True Believer

And I have faced danger from men who claim to be believers but are not. [2 Corinthians 11.26b]

Paul refers to a sad truth: there were those who claimed to be believers but were not.

You know what?

There are those who claim to be believers today, but are not!

I know we all go to church thinking it is our 'safe' place, but it really is not. In the church setting, it is dangerous to encounter those who claim to be believers but are not. "Dangerous" is a big word.

So how do we know who is a true believer and who is not?

I have come to believe the distinction is made between those who are and those who are not believers in how much their lives look and act like Jesus. There is no other way to know.

Sadly, the test described above disqualifies most from the title of true believer. It should make us reconsider all we think we know about being a Christian.

It is not ironic that in Paul's same letter to the Corinthian church he makes the following statement:

Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine. Test yourselves. Surely you know that Jesus Christ is among you [2 Corinthians 13.5]

What makes it obvious that Jesus Christ is among us?

I will end my discussion here with the question above.

Father, I cannot say Jesus Christ is with me because I do not see Him. I do not see His works and I do not see His ministry and compassion. I am afraid most of what I see is me... Please forgive me this wrong.