Sporadic Ramblings

So, a lot of people think it is difficult to tell a true Christian from a “false convert.” But I actually believe, using the Bible as a guide, that it is quite simple.

As followers of Jesus and having received the very Spirit of God (“Holy Ghost”) within us, we should exhibit the same qualities as Jesus, right?

Well, what are the qualities of Jesus? According to Matthew 7:16, we will know true disciples of Christ “by their fruits.” Jesus says in Matthew 7:17 that all “good trees,” that is, believers, “brings forth good fruit.”

So, what are these good fruits that will identify a true Christian?

Galatians 5:22-23 puts it pretty well: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control: against such things there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires ”

This makes it fairly clear to me that if someone does not exhibit those qualities, they are not walking in the Spirit of Christ.

Perhaps you are thinking that I am not one to judge (“judge not lest ye be judged”)? The Bible makes it clear that while judging of others is to be left to God alone, righteous discernment is both necessary and commanded of the Church in order to tell the difference between the sheep and the goats.

John 7:24 says “Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.” John MacArthur explains: “While Jesus forbade harsh, censorious judgment that self-righteous legalism promotes, He demanded the exercise of moral and theological discernment.”

In Matthew 13:24-26, Jesus tells the parable of the wheat and the tares. “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went away. But when the wheat sprouted and bore grain, then the tares became evident also.”

So what are the tares and what are the wheat? Well, we know that the “good seed” is the Word of God (Luke 8:11). So when we sow the seed of God’s Word, wheat will rise… that is, believers, followers. So the wheat is the Church of Christ.

The tares, that the enemy plants in the field, could be considered as weeds that will choke the wheat as it grows. We can discern from verse 26 of Matthew 13 that the tares do not appear until after the wheat has born grain. Once again, here is a simple explanation from John MacArthur: “In an agricultural setting, sowing darnel (tares) in someone else’s field was a way for enemies to destroy someone’s livelihood catastrophically. It pictures Satan’s efforts to deceive the church by mingling his children with God’s, in some cases making it impossible for believers to disern the true from the false.” Jesus Himself explains this parable a little further in Matthew 13:26-43.

Now, I am definitely not a theologian, nor am I very good with words or memorizing Bible verses, but I know without a doubt that Jesus Himself implores us, His church, to use discernment when judging other “Christians.” We do not judge for the purpose of condemnation, but for the purpose of protection of the Body of Christ.

It is our responsibility not only to restrict Satan’s work within the Church, but also to bring to light our brother’s sin so that we may help him conquer it through the Holy power of Jesus Christ.

Sorry for rambling here… I was just reading tonight and felt the need to share this. 🙂 God bless you all and remember, without sin and death, there would be no need for grace and forgiveness!