Authentic Christians

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As I wrote about Christians making an impact on society, I started thinking about the reasons we are failing. I think a good part of the reason we are not impacting our world is because we don’t live differently than the world. What is it that makes us different? What is it that makes us an “authentic” or “real” Christian and not just a “pretend” or “fake” Christian? Too many people call themselves a Christian when their lives don’t reflect biblical truth or values.

The Christians of the first century were able to take their faith and spread it to the entire world. They did this without the use of the printing press, radio, TV, and the internet. What is it that made them different? My first thought is that they practiced a different kind of Christianity than we do today. As we read about it in the book of Acts, we might classify it as radical. We might say they are all a bit extreme. They didn’t think they were radicals. They thought they were just being authentic Christians. If we want to impact our world the same way they did, then we need to live like they did. We need to start applying the same Christian principles to our lives.

The book of 1 John has a lot to say about being an authentic Christian.

An authentic Christian confesses Jesus Christ as Lord. (1 John 4:15 “If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God.”) Being a Christian starts with a verbal commitment to Jesus. It goes beyond knowing and believing. It has to do with acting on your faith in Christ. The Bible says that “faith without works is dead” and it also says that “even the demons believe in Jesus”. (James 2:17-19) Authentic Christians verbalize their commitment to Christ as Lord of their lives.

If you are an authentic Christian, you will be upset with yourself when you are sinning. (1 John 3:9 “No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God's seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God.”) This doesn’t mean you are perfect. This doesn’t mean you’ll never sin. It means that you will not want to sin. If you are an authentic Christian, your sin will make you uncomfortable. You know in your heart that you have done the wrong thing. When you sin, simply confess it and ask God to forgive you and to help you not to repeat that sin again. (1 John 1:8-10 “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.”)

An authentic Christian will enjoy the fellowship with other believers. (1 John 5:1) An authentic Christian wants to be around other Christians. Hebrews tells is that it is important for Christians to get together, encourage one another, and correct one another. (Hebrews 10:24-25 “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”)

An authentic Christian obeys Jesus’ commands. (1 John 5:3 “This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome.”) Obeying Christ gives our lives meaning and purpose. Obeying Christ protects us from things that will harm us physically, emotionally, and spiritually. If someone continually willfully breaks God’s commandments, then I would wonder if he ever really made a true commitment to Christ.

An authentic Christian loves and obeys the Word of God. (1 John 2:3-6 “We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. The man who says, "I know him," but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.”) You can’t live an effective Christian life without a love for God’s Word. Authentic Christians are students of the Scriptures. Authentic Christians follow the teachings of Christ. One stumbling block of many Christians is their lack of time in the Word. (2 Timothy 3:16 – 17 “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”) Many believers don’t realize the importance of spending time in the Word. There’s no way to know what Jesus wants you to do, if you don’t read the book. There’s no way to know how to react in tough situations unless you have “hidden the Word in your heart.” (Psalm 119:11 “have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.”)

Lots of people say they are Christians but few act like it. Christians are not currently having an impact on our society and I believe that is because there are few Christians who follow the principles outlined here. Too many Christians look and act like their non-Christian counterparts. We should be different than the world. We should conduct our businesses differently than non-Christians. We should treat our spouses differently than non-Christians. We should treat our children differently than non-Christians. We should live differently and we should have a different value system. Only authentic Christians can have an impact on the world.

So, are you an authentic Christian? Do you talk about your faith in Christ? Are you upset with yourself when you sin? Do you enjoy the fellowship of other believers? Do you obey the commands of Jesus? Do you study and obey the Word? If not, what’s holding you back? It’s not too late to make changes in your life.


** I didn't intend for this to be this long but I guess it is. I do want to acknowledge that not all of this is my original writing. I found an outline for this blog handwritten in my Bible and so I know I heard a sermon on it at one point in time. Any way - to whoever orginally penned some of these ideas, thanks. I needed to think about them and hear them again.
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