In Christianity or in Christ?

The following is from the first chapter of Jordan C. Khan's booklet In Christianity or in Christ? It shows where I was at regarding Christ when I was growing up because I didn't know any better and where many still are today:

"Are you a true Christian, or are you a nominal Christian?

"Before you answer this question, I would request you to read through this little booklet, and you will then be in a position to answer correctly.

"A TRUE INCIDENT IN THE LIFE OF QUEEN VICTORIA

"Many years ago there lived on the Osborne House estate an old lady (one of the late Queen Victoria's pensioners), who had a niece in a business house in Cowes. One early-closing day this niece went to her aunt's cottage for tea, and remained some time, knitting and chatting with the old lady, and having tea with them.

"After tea Her Majesty said: 'Now I will read a few verses from the 14th chapter of John.' This she did; then looking very kindly at the girl she said: 'I wonder whether you are a Christian, my dear?' 'O yes, your Majesty,' replied the girl. 'How do you know you are?' asked the Queen. 'Because I have been christened and confirmed,' was the answer.

"The Queen made no reply, but gently said: 'Now we will have a few words of prayer, so you kneel down, and we old ladies will bow our heads, as our rheumatism will not allow us to kneel.' Her Majesty then prayed, and in her prayer she said: 'Lord, open the eyes of this dear young girl and show her that without a change of heart she can never become a true Christian. Show her that no outward observances can in any wise save her soul; and this I ask in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ.'

"When the girl related the above she remarked: 'Well, I have often sung: "God save the Queen," but I never dreamt that I would hear the Queen pray for me.'

"The Queen's prayer was abundantly answered, for that girl was converted not long after, and was greatly used as a soul-winner in the business house where she worked. She was called Home four days before her twenty-first birthday.

"First let us consider who are nominal Christians, and how they come under that category.

"1. A Nominal Christian by Birth

"I have heard people saying: 'I am a born Christian', but there is not a single verse in the Bible which confirms such a false notion. On the contrary the Bible says: 'Behold, I was shapen in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.' Psa. 51.5. By this we know that no one is a 'born' Christian, but a born sinner.

"The Jews boasted in their genealogy. 'They answered and said unto Him: Abraham is our father.' John 8.39. But the Lord Jesus said unto them: 'Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do.' John 8:44. There are many nominal Christians who think that because their father became a Christian, therefore they also are Christians. To such the Lord says: 'Ye are of your father the devil,' and the proof that the devil is their father is: 'the lusts of your father ye will do.'

"2. A Nominal Christian by Outward Ritual

"There is a wrong, dangerous and misleading teaching in many sections of Christianity that by going through an outward ritual or ceremony the Holy Spirit comes into a child or a man, and he becomes a child of God. From no passage in the Bible can such false, corrupt and man-made teaching be confirmed. The Scribes and Pharisees falsely accused the disciples of the Lord Jesus. They said to Him: 'Why walk not Thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders?' Mark 7.5. But the Lord Jesus replied: 'Laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men.' And He said unto them: 'Full well ye reject the commandment of God that ye may keep your own traditions.' Mark 7.8, 9. The Jews followed the traditions written in the Talmud, and those made by their elders. In the same way many nominal Christians follow man-made traditions, ceremonies and rituals.

"If a bottle is full of poison, and its mouth is closed with a cork, you may dip it in water, or pour water over it hundreds of times, but the poison will still remain inside the bottle. In the same way a man may perform outward rituals and ceremonies, but no change will come in the heart till the man repents of his sins, and receives Christ into his heart to cleanse away his sins by His precious blood.

"3. A Nominal Christian by Change of Religion

"In the days of the early Apostles in the first century, Simon the Sorcerer changed his religion and became a nominal Christian. 'Simon himself believed also; and . . . was baptized.' Acts 8.13. But he believed intellectually, with an ulterior motive, and not from his heart. He had 'head' faith, and not 'heart' faith. When Peter came to Samaria from Jerusalem, he sensed in his spirit the ulterior motive of Simon's 'head' faith, and said to him: 'Thy heart is not right in the sight of God.' Acts 8.21. Though Simon had changed his religion, his heart had remained unchanged.

"You will find multitudes of such 'Simons' in India and in other countries of the world, who have become Christians with ulterior motives in mass movements; and yet other individuals who have become Christians by deceiving God's servants. They have changed their names and their religion, but their hearts are yet unchanged. If a man has a bottle full of poison, removes the label 'poison,' and puts on another label, such as 'honey,' the contents will still remain poison, and will not become honey. Mere change of religion for material gain and ulterior motive cannot change the heart. Only when the Lord Jesus is received into the heart as Lord and Saviour is the heart changed. We read: 'Now when He was in Jerusalem at the passover, many believed in His Name when they saw the miracles which He did. But Jesus did not commit Himself unto them, because He knew all men, and needed not that any should testify of man; for He knew what was in man.' John 2.23-25. The faith of such people was tested and exposed by the Lord Jesus in John 6.26: 'Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you: Ye seek Me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves and were filled.' They became 'bread' Christians, and not 'heart' Christians. We have plenty of such 'rice' Christians these days in India and in other parts of the world.

"4. How to Recognise a Nominal Christian

"I was speaking once in a certain town in Bihar in North India, and was using two different terms for describing Christians, namely 'nominal' Christians and 'real' Christians. One nominal Christian leader became very furious, and asked me after one of the evening meetings: 'Is there any special mark on the foreheads of nominal Christians?' I answered him and said: 'I find not only one mark on the foreheads of nominal Christians, but many marks on their hands, foreheads, eyes, mouths, lips, hands, ears, feet, and in fact on every part of the body,--marks of sin.' Then I showed the Scriptures: 'Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? . . . but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.' Matt. 7.16, 17. To this he had nothing to say.

