO IS A SERVANT OF CHRIST
Finally, a genuine Christian is one who willingly serves Christ. I know that obeying Christ and serving Christ sound redundant, but there is a difference. Serving has to do with one’s attitude, and one’s attitude has a lot to do with whether or not a person is a Christian. A person who realizes that he is a servant of Christ will strive to serve Him in every way. He will not simply obey direct commandments from the Bible, he will go the extra mile in trying to further the cause here on earth. Paul was a servant of Jesus Christ. Thus, he served Christ by serving others because he knew that it was in the best interest of the cause of Christ to do so. Paul had the mind of Christ, and it was that mind that truly made him Christ-like.
Are you a genuine Christian? If not, why not become one while there is still time to do so?