Are You A "Real" Christian

If you have never personally trusted the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior from sin,^[1] we want you to read this very carefully, for it is written just for you. ^[2] Or, if you are not sure that you are a "REAL" Christian, please read this very carefully, for it is written for you, also.

Why do we say "real" Christians? Just because of the great confusion as to who is a Christian. Too many people are wrongly supposing^[3] that a Christian is one who manages to live a fairly decent and respectable life. Listen to me, a good^[4] life or a dozen good lives could never in God's world make one a Christian.

No one can make himself a Christian. No, not by quantities^[5] of good works or a moral life of the highest quality, not by church attendance, baptism, good citizenship, education, charitable giving, burning candles, reciting prayers, studying the Bible, or a hundred and one things of similar nature. Do you understand?

Nor does one become a Christian by a negative attitude toward life, that is, refraining^[6] from drinking, smoking, swearing, adultery, idolatry, or kindred sins. A sinner who stops sinning is a sinner still. What he needs is to become a new^[7] person, with a changed, cleansed heart, and a godly nature.^[8]

Please understand that salvation is definitely a work of God^[9] for humans, not human's work for God. God is the only One who can make a true Christian. And God is free^[10] to do this, that is to change sinners into saints, because of the sacrificial^[11] work of His Son, the Lord Jesus, on the cross of Calvary. God can forgive your sins and save you because His Son died^[12] for your sins. He gave himself a ransom for you! Did you know that?

So then, real Christians are sinners like you and me who have been washed white,^[13] (not whitewashed) by the exceedingly precious blood of the Son of God. May we pause here a moment to earnestly inquire if you are a "real" Christian? Has the burden of your sins been removed? Have you been born again, from above? Have you become a new creature in Christ? If not, you can be!

Perhaps you have never known how to be saved.^[14] Well, I can easily tell you, and in a few words. God saves sinners like you and me on one condition. That condition is, that you receive the entire matter of salvation as a gift,^[15] from His hands. He has wrapped up all the parts of salvation on one wonderful Person,,^[16] the Lord Jesus Christ. When you receive Him, you are eternally,^[17] saved. And I mean saved!

How may I receive Him? Well, to receive Christ is to believe^[18] in Him. Not intellectual, head belief, but deep heart belief. Believe Him to be the Son of God,^[19] born of a Virgin, living sinlessly,^[20] laboring peerlessly. Believe that when He hung on the cross He hung there for your^[21] sins. Believe that He triumphantly rose^[22] from the dead. Believe that He will come again, for us.

If you will receive this Person, this Gift into your heart of hearts, God will instantly and gloriously accomplish in you the miracle of salvation. You will become a "real" Christian.,^[23] God will truly become your Heavenly Father. All other real Christians,^[24] will be your brothers and sisters in Christ.

• [1] Acts 16:31 "And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house." return

• [2] Matthew 11:28 "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." return

• [3] Romans 8:9 "But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his." return

• [4] Ephesians 2:8-9 "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." return

• [5] Titus 3:5 "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;" return

• [6] 1 Peter 1:18-19 "Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:" return

• [7] 2 Corinthians 5:17 "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." return

• [8] Romans 8:15 "For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father." return

• [9] 1 Peter 3:18 "For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:" return

• [10] Romans 3:24-25 "Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; " return

• [11] 1 Peter 2:24 "Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed." return

• [12] 1 Corinthians 15:3; 1 Timothy 2:6 "For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures .... who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time." return

• [13] Revelation 7:14 "And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb." return

• [14] Acts 16:30 "And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" return

• [15] Romans 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." return

• [16] John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." return

• [17] John 10:28-30 "And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. I and my Father are one." return

• [18] John 1:12 "But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:" return

• [19] Matthew 16:16 "And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God." return

• [20] 1 Peter 2:22 "Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth:" return

• [21] 2 Corinthians 5:21 "For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." return

• [22] Revelation 1:18 "I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death." return

• [23] 1 John 5:12 "He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life." return

• [24] 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 "Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures." return