1Jn 2:4-6 Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, (5) but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: (6) whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.

One of the biggest plagues infecting the visible Christian church today is this – willful ignorance regarding who a genuine Christian is. Wrong answers are being given because man’s traditions are reigning as the source of doctrine rather than the Bible. In most local churches, a Christian is anyone who says they are. And this lie is responsible for permitting wolves to hide among the sheep, all the while devouring those who really do belong to Christ.

It is not difficult to answer the question. Who is a Christian? Let’s have God’s Word answer:

1Jn 2:9-11 Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness. (10) Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling. (11) But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

1Jn 2:29 If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him.

1Jn 3:8-10 Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. (9) No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God. (10) By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.

Mat 7:17-20 So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. (18) A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. (19) Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. (20) Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.

And we could go on and on. Merely saying “I am a Christian, I believe in Jesus,” is not enough. Prove it. Where is the good fruit? If the person’s life is characterized by sin, if a man for example (or a woman) is habitually abusing their spouse, that person is not born again. The fruit exposes the real nature of the heart.

Think about Jesus’ words – you must be born again. BORN again. Made a new person, a new creation. Old man put to death in Christ, and a new person raised. Radical change. An entirely different mindset. And yet, most local churches are enslaved to this lie that we must believe someone is a Christian because they say they are a Christian and it is wrong to “judge” them. Yet Jesus tells us to examine the fruit.

Church members who are walking in sin (like that evil man in the church at Corinth, see I Corinthians 5), are regularly excused with at best stupid mantras like “well, you know, we are all sinners.” Or “we must not judge.” Those statements are lies which deny God’s own Word and permit evil people to walk among the saints. God’s instruction to us is not unclear:

1Co 5:11-13 But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one. (12) For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? (13) God judges those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.”

Are there people in your local church who are “so-called” Christians, who are characterized by reviling (a biblical word for the abuser), then why is the church associating with them? Why is the church serving them the Lord’s table? Why are they not being purged from among the saints?” More often than we would like to think, it is because many of the members of the church – even many pastors and elders – are only “so-called” brethren themselves. It is by no means a rare scenario wherein even most of a local church membership is unconverted.

If God’s Word is faithfully preached, the real nature of church members will be exposed. Darkness hates the light. The children of the devil hate Christ’s true people. They will do all they can to silence the ministry of the Word and if that doesn’t work, they will do just as John said:

1Jn 2:19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us.

And THAT is true church growth!