Many people may think that as long as they profess to be Christians and attend worship services, they obviously are Christians. The sad fact of the matter, as I think this article will demonstrate, is that such people are tragically mistaken.

So how is it that not all who profess to be Christians really are Christians? If this is the case, what is the difference between a real Christian and what I term a "pretend" Christian? And what does it all matter, anyway?

In approaching these questions, I appeal to the words of Scripture as the only ultimate authority we have on earth. The Scriptures truly stand the tests of truth like no other source does. For a discussion of this, see my article entitled, "What is Your Ultimate Authority?"

The Scriptures reveal that many who think they are Christians will discover, on the day of judgment, that they were mistaken all along, to their eternal shame (Matt. 7:21-23). This includes those who are associated with a church (Matt. 13:24-30; 36-43; 47-50).

We do, however, find in the Scriptures a number of qualities which characterize the real Christian. Note that these qualities are not presented as being static or that anyone has attained perfection in any one of them. They all involve movement, direction, and growth.

First, in order to be a real Christian, one must believe in the real Jesus. To do otherwise is to depart from the true God (II Cor. 11:3-4; II John 9). The real Jesus is the historical Jesus, the Jesus who is faithfully revealed in the Scriptures, so one's beliefs about Jesus ought to be consistent with the Scriptures. For articles on the historical Jesus, I refer you to Who Is this Jesus?

Second, one must also believe the real gospel, or good message, as given in the Scriptures. The gospel is the key to salvation from sin, and the receiving of eternal life. Admittedly, not all the details of the nature of salvation are agreed upon by all churches, be we do know explicitly that eternal life cannot be merited by anything we do (Romans 6:23; Eph. 2:8-9). As in the case of the real Jesus, the gospel one believes in ought to be consistent with the Scriptures. Those who present another gospel are under the condemnation of the Scriptures (Gal. 1:8).

Third, one must have a real commitment. This commitment involves taking seriously the need to conform one's life to Scripture (John 14:21, 23; James 1:22). Although no one on earth can boast of living in complete conformity to Scripture (I John 1:8), we know that an absence of commitment is a sign of dead faith (James 2:17). For a related discussion, see my article entitled, "The Doctrine of Assurance."

I hope it is clear from the foregoing discussion that being a real Christian involves more than simply making a profession and attending a church. I also hope the dangers of being a pretend Christian are equally clear.