A genuine Christian is not a person that tries to be good. It is not a person who is baptized. It is not a person who goes to church or is a member of some church organization? We must know what God’s revealed Word, the Bible say about it? That is what is important. Do not take anyone’s word for it or some preacher or priest because the Bible was meant for the ordinary person to understand the essentials of salvation. Here is what the Bible tells us.

Being a true Christian involves 4 things you need to know.
1. Belief.  “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.” (Saved is a term for being a true Christian.) That came from The Book of Acts of the Apostles chapter 16 verse 31. That is very clear, is it not. God made things clear so that even a child or an illiterate person can become a genuine Christian. Now, I must make one thing clear about belief. You can believe that Jesus was a great person, that He was a good teacher of great truths, that He died on the cross for your sins, that He rose from the grave and still not be a genuine Christian. You must take the next step because the Bible says that the demons believe all of that and yet they oppose God and are not Christians. What else does it take?
2. Faith. Upon believing, you must place your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. You may say, “Isn’t that believing?” No. Believing is knowing that something is true. Not necessarily following it or trusting in it. Faith is accepting or receiving that provision for yourself. Romans chapter 10 verse 17 says “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.” So, you must listen to what God has to say in His Word. In the Book of Hebrews chapter 11 and verse 1 it tells us: “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” So you see, faith is not something you have seen or read about that you believe happened. In Hebrews 11:6 it tells us that “it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to Him must believe that God exists and that He rewards those who sincerely seek Him.” So, belief is believing that something is true and faith is accepting that in your heart. Ephesians chapter 2:8 says “For by grace are you saved through faith and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God so that no man can boast.” So faith is an extension of belief and means to accept that as true in your heart for yourself. In the case of becoming a genuine Christian, it means that you not only believe that Jesus died on the cross for your sins, but that you accept that fact for yourself. Belief is believing something happened and faith is the action of receiving that for yourself. Sometimes we do that by talking to God in a humble prayer and receiving His provision for our own life. That is what is called in the Bible “being saved” or “being born again spiritually.” But there is one more step.
3. Follow. One must follow Christ. Jesus said in John chapter 10 and verse 27 ”My sheep hear my voice and they follow me.” Many people say they believe in Christ but they do not follow Him. Matthew tells us that a person is known by the fruit that blossoms from their life. Just like a tree bears fruit of its own kind. An apple tree bears apples. A peach tree bears peaches. That’s how God made them. A genuine Christian exhibits character that follows Christs’ character. If one follows the world and its culture, they are not followers of Christ. 1st John chapter 2 and verses 15, 16, and 17 tell us: “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man loves the world the love of the father is not in Him. For all that is in the world is the lust of the flesh (sexual sins}, and the lust of the eyes (covetousness or always wanting things), and the pride of life. And the world passes away but he that does the will of God will live forever.” That is quite straightforward, don’t you think? In other words, we live in the world as genuine Christians and followers of Christ, but we don’t follow the world’s standards. We follow Christ’s.  Now there is one more item we must discuss.
4. Trust. It means that we trust Him with our life. It means we read His Word, The Bible, regularly so we can know Him better. For thousands of years, people did not have a printed Bible to read for themselves. Now we have it and we should make every effort to read it. In many foreign lands where there are few Bibles, people treasure their Bible. They want to read it to hear what God is saying and to learn how they can live to please Him.
During those thousands of year when people did not have a Bible, a preacher or priest would tell them about God, but they many fabricated doctrines and lied to the common person who did not have a physical Bible in their hands. Many people have a Bible in their home but never read it. A genuine Christian will open it and read it to see directly what God says. God wrote the Bible so that a child could understand the important things, like how to become a genuine Christian and He made it so wonderful that scholars cannot exhaust it’s worth. The Bible is a treasure, more important than any book you will ever read because it came from God. The heavens declare His glory. The beautiful earth and animals reveal His creative glory. Trust Him. Receive His message of grace. Then follow Him.
Jesus Christ is coming back to take His children home and spend eternity with Him. It could be today. Are you ready? Are you a genuine Christian or a make-believe Christian?

Dr Ken Lewis ThD