What are fake Christians and how do we know when we see one?

When I was in middle school, it was considered one of the biggest offenses to be told you were a "poser". It would involve you trying to be someone you weren't in order to impress others. For example, if a guy claimed he was athletic and even wore one, but had no athletic skills, then he was a poser. Maybe he wanted the attention of the girls that being a sportsman could attract. Unfortunately, the "setters" are not only found in college; there's some that's slipped into the church today, claiming to be Christians. So what exactly are fake Christians, and how do we know when we see one?

The term "fake Christian" may bring to mind an image of a hypocritical person. Although there are many hypocritical Christians out there, we need to break this term down in order to accurately define what it means.

We know that the word false suggests inauthenticity. Counterfeits.

A Christian is someone who has accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour. This person is considered saved, or “born again,” because they have applied the principle of Romans 10:9: “If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised it from the dead, you will be saved." The underlying factor that differentiates believers from unbelievers is the indwelling Holy Spirit, according to Ephesians 1:13:< em>"< em>And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, which he promised long ago."

With these two definitions in mind, we can define a false Christian as someone who is not truly born again, yet he takes on the personality as if he had done it.

Perhaps this person chose to wear the Christian title so they could take advantage of that reputation (similar to those athletic poseurs in college). We've all probably, at one time or another, tried to fit in with a certain crowd. If an unbeliever discovered that he could gain some type of acceptance by "fitting in" with a church crowd or a Christian industry, he might have preferred to wear a church mask rather than accept Christ in his heart.

But if someone wanted the acceptance, or the benefits, that comes with being a Christian, why wouldn't they - you know, actually become a Christian? One of the reasons is that they may not believe the message of the cross. 1 Corinthians 1:18 reminds us that “The message of the cross is foolish to those who are heading for destruction! But we who are saved know that it is the very power of God."

Another reason is that while they appreciate their fake Christian guise, they are ultimately unwilling to dedicate their hearts and lives to God. To be a true Christian would involve sacrificing their ungodly lifestyle, otherwise they would continue that lifestyle and live with guilt. The enemy is a deceiver, and he tries to make Christianity look like a slave to non-believers so that they choose to remain "free" to live for him instead.

To sum up, false Christians are those who have chosen a saved appearance over a saved heart. They care more about their status through the eyes of the church, family, or a Christian industry than about their status through the eyes of God.

A genuine Christian, on the other hand, is one who has accepted Christ as their Savior. The light of the Holy Spirit dwells in that person. Matthew 7:20 provides an indication of how we can identify a genuine Christian: "Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, you can identify people by their actions ."

The words and actions of these genuine Christians are overflowing with the fruit of the Spirit, for Galatians 5:22-23 tells us: "But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our life: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. There is no law against these things!"

Furthermore, those whose hearts are surrendered to God have a