ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Unless otherwise stated all Scripture is taken from the New King James
Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission.
All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked KJV are from the King James Version of
the Bible.
Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New
International Version, copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International
Bible Society, used by permission of Hodder & Stoughton Limited.
This message is written and produced by Diana Hedley:
Costa Blanca Mission, Apartado de Correos 5234,
03186 Torrevieja, Alicante, Espana
E-mail: costablancamission@prayersharers.org
Please respect the authorship of this booklet. For permission to use or
adapt this material in full or in part, please contact us at either the
postal address or the e-mail address above.
For this is good and acceptable in the sight of
God our Saviour,who desires all men to be saved
and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
1 Timothy 2:3 ,4.

WHAT IS A REAL CHRISTIAN?
INTRODUCTION
A significant number of people today consider themselves to be a
Christian yet without any real understanding or knowledge of the actual
Biblical definition of the word. It is a word which has gradually
become carelessly used. Let me illustrate what I mean.
You will have heard a housewife say something like, “The house is in
such a mess, I must hoover through”. What she really means is, “… I
must vacuum through”; Hoover being the trade name of the appliance.
The same applies to the word biro when it is used to mean a ballpoint
pen; Biro being the name of the inventor. There is the same
implication in the use of the word Christian, which has come to be
wrongly used to mean, a person who acts without guile, or, an honest,
upright citizen, who shows every consideration for his fellow man.
Whether the word hoover or vacuum, biro or ballpoint pen is used is
not of any great significance, but when the word Christian is wrongly
used or misconstrued then that is a different matter.
As a child my father encouraged me to ensure that I was aware of all
the facts, regardless of any previous thoughts or ideas I had, before
making a decision or comment on a particular subject. I have come to
realise that it is so easy to have a set way of thinking on an issue, so that
when the truth is heard we may not recognise it because of our existing
bias.
Many of our fixed opinions come from early childhood and are formed
from what we are taught at school, what our parents tell us, what we
read, what we hear, what we experience and so forth. More often than
not we carry these fixed beliefs into adulthood, and because they are so
firmly rooted in our minds it does not occur to us that there is the
slightest possibility they could be wrong. I would like to encourage
you, therefore, that as you read on you endeavour to let your mind be
open to the fact that what you are reading is from God’s Word and that
there is the possibility that your own present views could be wrong.

SOME INCORRECT ASSUMPTIONS
Whilst we are talking about fixed thoughts or ideas, it would, perhaps,
be appropriate to look at some frequently used erroneous definitions of
a Christian.
** Living a good, honest life and doing good deeds makes you a
Christian: Incorrect. In all probability this is the most common
erroneous definition of a Christian. It is certainly one which is
frequently encountered. However, God’s word says. Not by
works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His
mercy He saved us. Titus 3:5. It is not by our deeds or actions we
are saved, it is by faith in what Jesus did for mankind.
** Believing in God makes you a Christian: Incorrect. Even
Satan believes in God, and that certainly does not make him a
Christian!
** Going to Church makes you a Christian: Incorrect. People go
to church for a variety of reasons, but that does not mean that they
are all Christians. Some go because they feel they should, whilst
others treat it purely as a social event. A visitor to our home, who
had attended church all her life, discussed with us a business
decision she had to make. We encouraged her to see what the
Bible had to say regarding the matter. She was amazed when she
realised that she had never been taught how to seek the Bible and
apply its principles to her daily living. After a little more
discussion, and much to her surprise, it became apparent that she
had never become a Christian. For most of her life, she had
thought that regularly attending church was sufficient.
** Reading and knowing the Bible makes you a Christian:
Incorrect. In his youth, Karl Marx wrote an excellent exposition of
John’s Gospel. Later he rejected the Bible’s authority and called
himself an atheist, a communist … but not a Christian. Satan
himself quoted Scriptures to Jesus when he tempted Him in the
wilderness. … “If You are the Son of God, throw yourself down.
For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge concerning you’”.
Matthew 4:6. No one would suggest that knowing the Scriptures
makes Satan a Christian!
** Praying makes you a Christian: Incorrect. It is possible to pray
and not be a Christian. Hindus pray all the time and Muslims pray
five times a day. Praying in itself does not make someone a
Christian.
** Being born in a Christian home or environment makes you a
Christian: Incorrect.
Many people will say that being born in Britain, which is reputed to
be a Christian nation, makes them a Christian. Others have said
that they have been a Christian all their life, because they were born
in a Christian home. Neither of these assumptions is correct.

