True Believers

"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind. When it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into containers but threw away the bad." (Matthew 13:47-48, ESV)

Would it surprise you to hear that not everyone who says they're a Christian is a Christian? Probably not.

The word "hypocrite" seems to be thrown at Christians quite often. And, unfortunately, it's true. There have been many publicized cases of proclaimed Christians not acting like Christians.

But first, we need to realize there's a difference between Christians who make mistakes (i.e. all of us), and Christians who only claim to follow Christ.

The difference is that the real Christian will recognize his or her mistake and come to God for forgiveness. The hypocrite or "fake" Christian isn't concerned about sin in his or her life. Who knows why he or she goes to church or hangs out with other believers? It isn't to draw closer to God.

Sometimes it's really hard to tell the difference between these two types of people, but you know what? That's not your job.

In this parable Jesus affirms that, yes, there will be true believers and false believers. But Jesus also tells us that when this world is over and He comes back, He will sort out the good and the bad.

Assuming you're one His genuine followers, Jesus told us what our job is: "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another" (John 13:34-35, ESV).

www.notreligion.com

Wow!!!!!A lot of young people say that these days!!!Can't you tell when someone is not a real christian right?

Well it is hard to tell if someone is truly following God or not... because they can be doing and saying all the "right Christian things" but not really following God. You can tell a lot by the fruit of their lives. Galatians 5 talks about the fruits of the Spirit and the fruits of this world. I'd suggest reading that.
Also, John 14:15 says, "If you love Me, you will obey what I command." If you love Christ, you'll obey Him and His Word.
So no, you can't always tell if someone is truly a follower of Christ. Not always. But if their light is shining brightly for Him and they are showing the fruits of the Spirit in their lives and obeying Him and striving to be more like Him - well, that's a good sign that they are sincere.