"True" Christians, "Real" Christians...?

Question

Please tell me - how can I tell a real Christian or a true Christian from a person that just claims to be a Christian?

I mean it, I want to know if there's a way to tell that'll actually work, because I hear so much on this forum about "Well, he's not a "true Christian" if he said that," and, "She's not a true Christian if she committed (fill in the sin)."

So... what is the criteria of a "true" or "real" Christian?

Answer 1

It's in the eye of the beholder. It actually mostly means "somebody who at least to some level agrees with me"
For a small part of people it can also mean "somebody who completely disagrees with me".

For me a true Christian is somebody who is open-minded enough to even show love to other visions on life.

For some Christians a true Christian is somebody who agrees with them in their condemnment of other minority groups.

For some other Christians a true Christian is somebody who loves others like himself.

For some other people a true Christian is an example of a low-brained individual.

And i can make this list as long as is humanly possible. Because there are 6 billion different definitions of what a true Christian is.

Answer 2

Yeshua pointed out that we know what kind of tree it is by the fruit that it bears (Matthew 12:33). That is a metaphor that gives guidance on the very subject that you are asking about now: How to tell a true beleiver in God from a false one.

There is one pre-requisite for becoming a Christian (John 3:18): faith in the Lord Yeshua, the annointed one (GR: Jesus Christ). When that beleif has been realized, the new beleiver, at that moment becomes indwelt by the Holy Spirirt. No Person has fellowship with God unless he has the Spirit within him.

The Bible takes it even a step further by giving us a specific list of the fruits that a person living in the Spirit will bear, in Galatians 5:22-23a. The nine fruits are: 'love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.'

So to answer your question: a true Christian has to exhibit these qualities. there is simply no way around it. However, it must also be said that Christians are not perfect; that is impossible. Some Christians are closer to God than are others. This will relate directly to the amounts of these fruits that the individual will bear.

I know that some of this might sound a bit technical, and i apologize for that. I beleive however, proper Biblical interpretation and understanding is a must when trying to help relate to others concepts that concern our Lord.

Anyway, I hope that this has helped you in some way. Pray continuously, study your Bible, and God will pour out all the wisdom that you can handle upon you (James 1:5). :-)

And Test everything! (1 Thessalonians 5:21)

Answer 3

A true christian can answer this question.

Are you a christian that sins or a sinner that is a christian? If anyone places their christianity before the world will tend to be a true christian.

Another way to seek out a true christian is to observe their walk. I am talking about how well rooted they are in the bible. If they say one thing and do another then their heart might not be aligned with God.

A good way to seek out christians is to watch them and always question them and their actions. Do you realize that a true christian has the bible written on their hearts and minds.

Answer 4

A true Christian is someone who has accepted Jesus Christ as their personal savior.

The only 2 people that know whether they are a true Christian or not is God and the person. It's a personal thing.

Nobody else can judge anybody else of their salvation. Only God can. A person can't say who is a true Christian and who is not.

Answer 5

That's a good question.....

Since there a so many variations of Christianity, wouldn't it be almost impossible to define "true" Christianity.

Even at the onset of the religion, there were very divergent opinions about Jesus. One sect believed that he was the "ultimate" Jew while another group believed he was a different god from the god of the old testament. Yet another group (Gnostic) believed that jesus a man who was "possessed" by one of many gods.

None of these sects survived past the three century CE but how would Christians of the 21st century know if one of these groups was right

Answer 6

Good question...

"true" Christianity is relative based on individual beliefs since Christianity is simply a religion... if one claims to be a Christian but doesn't not practice the ways of Christianity he/she is not a "true" Christian...

the same can be true for any religion...

Answer 7

It's all in your perspective. If a person appears to be your idea of a God-fearing individual, then they are a "true" christian. If a person is not living the way they claim God wants them to live, then that person is not a "true" Christian

Answer 8

Here is how:

if it looks green and jumps to move around and lives in the water - more than likely it is a frog.

if it moo's - gives milk and passes lots of gas - it could be a cow.

If it worships with their follow Christians - does what the Bible says and is caught helping others - maybe it is a Christian.

Does this make since?

Check out http://www.johnfourteen.com
Look at "Studies in the Bible"
many answers to everyday life
can be found there.

Answer 9

True Christians will show you love no matter what the sin is.

Fake Christians stand in front of clinics protesting, they also are quick to judge and want everything they don't undetstand or agree with banned without caring about others.

Answer 10

Everyone sins, so that criteria will never work. What ever happened to judge not lest ye be judged. A true anything would never be concerned about proving him/herself to someone who would yak about them behind his/her back. It's what's inside that counts.
There's a guy who wrote a book called "Everything about Christmas" who went on to study the life of Jesus to the earliest possible sources, to discover the true mission of Jesus, read more for yourself at www.jesusthemuslim.com