THE BIBLE
As we have just seen, there does appear to be a number of incorrect or
misunderstood definitions of a Christian, so we need to look for a
trustworthy explanation. The point is though, where should we look?
Since the word Christian means, pertaining to Christ, it would seem
reasonable, therefore, that in order to find out all about Jesus we need
to look at the only reliable book that tells us about Him, and that is the
Bible.
The Bible is the Word of God, written by man through the inspiration
of the Holy Spirit, and as such is the only reliable means by which the
absolute truth can be established. The entirety of Your word is truth,
and every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever. Psalm
119:160. It contains the answers to life, past, present and future. In
fact, it contains the answers and solutions to every situation and
problem known to mankind. If the situation or problem itself is not
specifically stated, then there are certainly principles and guidelines
which govern the solution. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God,
and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction
in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly
equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16, 17.
Invariably, man’s views are influenced by his own knowledge, ideas,
reasoning or thoughts, all of which can vary from one person to
another, and can even at times be totally at odds with the Bible. It is
important, therefore, that each one of us should study the Scriptures
for himself. These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica,
in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the
Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so. Acts 17:11.

THE DEFINITION OF A CHRISTIAN
As we begin to establish what the Bible reveals about becoming a
Christian it becomes apparent that there is a form of process. This
begins with hearing and then a subsequent response to the “gospel
message”. Often a person will actually hear the gospel message a
number of times before making a positive response. So what is the
gospel message? Why is it so important? Paul understood this
importance when he wrote to the Christians in Rome, For I am not
ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation
for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek
(Gentile). Romans 1:16.
The Gospel
Remarkably few people have a full understanding of what the gospel
message is. This may be the main reason why many churches today are
so full of nominal Christians, that is Christians in name only and not in
reality. Reliable statistics show that out of a total world population of
around 6½ billion people there are 1½ billion nominal Christians. This
is an alarming revelation, so unless the truth is revealed to them, they,
like all unbelievers, will not spend eternity in heaven, but in hell.
Incidentally, the choice to become a Christian and follow Jesus has to
be made here on earth before death – after that is too late.
Obviously it is essential to know what the gospel message is before we
can make a response to it. The word “gospel” means good news, and
the “gospel message” means the good news about Jesus Christ. So
what is so good about the news of Jesus Christ? Why did He have to
come to earth as man in the first place, and why did He have to die an
excruciating death on the cross? Not only that, why did He then rise
from the dead after 3 days and remain on the earth for another 40 days
before finally rising to heaven on the clouds where he is now seated at
the right hand of God? To answer these questions, we need to go back
to the beginning.

