What does it mean to be a true Christian? What are the signs of a true Christian to look out for to know if a person is a real Christian or not? This is what this post will address today.
There are many ways you can tell if you are a true Christian or not. Sometimes, it can be pretty difficult to figure out but by the fruits you bear, you will know if you are of God or not.
And by the end of this post, you will know all the 13 signs of a true Christian that everyone professing to be of Christ must have. Otherwise, you are just mere deceiving yourself.
What Is A True Christian?
According to the bible, a true Christian or true believer is simply someone who lives a life that reflects that of our Lord Jesus Christ which a what true Christianity is all about, anyway.
Implying that if you are a real Christian who has experienced true conversion, you will live a holy life that is in obedience to Christ and reflect His holy character, and hate evil.
But if you are a counterfeit Christian, you won’t live a life of righteousness that reflects the character of Jesus Christ even if you go to church every Sunday.
Must Read: 11 Clear Signs Of A Fake Christian [That Show If You Are Not Truly Saved].
15 Signs That Show You Are A Real Christian.
Below are the 15 signs of a real Christian that will help you distinguish true Christians from hypocrites even if they both go to church on Sunday.
- Filled With God’s Love.
- Genuine Salvation.
- Love Jesus Christ.
- Hate Sin.
- Transformed Life.
- Possess Real Faith.
- Overcome Sin.
- Fellowship With Other Believers.
- Love The Truth.
- Honesty.
- Live A Holy Life.
- Active Prayer Life.
- Easily Forgive Offences.
- Spirit-Filled.
- Have All The 9 Fruits Of The Spirit.
1. Filled With God’s Love.
One of the signs that will show that you are a true Christian is that you will be filled with God’s love which will enable you to selflessly love others without any selfish motives (Romans 12:9).
And this special agape love you will have only comes from God. As you know as humans, we are naturally selfish and self-centered which is why we can’t selflessly love others unless they are benefiting us in some way.
But if you are a real Christian you will have this selfless agape love imparted to you by Christ Jesus that will enable you to selflessly love others without expecting anything in return.
The love that will have is the love Paul talks about in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 that isn’t self-centered or self-seeking as natural human love is which is all about what you can get from someone, period.
2. Genuine Salvation.
Having genuine salvation which brings eternal life is among the most important signs of a true Christian that every professing Christian must have as without it, you won’t make heaven.
And this salvation, dear can only be found in Jesus Christ as Acts 4:12 wonderfully sums it up that there is no other name under heaven other than Jesus Christ by which we must be saved from sin and its horrific consequences which is eternal damnation in hellfire.
And if you are a true believer who has been truly saved, you will have this salvation that brings eternal life and forgiveness of sins to every repentant sinner that truly repents and forsake their sins (Proverbs 28:13).
But if you are a fake Christian, this real salvation for our Lord Jesus Christ will be completely missing in your life which will be evident by the sinful unregenerated lifestyle you may be still living in.
Must Read: 13 Signs That Show If You Are Truly Saved (To Help You know For Sure)
3. Love Jesus Christ.
If you are a real Christian or claim to be a follower of Jesus Christ, you will love Him with all your heart by keeping His commandments as He wonderfully says in John 14:15 that if you love Him, you will keep His commandments.
This implies that you won’t desire to do the things He hates or that are against His world, no matter how tempting it may be to your sinful flesh to disobey.
You can’t say that you love Jesus Christ with all your heart and soul if you have no interest whatsoever in obeying and keeping His commandments found in God’s word in the bible or giving your life entirely to Him.
But if you are a fake Christian Paul in Titus 1:16 talks about, you will only claim to love Christ with your lips but you will deny Him in your works and actions which is a trend with most fake Christians today.
4. Hate Sin.
Another sign that will show that you are a real Christian is that you will hate sin and love righteousness indeed due to the new nature of Christ that will be active in you.
This will be made possible because you will be given a new heart at salvation the Lord promises in Ezekiel 36:26 which will make you love the Lord with all your heart and abhor all that which is evil.
And if you are a true Christian professing Christ in your life you will hate all that which is evil and love righteousness instead on your Christian walk with Christ (Romans 12:9).
But if you are a false Christian, you will love sin due to the unregenerated sinful heart that you still have as a sinner that makes you love sin and hate righteousness which is why sin will be attractive and appealing to you as our corrupt sinful flesh inherently loves to sin.
Must Read: 13 Characteristics Of A Sinner (That Makes Sinners Sin In The First Place.)
5. Transformed Life.
The Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 5:17 wonderfully says that if anyone is in Christ is a new creature and old things have passed away (your past sinful life) and all things have become new.
And this transformation of life comes only after genuine repentance that brings about salvation and forgiveness of one’s sins made possible by the transforming and renewing power of the Holy Spirit that brings about the new birth.
This means that if you are a true born-again Christian on your way to heaven, you will live a new transformed life that will reflect that of Christ and you will no longer live a life of sin anymore.
