I wonder if I am a real Christian. Do I love God or am I trying to use Him as a Fire escape?
Lots of people consider themselves to be Christians. But are they? Not to pass judgment but are we hiding our face behind a mask? Lord I want to be real I prayed. We are living in a world where right and wrong no longer hold any meaning. It seems that every decision made falls on the flip of a coin. A double sided coin, clean on one side, and covered by scars and deception on the other. A Christian at church but at home and in the world, another story, a life of turmoil, pain, anger or deception emerges. Am I chameleon? The reference to the animal is generally a commentary on the person's ability to blend into various social situations, often to mean the person has no true values, or that he quickly abandons them in company if it's convenient to do so. Constantly changing to please or to accommodate others or the situation. We partake this title when we are marked by deliberate deceptiveness especially by pretending one set of feelings and acting under the influence of another. One part of us is looking toward the future and one to the past. Going to Church on Sunday, then on Monday morning forget all about Jesus until next Sunday. Trying hard yet there always seems to be a part of you that is strong enough to linger within, that pulls you back. Loving God with all our heart and longing for more of Him but feeling like a hypocrite some times after all, no one knows but us. Am I a real Christian despised of my situation at home, my personal life or what I had done? Does where you're born determine what you are? I read the quip, someone may be born in a garage, but that doesn't make him a car. Nor does being born in an airport make someone an airplane. Surprisingly living a clean and moral life doesn't make anyone a Christian. God's standard of goodness is very different from our standard. Goodness by itself doesn't make someone a Christian. If goodness were enough, God had no need to send Jesus. Jesus did come to die; He died on the cross to make our forgiveness possible. Church attendance is a mark of a Christian, but does not make one a real Christian. You can give away everything you own and still not be a real Christian. Both baptism and Communion are biblical. God commands Christians to observe these ordinances, but receiving either one won't make you a real Christian. Belief, by itself, doesn't make us a Christian. Praying itself doesn't make someone a real Christian. By reading the Bible alone doesn't mean you are a Christian. If thinking positively, living morally, going to church, giving to others, receiving a sacrament, believing in God, talking about Jesus, praying, and reading the Bible doesn't make us a Christian, then what does? OK what makes me a real Christian? There are three basic principles from God's Word that describe a real Christian. First, the Bible says that a Christian is someone who has found the way of life rather than the way of death. Jesus said, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6). Notice that Jesus does not say he will show you the way. He says, "I am the way!" That way to life is found in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, not in your situation, your surrounding or circumstances. When you become a Christian, you have found the way of life. "What kind of way is this way of life?" It is the way of peace no matter your circumstances. Only God can give you lasting peace. The way of life is also the way of purity. The Bible says, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God" (Matthew 5:8). You may consider yourself a nice person, perhaps the life and soul of the party. But that does not make you a real Christian, because the way of Christ is the way of purity. The way of life in Christ is also the way of love. True love wants the very best for someone no matter what it may cost us. No matter the pain or what it has been done to us. The way of life is also the way of obedience. Jesus is Lord and King because He made us, He gave His life for us and our sins. He always does what is best for us. Wait upon Him, for His plan is perfect. If you are fooling around with sin; if you are playing with immorality; if you are not being truthful in your business; if you are dishonest in your school, in your work, in your play, in your home--then you are derailed from the way of life. No one knows, no one sees, the mask is on. Tear down the veil; bring the mask down to His feet. Lord I want to be a real Christian. Show me my hidden sins. Second, a real Christian is someone who enjoys eternal life. He has a more full and complete life. “What life if I have none?” Jesus said, "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full" (John 10:10). Life with Christ was not only God's original design for us; it is the way He intends for us to live today. That is what makes life with Christ abundant. You may be feeling as “you can’t go on any longer” because of the situation you may be in but rely in the Word of God. First Jesus says, in John 10:28 "I give them eternal life." Second He says, "They shall never perish." And third, "No one can snatch them out of my hand." What more could you want? A real Christian is someone who discovers these three things to be true. Third, you must confess Jesus Christ as your Lord. You cannot inherit faith. It's not enough to say, "My father was a fine Christian, and I was brought up in a fine Christian home." Experience Christ for yourself; experience the fullness of His love! The Bible says: "If you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved" (Romans 10:9-10). Done deal! But how to Be Sure I am a Real Christian? Because your circumstances are not a requirement for salvation. Your situation maybe the process that God is using to take you to the place He wants you to be but does not qualify you or disqualify you from Christianity. People can be religious without being Christians. Christ condemned the religious Pharisees of his day because they hid their real selves behind a facade of religion and external morality. But God isn't into religion or external morality. He's into relationships, inspirational living, and reality. That is, he wants us not only to have a right relationship with Him, but also with each other and with ourselves. He wants us to be real—to see and admit what we truly are so he can help us. God wants to fix us from the inside out. Real Christianity is not a set of rules and regulations. It is experiencing divine love, divine acceptance and divine forgiveness. Should we run from the church because of the way we feel? Of course not! The hospital is for the ill not for the healthy. Do not hide behind a mask. Do not let the mask over take you. “But my circumstances, my feelings, my past…” We are in the world but not part of it. It is ok if on the outside we look like we are doing very well, but on the inside of us we are having major issues? You are not alone; just bring them to the cross. Sooner or later we have to face reality and the truth is that we are one day closer to being caught. We have all sinned and fallen short of God's standard." Sin, however, is not only doing harmful acts. It is anything that falls short of the standard of perfection that God envisioned for us. This includes nursing grudges and other negative emotions, pride, jealousy, mixed motives, etc. Most of us, too, are guilty of sins of omission; that is, not doing what we know we should and could do. Situations or circumstances should not keep you from receiving the fullness of God.

Are you a Real Christian today?

Remember God's goal is not to make us good. It's to make us whole, for only to the degree that we are made whole will our actions, lifestyle, and relationships be wholesome!