Sin
In the beginning God created man and woman for a relationship with
Himself. He placed them in the Garden of Eden where He provided
for all their needs. They were given complete freedom, but God made
one proviso, and that was that they should not eat the fruit from the
tree of knowledge of good and evil. However Adam and Eve both
succumbed to the temptations of Satan when they chose to disobey
God by eating the forbidden fruit.
Because of this one act of disobedience sin entered into the world.
Their perfect nature had now become sinful and their perfect
relationship with God was broken. From that time onwards each one
of us has been born with this same sinful nature and broken
relationship with God. As a result we have sought to make our own
way in life by living totally independent from God. Therefore, just as
through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus
death spread to all men, because all sinned. Romans 5:12.
That was something like 6,000 years ago (certainly not millions of years
ago as some scientists and naturalists would have us believe). This is
how man has continued to live up to the present time; he has lived
independently from God and gone his own way. That is the definition
of sin; not living according to how God would have us live by
following the directions in His Word, the Bible, but living our own way.
Not only did Adam and Eve sin by directly rebelling against God, but
they also broke the perfect relationship they initially had with Him.
God’s Initial Answer to Sin
From the time of Adam and Eve up until the time Jesus came to the
earth, God’s solution to the consequences of man’s sin was the
shedding of blood by the sacrifice of animals. Each animal had to be
perfect, without any fault or blemish and its shed blood atoned for the
person’s sin. It was once a year that the high priest went alone into the
Most Holy Place in the Temple and offered the sacrifices to God on
behalf of the people. Obviously this was not a permanent solution as it
did not resolve the problem of man’s inherent sin.

God’s Answer Today
God is loving and just, so two thousand years ago He provided the
ultimate solution to man’s sin through His son, Jesus, who came to
earth in the form of man in order to restore that broken relationship
with Himself. For God so loved the world that He gave His only
begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have
everlasting life. John 3:16.
Jesus allowed Himself to be arrested and crucified in order that He
might become the final, once and for all time, sacrifice for the sin of all
mankind. Just as the animals that were sacrificed were perfect and
without fault or blemish, so too was Jesus – He never sinned. His
death on the cross, His burial in the tomb and resurrection from the
dead after 3 days, and His final ascension into heaven 40 days later was
God’s plan for dealing with the consequences of man's sin and
restoring his broken relationship with Himself.

Our Response
It is not sufficient to merely acknowledge that Jesus died for our sins.
That was an action on his part, because He allowed Himself to be
crucified in our place. God now requires some action from us and that
is quite simply that we should a) repent, b) believe and c) confess and
d) be baptised. Not fully observing these four basic actions has, in all
probability, resulted in the great number of nominal Christians referred
to earlier. Let me explain:

a) Repentance
So far it is God Himself who has shown us our desperate plight, that
we are sinners from birth. The next step is solely our own
responsibility, and that is making a personal decision to turn away from
living our lives our own selfish, self-willed, self-centred, renouncing it
as sin towards God and exercising a decision of the will to genuinely
forsake it and lead a life of submission and obedience to God. … that
they should repent, turn to God, and do works befitting repentance.
Acts 26:20.
Sadly today the word repentance has become watered down to mean
simply feeling sorry for what we have done or being upset that our
wrongdoings have been found out. This is not repentance; this is not
turning away from our sins. There has to be a genuine renouncing of
sin and a sincere decision of the heart to follow God’s instructions to
us in the Bible. For godly sorrow produces repentance to salvation, not
to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.
2 Corinthians 7:10.

b) Believe
The next step is to believe that Jesus is the Son of God, that He was
crucified and died for our sins, was raised to life on the third day, that
He ascended into heaven and is now seated at the right hand of God in
heaven. All this, the Bible tells us, He did on our behalf. … that Christ
died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried,
and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.
1 Corinthians 15:3, 4.

c) Confess
The Bible tells us that it is necessary to tell others what we believe and
what we have done, but it has to be sincere and genuine. That if you
confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that
God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart
one believes to righteousness and with the mouth confession is made to
salvation. Romans 10:9, 10.

d) Baptism
And now we come to baptism, which is the outward demonstration of
the inward change produced by repentance. It is symbolic of the
complete washing away of sin and that is why baptism entails the
complete submersion of the believer in water. Repent and let every one
of you be baptised in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins;
and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:38.
The Gift of the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit, or Helper as He is sometimes called in Scripture, is the
third person of the Trinity (God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit) and usually
at the point of conversion or baptism, He comes and lives within the
new Christian. The Bible makes it clear to us that it is only those who
have followed the process so far who will receive the Holy Spirit. Now
if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ he is not His. Romans 8:9.
The roles of the Holy Spirit are many and varied, but mainly He guides,
leads, convicts of sin, teaches and equips. But the Helper, the Holy
Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all
things and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you –
John 14:26, and However, when He the Spirit of truth, has come, He will
guide you into all truth for He will not speak on His own authority, but
whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.
He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to
you. John 16:13, 14.