Romans 12: 2 says that if you are a genuine Christian, you must not be conformed to this evil world but you must be terraformed by the renewing of your mind in Christ Jesus. If you are a fake Christian, you won’t have this transformed life.
Must Read: 11 Signs Of Being Born Again [That Only Show If You Are Truly Saved].
6. Possess Real Faith.
Having genuine faith in your Christian walk with Christ Jesus is another sign that will show that you are a genuine Christian who is filled with God’s grace in your life.
And this genuine faith of which without you can’t please the Lord (Hebrews 11:6) you will have is the faith that will be able to withstand trials of faith, persecutions, or hardships that every Genuine Christian will experience while here on earth.
Your faith can’t be real unless it’s proven during trials because faith unproven is no faith at all and no wonder Abraham in the old testament is called the father of faith because his faith was tested and passed all trials.
But if you are a counterfeit Christian, your faith will also be counterfeit, too which will only work when things are good in your life but when the storms of life come, it crumbles like a house built on sand.
Must Read: 54 Strong Faith In God Quotes (That Will Motivate You.)
7. Overcome Sin.
Overcoming sin will be another sign that will show if someone is a real Christian due to the new grace that person has been granted by Jesus Christ after getting saved.
Paul in Titus 2:11 says that the grace of God that brings salvation has been made available to everyone and its’ this grace that enables true believers who have been truly saved to overcome sin and deny all forms of ungodliness and worldly lusts in this present evil world we live in.
But if you are not a true believer, you won’t have this grace to enable you to overcome the sinful desires of your sinful flesh that make you sin in the first place.
And sadly. Most people who profess to be Christians today are still living in sin but claim to be born again merely deceiving themselves because if they were, sin will not have dominion over their lives.
Must Read: How To Have Power Over Sin In 7 Easy Steps [+Video Sermon].
8. Fellowship With Other Believers.
The desire to fellowship and assemble with your fellow Christians in the Lord will be another sign that will show if you are a true believer.
There are many benefits of fellowshipping with your fellow Christians who can teach you a lot of things about the Lord as well as encourage you to continue in the Lord when things get hard which they will which is difficult when you are alone with no one to console you.
No wonder Paul in Hebrews 10:25 encourages all believers not to forsake the assembling of one another as the manner of some is because many valuable benefits come with fellowshipping with your fellow believers in Christ.
However, if you are a fake Christian, you won’t desire to fellowship with other saints. Instead, you will prefer to associate with sinners who are not saved and do the same bad things you do as birds of the same feathers always flock together.
9. Love The Truth.
If you claim to be a true Christian, you will love the truth and sound doctrine found in God’s word and hate all that which is false no matter how good it may make your flesh feel (Palms 1:1,2).
The love of the truth found only in God’s word only is one of the most crucial things you need to have in your Christian faith as it will protect you from Satan’s deceptions which are rife in these last days we live in.
No wonder Proverbs 23:23 says that when you buy the truth, you must sell it not by giving yourself to false teachings or doctrines found in false churches which will be the case if you are truly born again.
But if you are not a real believer, you won’t love the convicting truth found in the bible or true church that convicts one of sin. Instead, you will love false teachings from false teachers that just tickle your ear and don’t help grow spiritually or live godly in any way.
10. Honesty.
True Christians are marked by their honesty. They are committed to speaking the truth, regardless of what it is even if it’s uncomfortable to say.
Honesty is the ability to be truthful, faithful, and sincere toward others without any form of deceit. It’s also an aspect that speaks of someone’s character and gives us insight into who they are.
A true Christian will always speak the truth in love even if it hurts someone else or makes them look bad. These people will never say one thing but mean another like liars do (Ephesians 4:15).
True Christians will make sure that they don’t say something that contradicts the scripture as they understand that the Lord detests lying lips but delight in those who speak the truth (Proverbs 12:22).
11. Live A Holy Life.
When someone is a real Christian who is truly saved by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that person will live a holy life that represents Christ.
God hasn’t called us to uncleanness but has called us unto righteousness which is why there is no reason as to why you must faith to live a life of holiness if you claim to be a believer of which without, no one will see the Lord (Hebrews 12:14).
Many so-called fake Christians think that no one can live a holy life which isn’t true of course because God can’t ask us to do the things He knows we can’t.
They say so because they haven’t experienced the new birth in Christ which makes one have a new nature of Christ that enables one to live a holy life that’s free from sin and since He who has called us is holy, we must be holy too if we claim to be His (1 Peter 1: 15-17).
12. Active Prayer Life.
If you are a truly devout Christian, you will certainly have an active prayer life as it’s what will help you be strong in the Lord and overcome temptations. Prayer is also what will enable you to worship and talk to God which is why it’s vital.
On the other hand, if you don’t have a strong prayer life, you will become easy prey for Satan’s temptations because prayer is a vital weapon that helps one quench and neutralize the fiery darts of the enemy which include temptations to fall into sin.
