PRETENTION

 In perils among false brethren, 2 Corinthians 11:26 The Merriam Webster Dictionary defines hypocrisy as "a feigning to be what one is not or to believe what one does not, especially the false assumption of an appearance of virtue or religion". So a hypocrite is someone who pretends to be something he is not. There are people today who do the same thing with the Christian faith. They pretend to be Christians but they are not. So how do we know whether someone is a Christian?

 "It comes down to what they believe," one might say. There is truth to that, but that is not all there is to it. You can believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, that He is the only way to God, and that He is coming back again and still not necessarily be a Christian. Now, if you are a Christian, you will believe what I just stated. But just because you believe that, in andaitself, doesn't necessarily make you a Christian. We may say; "Well, a Christian is judged by the way he or she behaves"- but that is not necessarily true. You read your Bible, pray every day, attend church every day of the week, and even be baptized by immersion. All these will not necessarily make, a Christian. Those things should be a part of your life if you are a Christian.

But those things, in and of themselves, don't make you a Christian. It is not enough to know about the truth. You also need to act on it. You have to live by the truth. The evidence of your faith is your works. So if you don't act on the truth, you have not believed the truth. A Christian is one who knows the truth, believes the truth, and lives by the truth. What makes you a Christian?

Prayer: Lord, give me a genuine heart.
Scriptural Reading: 2 Corinthians 11:22-29