Assurance
Not everyone necessarily feels any different when becoming a
Christian, so it is encouraging to be assured of our salvation, to know
that we are indeed now children of God, that we have been redeemed,
and that we are now part of the family of God. The Spirit Himself,
bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God. Romans 8:16.

LIVING OUT SALVATION
Being “saved” and becoming a Christian is not, by any means, the end
of the process; far from it. It is only the beginning, for the Bible tells
us that our salvation will not be complete until the day Jesus returns to
the earth again. Being confident of this very thing, that He who has
begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.
Philippians 1:6.
We cannot, therefore, afford to be complacent; salvation is an ongoing
process. Therefore, My beloved … work out your own salvation with
fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you … Philippians 2:12,
13. So God has worked salvation in us and it is for us to work out, with
“fear and trembling”, what God has put in. It is essential that we make
every effort to ensure we continually live a Christian life in the way
God shows us by living in accordance with the Bible.
Let us now look at some of the characteristics of living a Christian
lifestyle:

A Daily Time with the Lord
It should be understood that God is a living person. As with any
relationship of value that is going to grow and develop, communication
is essential. So in order to grow spiritually it is necessary for us talk to
and listen to God regularly, quietly and alone. But you, when you pray,
go into your room and when you have shut your door, pray to your
Father who is in the secret place, and your Father who sees in secret will
reward you openly. Matthew 6:6.
Jesus Himself frequently prayed to God, His Father. So He Himself
often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed. Luke 5:16.
It is during this daily devotional “quiet time” that we can pray, read the
Bible and receive direction and guidance from God, and all that we
need in order to do His will, and to know how He wants us to live.
Not only should we be in close communication with God in our daily
quiet time, we should also learn to be in touch with Him throughout
the course of the day.
We can only have a relationship with a person we know, so if we are to
have a relationship with God, we have to know Him, to know His
ways, and we can only know Him through reading the Bible and prayer.

Reading the Bible
All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for
doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that
the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good
work. 2 Timothy 3:16, 17. The Bible is the foundation of our faith, and
it is the means by which God gives direction for daily living. To live as
a Christian it is essential, therefore, to know and understand the Word
of God, and it is the Holy Spirit who helps us to understand and
remember what we have read. It is only by studying and applying it
that we are able to develop the characteristics of Jesus. Now when
they saw the boldness of Peter and John and perceived that they
were uneducated and untrained men, they marvelled. And they
realised they had been with Jesus – Acts 4:13. I would very much
doubt that anyone who professes to be a Christian and yet leads a
careless, carnal (worldly) and self centred life is a true believer.
The more time we spend with a person, the more we get to know them.
So it is with the Bible, the more we study it, the more we get to know
God and His character and the plans and purposes He has for our lives.