This is why you must pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17) because your arch-enemy, Satan hasn’t given up on you yet, dear, and will take advantage of your weak prayer life to make you sin if you are lazy to pray.
If Jesus Prayed while on earth why shouldn’t you? He even further encouraged us in Luke 22:46 that we must pray so that we don’t enter into temptations.
13. Easily Forgive Offences.
Since when you become a real born-again Christian, you inherit a new Christ-like nature, it, therefore, follows that you will also easily forgive others who have wronged you as true love can’t exist without forgiveness (1 Corinthians 13:7).
Yes, forgiveness may be difficult at times depending on the gravity of the offense but with God’s grace in your life, you will find it easy to forgive all offenses your offenders have committed against you.
Remember, you as well have committed many offenses against God and do daily but God easily forgives you regardless. In like manner, extend the same grace and forgiveness to your offenders so that you can be forgiven too (Matthews 6:14,15).
But if you are not born again yet, you will find it hard if not impossible to forgive others who have hurt you. Instead, you will resort to revenge and holding grudges that hurts you in the end.
14. Spirit Filled.
Being filled with the Holy Spirit is another crucial sign that you will show that you truly belong to God and not Satan as the Holy Spirit can’t dwell in the presence of sin or a sinner.
And it’s this same Holy Spirit that will also bear witness with your inner spirit that you are indeed God’s child (Romans 8:16) and guide you into all truths so that you don’t get deceived by Satan’s lies and deceptions which are everywhere
Without Him, you won’t manage to live a life of holiness God requires of you as He’s the One responsible for regenerating and transforming you from the inside which results in a new birth that conforms you to the likeness of Christ (Titus 3:5).
And if you are not a real Christian, you won’t be filled with the Holy Spirit to help you live godly in this present evil world. Instead, you will be filled with the spirit of the devil that will cause you to sin and rebel against God.
15. Have All The 9 Fruits Of The Spirit.
The 9 essential fruits of the Spirit Paul talks about in Galatians 5:22,23 are very essential in the life of anyone who professes to be a believer as without them, forget about making heaven.
And the reason why you can’t go to heaven without them is that they are a litmus test that determines if one is a real Christian or not and if you are His, you will have all the 9 fruits of the Spirit as they reflect God’s character.
But if you are a fake Christian with no real conversion in your life, these 9 fruits of the Spirit will be nowhere to be seen in your life at all.
Instead, the works of the flesh found in Galatians 5:19-21 are what will be found and characterize your life as confirmation that you are not of God but of your father the devil as you share his traits, too.
Conclusion.
I hope the 15 signs of a true Christian above will now help you understand what differentiates a real born-again Christian from a fake one who is just a mere religious person and churchgoer.
If you realize that you are not saved yet but want to be saved and be a real Christian, read this post on how to be truly saved in 7 simple steps to help you get started.
In closing, if you found this post useful, kindly share it with others who need to hear this so that they can benefit as well just as you have. Stay blessed.
Further Reading.
- 63 True Christian Quotes To Live By (+ Powerful Sermon).
- 13 Signs Of A Lukewarm Christian (+ Powerful Sermon)
- 13 Must-Have Traits Of A Godly Person (+ Video Sermon).
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I am sorry to be critical of your article. The points and references are on point. I believe you’ve amassed great scriptures and logic. However, the article if full of simple mistakes that make reading it difficult. If I may suggest it be edited and then reposted. I muddled through it because the content was very good. Others may not.
Thanks for your lovely comment. Yes, there are a few grammatical errors I started using a grammar editor and I have corrected some mistakes in the post. God bless.
I truly know what you are saying is true but how do you know if you have been called of God to be saved because it says no man come to the father but by me or no man comes to me unless in God draws him so how do we know if we’re called I believe the same thing that you see but yet to my upbringing and teaching I struggle in my lifestyle I’m more carnal than I am spiritual I need serious help please help me in Jesus name
Thanks for your reply. Just sincerely pray with a truly repentant heart and mind for God to deliver you from a spirit of carnality hindering you from living a true Christian lifestyle characterized by holiness and righteousness. I Am sure if you do that, all will be well with you. God bless and keep me updated about your spiritual life.
Hallelujah, Blessings. I am so blessed by this truth because we as true reborn christians we will held with higher guilt and responsibility before God if we fail in any t of this signs. This call isn’t easy but with the help of the Holy Spirit of God who Jesus promised to every believer,whom we are sealed unto the day of resurrection, as our helper you will be wasting your time here on earth and again miss out on eternal life. Thank you so much my sister and may God increase your knowledge of seeking and understanding Him through the wisdom of the Holy Spirit as you share helping other christians to understand the magnitude of walking this journey. Shalom!
Glad you enjoyed the post and found it a blessing you and may the Lord continue being with you on your Christian journey.