So You’re A Christian…Really?
Bodie Hodge, M.Sc., B.Sc., PEI
Biblical Authority Ministries, January 30, 2026 (Donate)
Introduction
Many people today call themselves “Christians”. In fact, an atheistic evolutionist named Anders Breivik, hailed himself as a Christian on a website before he went on an island in Norway and murdered a bunch of kids. Upon research one finds that he viewed Europe as “culturally Christian”, as opposed to “culturally Islamic” and his Christianity had nothing to do with Christ or God.[1]
Leading atheist Richard Dawkins also identifies himself as a cultural Christian, and even a cultural Anglican![2] Former President Obama and other leading officials also repeatedly calls themselves Christias and then supports the murder of the unborn, sodomy, and other sinful behavior forbidden by Christ in His Word. I’ve seen people call themselves Christians and then their actions are grossly unchristian.
Such ordeals stain the name Christian as people look on and say “that’s a Christian…well then, I don’t want to be a Christian.” Obviously such things reveal that people, who claim to be Christians, and yet promote such sin, are in denial of the Bible, as the authority in their lives.
At what point should a Christian say “enough is enough” and start judging a tree by its fruit. Christians are to have a righteous judgment (John 7:24) and are commanded to judge those who are within the church (1 Corinthians 5:12). We are commanded to put away the evil person who tries to infiltrate the church (1 Corinthians 5:13).
How To Recognize A Christian…According To The Bible
In brief, a Christians is a repentant believer in Jesus Christ, the Son of God who came in the flesh, died, and resurrected. The Bible speaks extensively about fruits of a Christian. Instantly, what comes to mind are the fruits of the spirit:
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. (Galatians 5:22-24, NKJV)
Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma. But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints; neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not be partakers with them. For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. (Ephesians 5:1-12, NKJV)
Walking in these “fruits” are often a telltale sign that people are living out their Christian lives as a tribute to the Lord who redeemed them from sin and death. But even so, identifying a Christian (godly believers) was still difficult, even for 1st century believers!
The book of 1 John speaks extensively about this and how to identify those unbelievers. Essentially, it is those who walk in darkness (evil) even though they claim to follow God (Christ). Some of the identifying marks of false believers are tabulated below:
|
|
Identifiers |
Reference |
|
1 |
Walks/practices darkness (sin)/practices lawlessness |
1 John 1:6-7; 1 John 3:3-4 |
|
2 |
Doesn’t obey Christ’s commands (to love God and love other
Christians) |
1 John 2:4-6; 1 John 3:23-24; 1 John 5:1-3 |
|
3 |
Hates brothers (fellow Christians) |
1 John 2:8-11; 1 John 3:14-17; 1 John 4:20-21 |
|
4 |
Loves the “world and the things of the world” (e.g.,
worldly pleasures and ideas as opposed to those of God) |
1 John 2:15-16; 1 John 4:4-5; 1 John 5:4-5 |
|
5 |
Doesn’t do the will of God |
1 John 2:17; 1 John 5:14 |
|
6 |
Walks away from the faith/doesn’t continue with Christ |
1 John 2:18-19; 1 John 5:13 |
|
7 |
Doesn’t confess the Son (Jesus Christ) |
1 John 2:21-24; 1 John 4:14-15 |
|
8 |
Doesn’t abide in the Son (Jesus Christ) |
1 John 2:24-25; 1 John 4:13, 16 |
|
9 |
Doesn’t practice righteousness |
1 John 2:29; 1 John 3:7-10 |
|
10 |
Doesn’t believe the testimony of God (i.e., His Word) |
1 John 5:1; 1 John 5:10-12 |
Reasons People May Not Display The Fruits Of The Spirit
So why is it that many people today, who claim to be Christians, often still have some identifiers of false belief? I can think of two reasons.
1.
They simply don’t know enough on the subject.
For example, some new or immature Christians may still continue in a sin that
they didn’t know was a sin. This is where teaching and getting in to the Word
of God really helps. Keep in mind that
no one is perfect and Christians can still sin, but upon knowledge of that sin,
they need to repent and strive to avoid such sin. In other words, avoid and do
not practice sin and unrighteousness.
2. The other reason is that they are simply false teachers calling
themselves Christians for their own selfish desires (personal gain)—in some
instances to subtly attack and undermine God’s people from within.
Being Called A “Christian” Is A Good Thing!
Many want to associate themselves with Christians due to the good name it has. It is good to be called a Christian. Sadly, people take advantage of that. They try to call themselves Christians for selfish financial gain by get business from them. In other cases, people call themselves Christians to get votes from the Christian crowd! In other cases they simply call themselves that to appease their parents or grandparents, all the while their hearts are far from God.
The Bible warns of false teachers who infiltrate the church and teach false doctrines that contradict the Bible (2 Corinthians 11:13, 1 Peter 2:1). Should it be a surprise? Even Judas, among Jesus’s disciples, betrayed Christ.
Final Remarks
Though much more could be said on this subject, I’m merely scratching the surface. I do want to leave us with some final thoughts. Only God is the final judge of someone’s heart; but in correcting or challenging anyone, it should be done with gentleness and respect (Ephesians 4:2, 1 Corinthians 4:21, 1 Peter 3:15). Our heart should be one to call people to repentance in Christ if at all possible (2 Corinthians 7:9-10).
Christians should be quick to point out that when those who claim to be Christians do things that are not Christian like and hence, oppose the Bible, then we need to point it out the error and correct the brother…or if we need to….point out that they are no brother at all after seeing their fruits and checking for identifying marks of unbelief.
There is a time when false believers should be removed or avoided so they are no longer stumbling blocks to Christians (e.g., some biblical examples 2 Timothy 3:1-5, 1 Corinthians 5:1-13; 2 Thessalonians 3:6 and14, Matthew 18:15-20, Romans 16:17, 2 John 1:9-10, Titus 3:9-10).
The old phrases “actions speak louder than words” or “you can tell a tree by its fruit” is not without warrant. This biblical principle comes from Christ Himself:
"For a good tree does not bear bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. "For every tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush. (Luke 6:43-44, NKJV)
Bodie Hodge, Ken
Ham's son in law, has been an apologist since 1998 helping out in various
churches and running an apologetics website. He spent 21 years working at Answers
in Genesis as a speaker, writer, and researcher as well as a founding
news anchor for Answers News. He was also head of the Oversight
Council.
Bodie
launched Biblical Authority Ministries in 2015 as a personal
website and it was organized officially in 2025 as a 501(c)(3). He has spoken
on multiple continents and hosts of US states in churches, colleges, and
universities. He is married with four children.
Mr. Hodge earned a
Bachelor and Master of Science degrees from Southern Illinois University at
Carbondale (SIUC). Then he taught at SIUC for a couple of years as a
Visiting Instructor teaching all levels of undergraduate engineering and
running a materials lab and a CAD lab. He did research on advanced ceramic
materials to develop a new method of production of titanium diboride with a
grant from Lockheed Martin. He worked as a Test Engineer for Caterpillar,
Inc., prior to entering full-time ministry.
His love of science was coupled with a love of history, philosophy, and theology. For about one year of his life, Bodie was editing and updating a theological, historical, and scientific dictionary/encyclopedia for AI use and training. Mr. Hodge has over 25 years of experience in writing, speaking and researching in these fields. Originally at Answers in Genesis; Edited; Republished by permission.