Prayer
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication,
with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.
Philippians 4: 6.
Prayer is simply speaking to God, but as with any conversation it is
two-way, so that means as well as us speaking to God, He also speaks
to us. Often this can be through reading the Bible and the Scripture
becoming very much more meaningful to us.
There are many facets to prayer: thanking God, praising Him, asking
for forgiveness of sins, praying for others, seeking His guidance and
listening to Him. For Jesus prayer was a constant priority. So He
Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed. Luke 5:16.
Praying is not necessarily easy, so the Holy Spirit helps us. Likewise the
Spirit also helps us in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we
should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession
for us. Romans 8:26. He also guides us to pray in accordance with
God's will. This amplifies the importance of reading and studying the
Bible since it gives an understanding of God's will.
As well as praying alone, (But you, when you pray, go into your room
and when you have shut the door, pray to your Father who is in the
secret place ... Matthew 6:6) we can also pray with groups of other
Christians. These all continued with one accord in prayer and
supplication ... Acts 1:14.
Not all prayers are heard by God, for a variety of reasons. There could
be unconfessed sin in our lives, unforgiveness, wrong motives, lack of
faith. It is interesting to note that God does not hear the prayers of
non Christians. Now we know that God does not hear sinners: but if
anyone is a worshipper of God and does His will, He hears him. John
9:31. There is, however, just one prayer of a non Christian that God
does hear and that is when a sinner cries out for salvation.
Prayer may not be easy, but it is one of the most important aspects of
the Christian life for it is the main way in which we develop a
relationship with our heavenly Father. That was the sole purpose of
Jesus' death on the cross, to deal with the consequences of sin and to
restore that broken relationship.

Fellowship
Not forsaking the assembling of ourselvestogether … Hebrews 10:25.
After conversion has taken place there is a deepening desire to be with
other like-minded Christians, a need for spiritual companionship, godly
company and conversation. In fact, the Christian may find that a gap
begins to develop between him and his unbelieving friends, because he
feels different and is committed to different principles, values and
desires.
Becoming a Christian does not mean refraining from the company of
unbelievers. Not at all, it is simply that there is a greater desire to be in
the company of other Christians.

Being a Servant
Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who
is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you
were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your
spirit, which are God’s. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20.
Jesus’ very act of dying on the cross in our place saved us from the
consequences of our sins, that is eternal life in hell, to everlasting life,
which is eternity with God when we come to Him in repentance and
faith. In this respect He is our Saviour; because He physically did
something to save us. However, we must also acknowledge Jesus as
Lord of our lives. There are many who refer to Jesus as Lord. ... that
if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart
that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
Romans 10:9.
Having ascertained Jesus as Lord of all in our lives, we need to turn our
thoughts towards Him as our Master and ourselves as His servants.
For example, if I go into a shop and purchase an item, then that item
becomes mine, I own it and I can do with it whatever I wish. In effect,
the same can be said of a Christian, …you are not your own ... you were
bought at a price ... 1 Corinthians 6: 19, 20.
Jesus bought us with the price of His own blood, He paid the price for
our sins by dying on the cross. This means, therefore, that we are His,
He owns us, and He is our Lord and Master. For to this end Christ
died and rose and lived again, that He might be Lord of both the living
and the dead. Romans 14:9.
In reality this means that Jesus is our Lord, and we are His servants.
What He requires of us is our unconditional surrender, our total
submission to His will. Jesus Himself set us some excellent examples
of “servant-hood”.
Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to
give His life a ransom for many. Matthew 20:28. And but made
Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant and
was made in the likeness of men. Philippians 2:7 (KJV). He
relinquished His heavenly privileges, came to earth in the form of man,
and submitted Himself completely to God, His Father. For I have
come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him
who sent Me. John 6:38.
The apostles also often referred to themselves as “bond servants of
Jesus Christ”. Paul in Romans 1:1 James in James 1:1, Peter in 2 Peter
1:1 and Jude in Jude 1:1. Out of their love for Jesus, they chose to
submit themselves to Him. They willingly chose not to do things their
own way, but to allow God to guide and direct them His way.

