1 Corinthians 6:9-11

Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men, nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

It is often very difficult to know for sure who are the believers in Christ and who are not. It can be very confusing because of christian doctrines and beliefs. There are many who work and live within church congregations who have never surrendered their hearts to Jesus Christ, and they know how to play the game of 'church' very well.

They know the scriptures, they remember the pastor's sermons, they serve on the board of trustees, they are deacons and deaconesses, they are volunteers at many of the churches events and functions, they go to bible study and worship in the sanctuary every Sunday, but they have never loved and carried the Lord Jesus in their hearts.

How do we know the real Christians from the fake Christians? The real answer is that we will not know for sure if everyone in our lives believes the word of God, because we cannot see into their hearts; we are not God.

The Lord knows that we do not have the capacity to live perfect lives, but He does expect us to live through His Son, Jesus Christ, and with the Holy Spirit in our hearts, we should be able to live according to God's standards. We may not be able to say for certain who is and who is not a citizen of the Kingdom of God, but there are signs that should let us know that someone is on the path to righteousness.

How people live their lives is an indicator of what they believe. God's word is the standard for living righteously, but if a believer of Jesus Christ neglects to read the word, or to obey the promptings of the Holy Spirit, then their lives will not be any different from unbelievers. These are the characteristics that best support the claims of any person who professes to believer in Jesus Christ:

Joy-Happiness or Contentment-Love-Peace-Patience-Kindness-Goodness-Faith-Gentleness-Self Control-Obedience-Spiritual Maturity-Humility-Peacemakers & Encouragers-Giving & Caring-Purity-Lovers of God

Once you see qualities of these in yourself and in others that are around you, you can be certain that these people are on the right path and are living through the power and authority of Jesus Christ.

However, if you see other qualities in yourself or in the people around you, you may be surrounded by believers with arrested spiritual development or they may be fake Christians:

Prideful-Hateful-Full of Anger & Argumentative-Unchecked Jealousy-Self Righteous-Lustful & Greedy-Selfish-Full of Strife & Willfully Causing Divisions Within the Church-Highly Religious & Critical of Others-Worshiping Religion and not God or His Son, Jesus Christ-No Purity in Thoughts & Actions-No Spiritual Growth & Ignorance of God's Standards for Every Day Living

You generally will not see the fakers acting this way on Sunday in the church service, but you could find them doing many different things outside the church when they believe no one else can see them. They do not realize that everything that they do is recorded in Heaven, and that the Lord has His eyes on everyone.

What the church needs to do today is to focus on what the Lord wants us to do not just in the public or in the church, but also what He expects us to do at home, with our family and friends, and when no one else can see what we are doing. The true state of a person's hearts begins when they realize that God is interested in everything that we do, and that we are willing to do the right thing regardless of the circumstances that we find ourselves in.

We can't say for certain who is a believer because we cannot see into the private lives of other people. We don't know what is in their hearts, but if we see behavior that is not consistent with the fruit of the Spirit, we need to pray for that person and show kindness and consideration to them. If they are willing to open up to us, we can offer to help them in any way that we can, and to show them the way to salvation and restoration. We are not here to judge other people's problems, we are here to show them how we have overcome and what the Lord will be able to do for them once they are willing to allow the Holy Spirit to change their hearts.

The next series of posts I will be doing will address the characteristics of believers in God and unbelievers, so that it will become more apparent to everyone who is living in the light of God, and who is masking themselves with righteousness but is really living in the dark.

from the true world of God Blog
https://learningtoliveandloveinthewordofgod.blogspot.com/

Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com-CHRISTIAN WRITERS

If you died today, are you absolutely certain that you would go to heaven? You can be! Click here and TRUST JESUS NOW