Often this question is asked and often the answers are far from adequate and hardly offer any real proof of such:

1. They are loving
2. They say they are
3. They answer the catechism accurately
4. They go to church
5. They are involved in active Christian service
6. They talk about Christianity
7. They never swear, smoke and drink
8. They read their bible and pray
9. They are deep thinkers and know theololgy
10. They have a testimony about how they got saved

I am sure you have a few of your own, right ?

I heard a pretty good question the other day, which led me to rethink this. "How can you sense your spirit ?" and a modification on that, "How can you sense the Spirit of Christ in another person ?" Now I know this is a bit wierd but often when I meet other Christians, there is a sort of John the Baptist meets Jesus thing that goes on. I can really sense something...what is this sensing thing...is this how we can know if someone is a Christian or not ? Or is there some sort of scientific experiment one can do to ascertain if someone is a Christian ? I have often heard people say, "You can tell a person is a Christian by their fruit." Well, I have met many people who are very fruity and some I daresay who are examples of moral excellence but they are in no way even vaguely interested in Jesus Christ. A great one is 'I have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ'...I would ask, how do I know this ? "I just told you they would say." I would reply, but I could say that I have a personal relationship with an IPU. To which they stare blankly... One other interesting thought I encountered was when someone came up to me and said, "There is something different about you. I can sense something that is not like others." Oh, I am wierd, peculiar, other, I might be a Wiccan, or a Satanist... "No" says the person, "I mean a good sense, you know that sense one gets from a person who really knows Jesus." That is strange that people in the world, often know better who the wolves and the sheeps are than some Christians do, even their own kin. Am I to conclude that there is a way of really knowing if someone is a brother or a sister, and even knowing if I am a Christian. Sort of like, "Making one's calling and election sure" I was once asked by a head of a forum, actually his wife, to share the verses that I said I had got as confirmation from God that I was His child. I keep them in the front of my Bible as a reminder of those terribly uncertain prayers as I knelt by my bed and cried out, "How do I know for sure I am yours." Terrible doubts. However, years before a friend came up to me. I had been pretty cold as a believer, not really speaking out and going through a period of darkness and doubt. At times not even sure if I was really a Christian. But then like King David, said "Do not touch the anointed of God." Okay, King Saul was anointed with oil, so he knew that. But this brother of Christ met me for the first time and I never said one word about Jesus and at the end when everyone was gone, he said softly, "You are a brother, right?" I haltered a little like St. Peter and said, shyly, "Yes." How is it that we can know for certain who are our fellow sheep, or how can we know we are His sheep ?" Okay, there it comes, "Jesus said, my sheep know my voice" Now, if it is about this knowing His voice, we would certainly have to hear it. Some say, yeah that is it. A person who reads the bible and ... stop! That is one of the points that does not really prove anything. There are many who read the bible, go to seminary, preach the gospel, do good deeds but they have not the Spirit of Christ. So how can we sense if we have the Spirit of Christ...and how can we sense this Spirit in others ? Simply, how do you know if someone is a Christian. Okay, it is the spirit and the Spirit mingled...now a demon would be able to tell if you were, like they know who Paul was, who Jesus was, but also knew who did not...did the demon have a sense of knowing, was there something other than words...like these that one could tell for sure if another person was family.

Is it the language, Christianeze, or the music, Gospel or the confession or the creed, what is there about someone that tells you without a doubt that they are a child of GOD ? Now if you cannot know, how do you even know if you are one ? My theory is that we can know this because we have a sense of the Spirit of Christ in ourselves and when we meet others our spirit leaps with joy ! A bit wierd but what have you got ?

Last edited by straw; Thu Jun 21, 2007 9:36 AM.