Dealing with Self
It sounds quite simple that if Jesus was able to submit Himself to the
Lordship of God, and His disciples too, then what is standing in the
way of so many “Christians” today doing the same thing? A very good
question indeed, the answer to which is very simple, it is SELF.
Let me explain what I mean by referring back again to the beginning to
Adam and Eve and that first sin when they took control of their own
lives to live their own way and to do their own thing. It has been that
way ever since.
Man wants to be master of his own destiny, lord of his own life and to
live his own life, his own way - it all revolves around SELF. Self
dominates, and man does whatever he wants to do to gratify his selfish
nature and to make himself feel or look good.
This is living totally independent from God – a far cry from His
original plan, which was for a loving relationship with Him, to make us
one with Himself, and to enable us to have the nature and character of
Jesus formed within us.
This focus on self completely opposes God’s purpose for the Christian.
As long as self rules a person’s life, it is impossible for “Christ to be
formed in him”. God’s remedy is to “die to self”. That is, just as Jesus
died as a ransom for our sins, so then we should identify ourselves with
His death.
Although I am still alive physically, I am no longer the same person that
I was before I became a Christian, because I “died” to my old way of
living and am now identified with God’s plans and purposes for my life.
I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ
lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the
Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. Galatians 2:20.
This means making a decision to relinquish our own individual
independence and submitting our lives completely to God to use as He
chooses and becoming identified with His plans and purposes.

Obedience
One of the signs or evidence that we have received Jesus as our Lord is
our obedience to His teachings and commandments. … He became
the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him. Hebrews 5:9.
It is interesting to note what John has to say on this subject of
obedience. Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His
commandments. He who says, “I know Him” and does not keep His
commandments is a liar and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps
His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know
that we are in Him. 1 John 2:3-5.
Furthermore, Jesus says, If you love Me, you will keep my
commandments. John 14:15. You can only love someone with whom
you have a relationship, and you can only have a relationship with
someone you know, and the evidence that we love Jesus is that we keep
His commandments.
The greatest of these commandments is found in Matthew. You shall
love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all
your mind. This is the first and great commandment. Matthew 22:37.
The evidence of our love for God is that we obey His commands. For
this is the love of God that we keep His commandments. 1 John 5:3.
Everything that Jesus said and did whilst on earth as man was just as
His Father told him. …that I do nothing of myself; but as My Father
taught Me, I speak these things. John 8:28. And also But that the world
may know that I love the Father and as the Father gave Me
commandment, so I do. John 14:31.
Now let us look at Jesus’ final commandment to us. Go therefore and
make disciples of all the nations, baptising them in the name of the
Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe
all things that I have commanded you. Matthew 28:19-20.

Disobedience
For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God, and if
it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the
gospel of God? If the righteous one is scarcely saved, where will the
ungodly and the sinner appear?” 1 Peter 4:17, 18. This is quite an
awesome Scripture, as it would indicate that the righteous are saved
only by being obedient to God's Word, and that the ungodly and the
sinner will perish. Notice that the ungodly (the nominal Christians) are
referred to as being the same as the sinner who will not enter the
kingdom of heaven.
It is significant to note the final state of those who are in rebellion to
God by disobeying His commandments and living their own way, and
that is that they will be shut out of heaven and the presence of God.
Not everyone who says to me, “Lord, Lord” shall enter the kingdom of
heaven, but he who does the will of my Father in heaven. Matthew 7:21.
This brings us back to the nominal Christians referred to earlier; those
who are Christians in name only, who have little or no understanding of
the Gospel and the Bible, and who do not realise the implications of
their disobedience. He will punish those who do not know God and do
not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with
everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and
from the majesty of His power ... 2 Thessalonians 1:8, 9 (NIV).
It needs to be stressed that salvation must be secured whilst here on
earth in order to establish our eternal destiny in heaven. After death is
too late, as can be seen from the story of Lazarus in heaven and the
rich man in hell in Luke 16:19-31. Verse 26 in particular makes this
clear, And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf
fixed, so that those who want to pass from here (heaven) to you (hell)
cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.

