How would you respond if I told you my tomato plant is growing peppers? You will probably think I’d lost my mind. Your reason for thinking that is simple: every tree or plant is naturally supposed to bear fruit like the original plant. In other words, the fruit you see tells you the kind of plant you’re looking at. In addition, if you see a tree and are not sure what kind it is, give it time; once it starts to bear fruit, you’ll have your answer.
By the same
token, one should be able to identify a Christian by their characteristics—the
fruit they bear. No one would expect to find fruit where there's no tree or
plant. So, a person has to claim to be a Christian before others can start looking for
Christian characteristics in their life. On the other hand, if we know what
Christian characteristics are, we can quite often tell whether or not someone
is a Christian.
But who is a
Christian, how does one become a Christian, and what fruit are they supposed to
bear? The answers to all these questions are essential because there are many
false claims; many people claim to be Christians based on something
totally different from what the Bible teaches. Below is a list of some of the
unbiblical reasons people give. They think they are Christians because:
●
They were born Christians.
●
They’ve always attended church.
●
They sing in the choir.
●
A family member is a pastor.
●
They are good people.
●
They obey the ten commandments.
You have
probably heard some of these claims. But sadly, the Bible does not teach that
any of these things makes one a Christian. What it teaches is below:
●
Each person has to agree with God that they are a sinner:
“Everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standards” (Romans
3:23). Disagreeing with what God says about you won’t change anything; it won’t
excuse you from the clearly stated consequence: “The wages of sin is death, but
the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:
23).
●
Each person has to repent of (be sorry for) their sins and ask
God for forgiveness through Jesus Christ: “God presented Jesus as the sacrifice
for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed
his life, shedding his blood” (Romans 3:25).
●
God sends the Holy Spirit into our hearts to demonstrate our oneness with Him (see Ephesians 1:13). When we repent, He
adopts us as His children: “God sent him {Jesus} to buy our freedom for us who
were slaves to the law so that he could adopt us as his children. And because
we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts,
prompting us to call out, ‘Abba, Father’” (Galatians 4:5-6).
According to the apostle Paul, what counts is whether we have been transformed into a new creation (see Galatians 6:15). When you
accept God’s salvation through Jesus, God calls you a new creation: “Anyone who
belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has
begun!” (2 Corinthians 5:17). As a result of our new birth, the Holy
Spirit directs our lives through the Word of God. Our allegiance, interests,
and way of life begin to change, and we become more Christ-like, which is the
goal: “Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear
children. Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ”
(Ephesians 5:1).
Becoming
Christ-like is where fruit bearing becomes necessary; we should respond to situations like Jesus would. We can succeed in fruit-bearing by: “Love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and
all your mind… Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:37). If you love God
the way you should, you’ll obey Him, resulting in loving others.
Jesus used the
tree and fruit illustration when He warned His disciples about false prophets:
“You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by how they act… A good
tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. A good tree can’t
produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit” (Matthew 7:16-18).
So, those who claim to be Christians must bear Christ-like
fruit by following the Spirit’s leading in our lives. Likewise,
without announcing your faith, people should still notice the
difference in your behavior and way of life compared to that of the general
population.
Do you claim
to be a Christian? How are you living? How do people see you? Has anybody ever
commented about you to this effect, “I thought he or she was a Christian!”
This comment is an indication your life is not consistent with what the Bible
says. According to the Bible, the Spirit's fruit in our
lives is “Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness,
and self-control” (Galatians 5:22). However, we can’t bear fruit on our own: we
need to constantly depend on the Holy Spirit. As Jesus said, “Apart from me, you
can do nothing” (John 15:5).
Some people claim to be Christians but do not put much effort into being
Spirit-led; they continue to live in sin day after day. No matter your claim, if there is no evidence of change in your life, you have a problem.
Please start all over! The Scriptures clearly state: “Those who have been born
into God’s family do not make a practice of sinning, because they are children
of God” (1 John 3:9). Also, if sinning does not bother you, there’s a problem; it is an indication that you have not been born into God’s family. Reassess your claim, and
remember Jesus told His disciples, “Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord!
Lord!’ will enter the kingdom of heaven. Only those who actually do the will of
my Father in heaven will enter” (Matthew 7:21).
In
conclusion, if you do not have a Father/child relationship with God through
Jesus, you are not a Christian. If you claim to be a Christian but are not
living in obedience to the Word of God, your claim is questionable. But take
heart, if you are reading this, you still have time to call on Jesus. Please do it soon, preferably today. Time is running out;
don’t postpone getting into a personal relationship with God through Jesus
Christ, His Son. And then, let the whole world know Whose you are!
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