Dear COA Family,
Recently, I heard from a church member about her brother who is a Christian. However,
he does not go to church, does not read the Bible and treats his wife and mother horribly.
If he does not get what he wants, he turns violent and aggressive and makes others
around him feel guilty for not meeting his needs. In other words, he lives only for himself
and uses others for his own advantage.
So I asked her, “Why does your brother call himself a Christian? In what way is he actually
a Christian?” She said, “I don’t know.” She is mystified and so am I.
Who then is a true Christian? It is not who a person claims he is, but how he lives his out
his Christian faith that makes him a Christian. A true Christian shows his genuine faith by
his works.
Our Lord Jesus affirms this truth in His sermon on the Mount:
“Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by
their fruit you will recognise them” (Matthew 7:19, 20).
He goes further to say:
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the
one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day,
‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in
your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away
from me, you evildoers!’” (Matthew 7:21-23).
Why am I writing about this now?
In my experience, I have encountered people who claim to be church-going Christians
and even proclaim to be praying Christians but live in hate and abuse of their own family
members. Their sole purpose in life is to cause harm to others yet they claim God’s
salvation and blessings upon themselves. According to our Lord, such people are self-
deceived and will receive the just punishment for their actions.
Beloved, let us learn a lesson from such examples. It is not what we claim but how we live
according to the Spirit’s leading and empowerment in our lives that is most crucial.
The Apostle Paul reminds us to “walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of
the flesh… those who live like this (lusts of the flesh) will not inherit the kingdom of God”
(Galatians 5:16-20).
With this in mind, let us examine ourselves regularly to fulfil God’s commands in our lives
and warn those around us that it is the fruit of our lives that matters before God.
God bless,
Revd Ian