New Creation
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have
passed away; behold, all things have become new. 2 Corinthians 5:17.
In other words we have now become a brand new person with a
completely changed heart. Our old nature has changed, we have
disposed of our old way of life, and taken on a new nature, a new way
of life. In the Bible the old nature is sometimes referred to as the “old
man”, or “flesh”. Knowing this that our old man was crucified with
Him, that the body of sin may be done away with, that we should no
longer be slaves of sin. Romans 6:6.
When we are no longer living in sin, we no longer have the same
desires for the things of our old life, our old ways. There is a complete
change of heart, a change of lifestyle, a desire to only do those things
that are pleasing to God. Those who are Christ’s have crucified the
flesh with its passions and desires. Galatians 5:24. This new heart leads
us to a love and compassion for others.
Love, Compassion and Forgiveness
There are four forms of love, philia, storge, eros and agape, but the one
to which I am now referring is agape love for our fellow men. This is
something God commands of us. This is my commandment, that you
love one another, as I have loved you. John 15:12. This agape love is
not an emotion, it is an act of the will; you can choose whether or not
you wish to obey God and love another person.
One of the reasons God commands us to love one another is that love
always forgives. Jesus demonstrated this on the cross when He said,
Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. Luke 23:34. God
wants us also to have a forgiving heart. And be kind to one another,
tender-hearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ also forgave
you. Ephesians 4:32.
Jesus frequently stressed the importance of forgiveness. But if you do
not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your
trespasses. Matthew 6:15.
I recall an incident when a Christian man was horrifically tortured and
murdered, and his wife made a public declaration that she forgave the
perpetrator, which in turn resulted in ten council officials making public
declarations on television and in front of newspaper reporters of their
faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Not only does love stimulate us to forgive, it also stirs a compassion
within us for others. The greatest act of compassion was demonstrated
by Jesus as He hung on the cross when He said, Father forgive them for
they know not what they do ... Luke 23:34.
If unforgiveness is not dealt with, it begins to fester and form a root of
bitterness. Bitterness is a weapon of the enemy and should not be
allowed to take root. The antidote to unforgiveness is quite simply
forgiveness. It should be remembered that forgiveness is essential
before we can approach God in prayer, or take Holy Communion.
Perseverance Through Trials and Tribulations
Becoming a Christian does not exempt us from trials and tribulations,
but God provides the means to overcome them. Many are the
afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.
Psalm 34:19.
There are a number of reasons why God allows us to go through trials
and tribulations, the main one being that it is for the testing of our
faith. It is often through trying circumstances that we become more
conscious of God. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little
while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the
genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that
perishes, though it be tested by fire, may be found to praise, honour and
glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 1:6 ,7. It is when we come
through these trials that our faith is strengthened and increased.

Dealing with Sin
For sin shall not have dominion over you … Romans 6:14. Even when
we have become born again with a new nature, Satan will constantly
seek to draw us back to the old way of living, to turn us from the
straight path of living God’s way and living in accordance with His
word. Being born again does not mean we are not able to sin. We can,
but we no longer have to. God has blessed us with the freedom to
choose for ourselves.
Although Jesus came to earth as man, He was sinless, and our aim
should be to have His nature, His character formed in us. Let this
mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus. Philippians 2:5.
Another way of dealing with sin is to regularly seek the Lord’s help.
Search me O God, and know my heart; try me and know my thoughts
and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way
everlasting. Psalm 139:23, 24 (KJV).
Yet a further way is to follow Paul’s direction to the Corinthians.
Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Prove yourselves.
Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? – unless indeed
you are disqualified. 2 Corinthians 13:5.
And finally, the conviction of the Holy Spirit. Jesus, talking to believers
of the coming of the Holy Spirit after His death and resurrection said,
“And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin and of
righteousness and of judgement”. John 16:8.

Sharing your faith
All Christians have a desire to share their faith with unbelievers,
because they share God’s desire that no one should perish and go to
hell, but that everyone should attain eternal life, and go to be in His
presence when they die. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise,
as some count slackness, but is long-suffering toward us, not willing
that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
2 Peter 3:9.
It is for this reason that God has commissioned all Christians to tell the
gospel message to everyone. And He said to them, “Go into all the
world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is
baptised will be saved, but he who does not believe will be condemned”.
Mark 16:15, 16. Notice how God leaves the choice with us – if we
choose to sincerely believe the gospel message we will be saved, but if
we reject the gospel message or fail to make the choice then the
consequence is eternity in hell.
In order to preach the gospel, God has equipped Christians with the
power of the Holy Spirit. But you shall receive power when the Holy
Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be witnesses to Me in
Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth.
Acts 1:8.