"Three years later the same nominal Christian attended our meetings in the same town. He saw then that he was a nominal Christian, repented of his sins, and upon his knees accepted the Lord Jesus as his personal Lord and Saviour, was marvellously saved, and became a real Christian. At the same spot where three years before he had opposed the message, he now gave his testimony to the reality of salvation.

"The thorns and thistles of cinema-going, the hearing and singing of worldly songs, drinking, dancing, smoking and reading of worldly novels, can be seen in the lives of nominal Christians. Their lives are full of uncleanness, inordinate affection, fornication, adultery and other lustful desires. Their hearts are full of envy, hatred, strife, anger, wrath, clamour, bitterness and evil-speaking. They take bribes, cheat, lie and deceive like the heathen. They are proud, high-minded, arrogant and selfish. (See 1 Tim. 3.1-5; 2 Pet. 2.19-22; Heb. 10.26-29.)

"Many amongst such nominal Christians have 'a form of godliness, but deny the power thereof.' 2 Tim. 3.5. They are religious-minded, but at the same time they are also worldly-minded. They attend some Christian meetings on Sunday, but the whole week you will find them in worldy clubs and other worldly places. They even hold some Christian responsibility like Judas Iscariot, but are greedy, deceivers and thieves. They are members of the choir; they take an active part in some Christian youth meetings and in Sunday schools, and are very zealous outwardly in traditional Christianity, but their hearts are full of wickedness, uncleanness and worldliness.

"If you will search your heart in the light of God's Word, you will realize whether you are a nominal Christian, a false Christian, a 'rice' Christian, a traditional Christian, or a real and true Christian. If you see your need, God can change you from being a nominal Christian into a real Christian.

"5. Eternal Judgment for Nominal Christians

"The Lord says about unsaved and unchanged nominal Christians: 'Many will say to Me in that day: Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy Name; and in Thy Name cast out devils; and in Thy Name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them: I never knew you; depart from Me, ye that do iniquity' Matt. 7.22-23.

"'God is no respecter of persons' Acts 10.34.

"God says in His Word that if the sons of Noah, Daniel and Job were found sinful and wicked like other sinful children of Israel, God's fury would kindle against them, and their father's righteousness would not deliver them from the judgment of God. It is written: 'If I send a pestilence into that land, and pour out My fury upon it in blood, to cut off man and beast, though Noah, Daniel and Job were in it, as I live, saith the Lord God, they shall deliver neither son nor daughter; they shall deliver but their own souls by their righteousness' Ezek. 14.19-20.

"There are many nominal Christians living sinful lives, who are yet members of the churches. One day they will be punished. It is written: 'There are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of God into lasciviousness, and denying the only God, and our Lord Jesus Christ' Jude verse 4.

"6. Nominal Christians can become Real Christians

"I was a nominal Christian myself. I was baptised, knew the Lord's prayer, the Apostolic Creed, the Ten Commandments, and other Bible stories, and yet I was not saved.

"I became a member of the choir, and a member of the Christian Endeavour, and yet I was a cinema-goer, a dancer, gambler and drunkard. Though I attended Christian meetings on Sundays, yet I was a slave of the lust of the flesh and of the lust of the eyes. In September 1941, one evening the Spirit of God showed me my wickedness and convicted me deeply of my sins. With this great burden of sin on my heart I fell upon my knees, and in prayer to God I confessed with a broken heart and in tears. I received, by living faith, the Lord Jesus into my heart to cleanse away all my sins and purge my sinful heart with His precious blood. In my prayer I also received Him as my King and my Lord. When I opened my eyes I realized that all the blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, had cleansed me from all sin. 1 John 1.7. My heart was filled with heavenly joy and divine peace. I experienced a new life within me. 'If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.' 2 Cor. 5.17. One can be born in a Christian family, and yet remain a sinful creature. One can be an adherent of the Christian religion, and yet remain a sinner. Only when a man is 'in Christ,' with true repentance from his sins, and by receiving the Lord Jesus into his heart, can he be a 'new creature',--a true Christian.

"If you are prepared to do according to the four things mentioned below, you can be changed from a nominal Christian into a real Christian.

"Firstly, you must realize that you are not a Christian by birth, but a sinner. Job 14.1, 4.

"Secondly, you must repent from all your sins, and confess them to the Lord. Do this upon your knees in prayer. 'If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.' 1 John 1.9.

"Thirdly, you must receive the power of the blood of the Lord Jesus to cleanse away your sins, and purge your sinful heart, 'with full assurance of faith,' that your heart may be 'sprinkled from an evil conscience.' Heb. 9.14; Heb. 10.19, 22.

"Fourthly, you must receive the Living Christ into your heart as your personal Lord and King, to dwell within, and control your life. 'That Christ may dwell in your heart by faith.' Eph. 3.17.

"If the Lord is speaking to you and you are under conviction of sin, then fall upon your knees immediately, and cry unto the Lord from a broken heart, bringing the four things mentioned above into your prayer. The moment you confess your sins in prayer to the Lord, and claim by living faith the power of the blood of Christ in your heart, and receive Him into your heart as your Lord and Saviour, then claim and cling to the following promises of God's Word for the assurance of salvation:

"'The blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanseth (you make it personal by saying: 'cleanseth me') from all sin.' 1 John 1.7.

"'In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.' Eph. 1.7. (Again you can make it personal by using the first person.)

"If you receive the Lord Jesus into your heart as your Lord and Saviour, then you can claim another wonderful promise of God's Word: 'As many as received Him (the Lord Jesus) to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name.' John 1.12.

"After making a personal decision by accepting the Lord Jesus, thank Him for making you a son of God, and for cleansing you from your sins by His blood, and for forgiving you all your sins."