WHAT DOES A CHRISTIAN LOOK LIKE?

Wanted to repost a wonderful article I had copied from a Christian blog a while ago. (:

WHAT DOES A CHRISTIAN LOOK LIKE?

Thursday, April 23rd, 2009

Have you ever noticed (or is it just me?) that many people who claim to be Christians really don’t seem to show any evidence of Biblical Christianity?

As the rhetorical question goes; if you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?

I understand that sanctification (Rom. 6:22) is an ongoing process and that Christians aren’t sinless(1 John 1:8), but I also know that REAL Christians don’t make a practice of sinning (1 John 3:8).

2 Cor. 5:17

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

According to 2 Cor. 5:17, when a person becomes a Christian something changes (the old passes away and the new comes).

This indicates that something has to die or pass away in order for something new to come.

In this post I want to look at exactly what “passes away” and also what a person is to look and act like when “the new comes”.

In Romans 8 Paul speaks of those who “set their mind on (or live according to) the things of the flesh and the things of the Spirit”. (Read Romans 8)

Rom. 8:13 says: For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

Gal. 5:24 says: And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

Looks to me like what needs to pass away is “the deeds of the body” and the “passions and desires”of the flesh. We’re also told in 1 Peter 2:24 that we need to “die to sin”.

So the question becomes; what are the deeds of the body or the passions and desires of the flesh that need to be put to death?

The answer is found in Gal. 5:19-21.

Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Well, that’s clear. That entire list (including things like these), needs to be crucified and put to deathby the Spirit.

These are the sins that Jesus “bore in His body on the tree” (1 Peter 2:24). It is beyond me how a person who claims to have had their sins atoned for when Jesus took the punishment they deserve (God’s wrath) on the cross can continue to live in their sin.

If you call yourself a Christian and you live in these sins, (that is you “make a practice of sinning”),you need to realize that you are “of the devil” (1John 3:8).

As I said above, I realize that sanctification is ongoing. Knowing that, if sanctification is happening, there will be a war going on between your flesh and the Spirit that dwells in you. You need to continue to “die to sin” and “crucify the flesh”. You need to “put on the whole armor of God” in order to win this war. (Eph. 6: 10-18)

So what does the “new creation” that Paul describes in 2 Cor. 5:17 look and act like?

Again the answer is found in Galatians 5: 16-18, 22-24.

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

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 belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

Well, that too is clear. That list of the fruit of the Spirit are the character traits of a “born again”, “led by the Spirit” Christian. I think it’s important to point out that this list is the fruit of the Spirit not the fruits of the Spirit. Because all of the characteristics in the list are part of the singular fruit,we can’t leave out the ones that we don’t like or that are too hard (such as self-control).

Another example of what the “new creation” looks and acts like is found in

1 Peter 1:15but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct,

As Christians, we should always be: growing in holiness, desiring to know God more, reading His Word more, worshiping Him more, praising Him more, understanding Him better, praying more, and exhibiting all of the fruit of the Spirit.

We should all periodically engage in the exercise that Paul suggests in 2 Cor. 13:5

Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!

The way to do this is by honestly comparing yourself to the new creation that the Bible describes. Are you “living according to the flesh” or are you truly “led by the Spirit”? Have you “crucified the flesh” or are the “works of the flesh evident” in your life? Are you exhibiting all of “the fruit of the Spirit” or do you still “make a practice of sinning”?

If you take that test and fail, you have some work and praying to do.

I pray that you never hear the words of Jesus recorded in Matt. 7:21-23

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

You see, it doesn’t matter how sincerely we think that we know Him. The key is that He knows us. Evidently, many people sincerely think that they are Christians (Lord, Lord) when in fact they are not. A good way to evaluate whether or not you are on the path of righteousness is to consider your relationship to your sin. Have you crucified it and do you hate it or do you make excuses for it and like it? If you haven’t killed it hate it, may I suggest that maybe you fail the test of 2 Cor. 13:5?

Below are two lists of things that should be present in a Christian’s life. On the first list are things that show evidence of your faith but don’t necessarily prove your faith. On the second list are those things that prove you are a Christian. Look at them closely and see which ones describe you.

Evidences of Faith

Visible morality; Matt. 19:16-21, 23:27

Intellectual knowledge; Rom. 1:21

Religious involvement; Matt. 25:1-10

Active ministry; Matt. 7:21-24

Conviction of sin; Acts 24:25

Made a decision; Luke 8:13-14

Proofs of Authentic Christian Faith

Love for God; Ps. 42:1-2

Repentance from Sin; 2 Cor. 7:10

Genuine Humility; Ps 51:17

Devotion to God’s Glory; 1 Cor. 10:31

Continual Prayer; Luke 18:1

Selfless Love; 1 John 3:14

Separation from the world; James 4:4

Spiritual Growth; Eph. 4:12-16

Obedient Living; John 15:14

Hunger for God’s Word; 1 Peter 2:1-3

Transformed Life; 2 Cor. 5:17

Holiness in Conduct; 1 Peter 1:15

If the first list is true of you, but not the second one, you have cause for concern.

If the second list is true, the first one will be also and you have assurance of passing the test.

If you fail the test (2 Cor. 13:5), now is the time to figure it out, not on judgment day. Think about your sins (the lying, the stealing, the lusting, the coveting, all the works of the flesh). Then think about Jesus on the cross taking the punishment for them that you deserve. It should break your heart and drive you to your knees in repentance.

Get in the game,

Coach

“Christ will be master of the heart, and sin must be mortified. If your life is unholy, then your heart is unchanged, and you are an unsaved person. The Savior will sanctify His people, renew them, give them a hatred of sin, and a love of holiness. The grace that does not make a man better than others is a worthless counterfeit. Christ saves His people, not IN their sins, but FROM their sins. Without holiness, no man shall see the Lord.”

—Charles Spurgeon