THE END TIMES
The “end times” is a subject about which very little teaching is given
today, and yet it is a subject of extreme importance. Every single
person who has been born is going to live in eternity at some point in
time, but, as has already been said, it is our choice whilst here on earth
which will determine whether that is permanently in hell or
permanently in heaven.
The Bible’s account of what is known as “the end times” is relatively
detailed, but for the sake of simplicity and relevance I will give only one
or two very basic facts. There is going to come a time when there will
be two judgements, The Judgement Seat of Christ and the Great White
Throne Judgement of God.

The Judgement Seat of Christ
Many have heard of the second coming of Christ, but very few
understand exactly what is going to happen. So who is Jesus actually
coming for? The Bible makes that perfectly clear: For the Lord Himself
will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel,
and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.
Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with
them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always
be with the Lord. 1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17.
This scripture describes firstly the manner in which Jesus will return,
and it then goes on to tell us that those Christians who have already
died will rise up first to meet Him in a similar way to that in which
Jesus rose after His resurrection. These will be followed by those
Christians who are still alive at that particular time. It should be noted
that at this time the unbelieving dead will remain in their graves and the
unbelieving who are alive will remain on the earth for a period of time
whilst other events take place. As has already been said the final
destiny of each person is settled by the choice they have made whilst
here on earth – to choose to follow God’s plan for salvation or to
ignore or reject it.
After the Christians have risen with Jesus, they will all appear before
the judgement seat of Christ, at which time they will be given rewards
according to how they have conducted themselves on earth. For we
(this is only referring to Christians) must all appear before the
judgement seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in
the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. 2
Corinthians 5:10. There are other events which then take place, but the
final destination of Christians is, as has been said a number of times,
eternity in heaven.

The Great White Throne Judgement of God
It would be appropriate here to point out that God keeps a record in
what is known as the Lamb’s Book of Life of the names of those who
are Christians.
Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it … and another
book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged
according to their works, by the things which were written in the books
… and anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the
lake of fire. Revelation 20:11-15. This is the ultimate end of all sinners,
those who have chosen not to put their faith and trust in Jesus, whose
names have not been written in the Book of Life.

CONCLUSION
This booklet has not been easy to write for a number of reasons, the
main one being that it had to be written graciously, firmly, and without
offence, but in such a way as to bring about a realisation to those who
are not after all the saved Christian they had at one time thought
themselves to be.
It is my fervent desire that through the words of this booklet the Lord
has achieved His goal in speaking to you. If you have found that as you
have read you have become disturbed and concerned with what you
have read, then I graciously suggest that you may possibly not be a true
Christian. The reason you are feeling troubled is that each point I have
made has been supported with a Scripture, which in actuality is God
speaking, and He says that He will accomplish with His word what He
has purposed it to achieve. … so shall My word be that goes forth from
My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I
please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it. Isaiah 55:11.
If after having read this booklet you have come to realise that you are
not a Christian, then you can either follow the steps outlined in the
chapter entitled The Definition of a Christian and receive the promise
of eternal life with the Lord, or you can choose to ignore Him with the
prospect of spending eternity in hell - the choice is yours to make, now.
Who can know when his life will end leaving no opportunity to receive
God’s free gift of salvation. For He says: “In an acceptable time I have
heard you, and in the day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now
is the accepted time and now is the day of salvation. 2 Corinthians 6:2.
If you need further guidance, please contact the person who gave you
this booklet. They will be able to assist you personally, or direct you to
a mature Christian who will be willing and able to give you all the help
you need

For further help please contact
COSTA BLANCA MISSION
Apartado de Correos 5234,
03186 Torrevieja, Alicante, Espana
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