Are you a sheep or a goat? When Jesus Christ returns to Earth to judge and reign over humanity, he will separate the “sheep” and the “goats”, placing the sheep (true Christians) on his right and the goats (false Christians) on his left.
So what I’m asking is: Are you a Christian? Do you know what really makes you a Christian? Does going to church every Sunday, wearing a gold cross on your necklace, donating to charity, and praying to God every night or even three times a day make you a Christian?
Let’s see what makes a Christian “Christian.” Christian…
a) Believe in the one true God, Yahweh, from the Bible
The Bible, both the Old and New Testaments, is the primary source that introduces us to the one true, all-knowing, and all-powerful God, who has made known to us His name as YHWH in Hebrew (Biblical Hebrew has no written vowels). , from which scholars produce “Yahweh” and “Jehovah” in English. Since the Bible has been proven to be historically accurate, scientifically sound, and prophetic, we can trust it as the Word of God, from which accurate knowledge of God can be obtained. So, if you don’t believe in the God described in the Bible, but in a “god” from a different source, then you might as well believe in Santa Claus or the tooth fairy – simply put, a god of your own. imagination. .
b) Believe in the Son of Yahweh God, Jesus the Christ (“Anointed”)
If you only accept Yahweh, but not his only begotten Son, Jesus the Christ, then you cannot be a Christian, since the name “Christian” implies a follower of Christ, which means “anointed.” Even if you believe that Jesus existed and that he was a great prophet but you do not believe that he is the only begotten Son of God, you are not a Christian either. A true follower of Christ accepts who he is and all the works he has done for humanity.
c) Actively love Yahweh and Jesus
So, do you believe in Yahweh and in Jesus? Well, that’s not a big deal. Even demons believe in the true God and His Son (James 2:19; Mark 3:11), but does this make them Christians?
The ultimate test to know if you are a Christian is if you love God and His Son. Believing in them is the easy part; loving them is the hard part.
Moses exhorted God’s people, the Israelites: “Hear, Israel: Yahweh is our God; Yahweh is one; and you shall love Yahweh your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might.” (Deuteronomy 6:4-5, WEB) Jesus confirmed this as the most important commandment of all (Mark 12:29-30).
What does it really mean to love Yahweh God? How should you love him?
In the Bible, “love” is more of an action than an emotion. It is not a warm and fuzzy feeling that we have inside. Biblical love is doing God’s will, as opposed to Biblical hate, where you don’t do God’s will.
But what is doing the will of God?
Doing God’s will is equivalent to obeying His moral commandments, such as not stealing, not committing adultery or fornication, not defrauding our government with taxes owed, not dishonoring our parents, and not telling lies or spreading rumors. Doing God’s will is NOT performing external religious duties while abandoning God’s moral Law. So if you go to church weekly and pray to God every night but don’t obey God’s moral standard, Yahweh will ignore your prayers and pay no attention to the gifts or donations you give to the church. Notice what Yahweh said to Israel:
“What do I care about the multitude of your sacrifices?
I’m sick of ram burnt offerings
and the fat of the animals fed.
I do not delight in the blood of bulls,
lambs gold,
or of male goats.
When you come to present yourself to me,
Who has required this at your hand, to trample my courts?
Do not bring any more vain offerings.
Incense is an abomination to me;
new moons, saturdays and convocations:
I can’t stand evil assemblies.
My soul hates your New Moons and your appointed parties.
They are a burden to me.
I’m tired of putting up with them.
When you stretch out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you.
Yes, when you do many prayers, I will not listen to you.
Your hands are full of blood.
Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean.
Remove the wickedness of your works from before my eyes.
Stop doing evil.
Learn to do it right.
Seek justice.
Relieve the oppressed.
Judge the orphans.
Pray for the widow.” (Isaiah 1:11-17)
Israel thought they had Yahweh’s approval when they kept up their worship rituals and offered many sacrifices and prayers to Him, but at the same time they lived a sinful lifestyle. But God was—and never will be—mocked. He will not ignore our bad deeds done outside the church building. Only when we obey his Law will He look favorably upon our prayers and worship rituals.
When we obey Yahweh to follow His commandments, that means we love Him. When we disobey him, that means we hate him. This is how God judges whether we love or hate Him, not by how we feel about Him (2 John 6; Exodus 20:5-6). A Christian can “feel” love for God, but God will not see it as true love if the person does not do his will. So it is a matter of passive love (a feeling of love) vs. active love. We must have active love, just as we must have active faith (trust). It is an active faith (trust) in Christ that saves us (James 2:14-26). A passive faith is the faith of demons, and therefore it is fruitless (James 2:19).
Therefore, if you do not do Yahweh’s will despite believing in Him, that does not make you a Christian. At best, it just makes you a hypocrite. However, if you actively do his will, it shows that you love him, which makes you a genuine Christian. And when you love him, you will also love his Son, because whoever “loves the Father, loves also the son who was born of him”. (1 John 5:1)
d) Actively love other human beings.
True love for God means that we love what belongs to him. If you say, “I love God,” and you hate your brother, you are a liar; because “he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? This commandment we have from him, that he who loves God should also love his brother.” (1 John 4:20-21)
So you must love other human beings with deeds, not just words, and this will prove if your love for Yahweh and Jesus is genuine, because God commanded us to love our neighbor as ourselves (Leviticus 19:18), and Jesus confirmed it. as the second most important commandment of all (Mark 12:31).
Now add up your score. Do the above four points apply to you? If so, then it is likely that he is a Christian, although the final judgment is in the hands of Yahweh through Jesus Christ, who will return to judge all the sheep and goats.
If Jesus returns today, will you be identified as a sheep or a goat?
