Your Actions Tell What You Are

I suppose we have all heard the saying "you are what you eat", right? I suppose that there maybe some truth to that. After all the food you eat feeds your body and gives it the strength it needs to function. However food does not only give your body strength, which is good, it can also cause your body various health problems. If you eat junk food on a daily basis your body will show the effects of that (heart disease, high blood pressure, etc). In a very similar way the Scriptures teach that your actions tell what you truly are. Are you a follower of Jesus Christ? Your actions will show that. Are you a hypocrite who only pretends to follow Christ for various reasons? Your actions will show that as well. Our actions tell a lot about us. In fact our actions tell who we really are. This was John's point in his epistle which we refer to as 1John. That is why he says:


"By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. The one who says, "I have come to know Him," and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him: the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked." 1Jn 2:3-6.

If you are truly a follower of Jesus Christ you will obey Him. Nobody has ever said that such obedience would be perfect or that failure is not a reality (1Jn 1:9, 2:1-2) however if you are a true Christian the “direction” of your life will be obedience to Christ.

 

1Cor 6:9-10, Gal 5:19-21, Eph 5:1-12, 1Jn 2:3-6, 3:9-10, Rev 21:8

Those verses, I think, are frighteningly clear. I did not make this up or pull it out of thin air. Those who live in sin, as a way of life, are not saved. Yes believers can backslide and be disobedient "at times". However those "times" will not be the general track/direction of their lives. If sin and disobedience/lawlessness is the general track/direction of a person's life then they certainly need to reflect upon the above verses and prayerfully examine their salvation.

 

==Always? As in daily, every minute, type thing? No. Clearly believers can and do sin and fall. However even when the believer falls they are kept by the power of God (Ps 37:24). The problem is those people who claim to be saved yet who are openly, without repentance, living in sin. A true believer does not continue to live in sin and when they do sin they have repentance.

==I'm sure most Christians can relate to what you are saying (Rom 7). But let's notice that you are talking about down times or periods. Its not as if your chart line is going straight down all the time, right? Even though I don't know you personally I assume you are not living in open, unrepentant sin, right? None of us are perfect and none of us obey perfectly. That is why I pointed out in my post:

"Nobody has ever said that such obedience would be perfect or that failure is not a reality (1Jn 1:9, 2:1-2) however if you are a true Christian the “direction” of your life will be obedience to Christ."

If you have doubts about your salvation you may wish to consult your pastor or deacon. I'm sure they would be more than willing to talk and pray with you about any struggles or doubts you may have.

 

==If I could answer that question, with authority, then I would not be sitting here typing this right now.

==I'm glad to hear that. :thumbs:

 

Again, what is the clear message/teaching of such verses...

1Cor 6:9-10, Gal 5:19-21, Eph 5:1-12, 1Jn 2:3-6, 3:9-10, Rev 21:8

 

==Actually Scripture does tell us what happens to those who bear no fruit:

"If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned" -Jn 15:6

"Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire" -Matt 7:19-20

"By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother" -1Jn 3:10

"Little children, make sure no one deceives you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous." -1Jn 3:7