This Test Will Tell You if You’re a Fake Christian
This post was written by Tyler Tatum and published here.
Have you ever wondered if you’re a Christian or not? Maybe you’re worried that you’ve been just faking it. Maybe you find yourself thinking that this whole thing is just a sham. We’ve all questioned our own faith before.
How do you know if you’re fake? Is it okay to wonder if you’re actually a Christian?
Not only is it okay to wrestle with our own Christianity from time to time, the Bible actually tells us that we should challenge our faith. 2 Corinthians 13 says “Examine yourselves, to see if you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? -- unless indeed you fail to meet the test!”
This means that we should test ourselves to make sure that we are not being fake. In fact, not testing yourself leads straight to being fake. So what would a test for faith look like? How can you know for sure if you’re being fake?
It’s one simple question: Do you know Jesus?
That’s right. Do you really know him? The Bible makes it clear that it is possible to do a lot of Christian activities (go to church, Christian groups, read our Bibles, serve, etc.) and actually not have a relationship with Jesus.
To test your relationship with Jesus, let’s look at the foundation of any relationship: communication. Communicating with Jesus only consists of two things: Talking to him, and hearing from him.
Talking to Jesus
When’s the last time you’ve spoken to Jesus? That’s right, we’re talking about prayer. The Bible is clear: not only is prayer a crucial part of our relationship with Jesus, He wants to hear from us! He wants us to talk about how we are feeling, and to ask him for the things we want. If you are having a hard time remembering the last time you talked to Jesus or maybe you just repeat the same prayer every day then switch it up and talk to Jesus like He is a real person, because He is!
If it feels like you are talking to a stranger, maybe it’s because you haven’t been talking to him lately. But maybe it’s because he is a stranger to you, and you need to begin a relationship with him.
Hearing from Jesus
This is one of the most confusing parts about Christianity if you’re on the outside looking in. Some people may ask, “you actually think a guy who died and supposedly rose from the dead 2000 years ago talks to you?” And the answer is, “Absolutely.”
I know this is different from everyone, but for me this is not Jesus showing up in my bedroom and audibly speaking to me (although I’m sure some have had that experience). But when I’m reading the Bible, he occasionally speaks to me and gives me direction. Another way God communicates with me is in my thoughts. He’ll put ideas in my head and give me guidance about decisions to make. He tells me when there’s someone around me that I need to talk to or help, and he’ll correct me when I’m doing something wrong.
The truth is that Jesus speaks to all of us who know him in different ways, but when you have a relationship with him, you will know when he is speaking to you. If you have never heard Jesus speak to you, I would recommend simply asking Him to speak to you and spending some time in the Bible. Also, you might not be hearing from Jesus because you don’t know him. Do you have a relationship with Jesus? If you genuinely don’t feel like you can talk to and hear from God, you might not.