Who is really spiritual? (When it comes right down to it)

We are called to examine ourselves to see whether we are really Christians.  Not every who calls Jesus Lord is a Christian.  Not even everyone who thinks they are a Christian is one.  That is one very important thing to remember.

 

Another thing to remember is that we are expected to carefully judge whether those close to us are really Christians (and encourage them to examine themselves if we think they might not be - but do it gracefully)

 

But... when it comes to the crunch, we can't tell whether someone who professes faith in a biblical Christ is definitely not saved.  It is not for us to judge (in ultimate terms anyway).  We can still refuse Christian fellowship with someone who is professes faith though they are unrepentant, but it is not our place to say definitively that they are not saved.

 

Only God can separate the wheat from the chaff.  The difference between wheat and chaff is the heart and intentions.  Even someone who appears totally outwardly spiritual could be a clever wolf or an empty piece of chaff, hiding alongside the true wheat.

 

Leave ultimate judgement up to God, but be wise with your decisions.  Especially about who you let to teach other believers.

 

Is Christ really a part of your life?

How can you tell if Jesus really is important in your life?  It's simple really.  When he is significant in every single part of it.  Is your mind on God from sunrise to sunset?

 

Not just there, not just considered at a token level when you are choosing which school to send your children to.  Significant means that he affects everything in a way that you couldn't do without, or that would see a totally different life if you were without consideration of Him.

 

And in every part of your life.  There are no small decisions.  Even down to the colour of your socks or the brand of cheese you buy.  Jesus should be considered.  Even if the answer is that it doesn't matter in this case, it is a habit that the Christian should be constantly building.  Through this process you learn to understand the principles of Spiritual living which guide the "big" decisions.

 

The Christian life should be a closely examined life in many ways.  Best we do the examining rather than waiting until Judgement Day where God will do the examining.  It could be embarassing...