I hear a really nice guy has been showing you a lot of attention lately. I know you’ve gone on a couple dates, and you like him a lot. He’s told you he’s a Christian, but you’re not sure how strong he is in his faith.
Maybe he is a Christian; maybe he isn’t. I don’t know. But here are a few things I do know . . .
Be on the lookout for the fruit of faith. Anyone can claim to be a Christian (just like anyone can claim to be an astrophysicist), but there should be evidence of Christ’s transformative work in His followers. James (Jesus’ brother) puts it like this:
What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? . . . So also, faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead (James 2:14, 17, emphasis added).
Pay attention to how this guy lives. Is he living like a young man who has been redeemed from the slave block of sin? Or is he still living like a slave to sin (Romans 6:15-23)? Put him to the test (1 John 4:1). I’ve included one below.
You shouldn’t have to wonder if this guy is a Christian or not. It should be obvious. As 2 Corinthians 5:17 says:
If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
No, he’s not going to be perfect. Yes, we’re all in process. But if he truly has the Holy Spirit of God living in him, he will look more and more like His adoptive Father.
Trust me on this one. You don’t want someone who maybe, possibly, probably, hopefully is a Christian. One who just barely squeezes by. You want a thriving Christian. A white-hot Christian. A young man who is well on his way to being able to lead you spiritually.
So here are a few questions to ask about him, straight from 1 John:
-- Does he walk in “light,” or does he walk in “darkness” (1 John 1:6-7)?
-- Does he confess his sins, or does he claim not to have sin in his life (1 John 1:8-10)?
-- Does he keep God’s commandments, or does he live differently than Jesus lived (1 John 2:3-6)?
-- Does he love others, or does he hate others (1 John 2:9-11, 4:7-21)?
-- Does he love the Father, or does he love the world and the things in the world (1 John 2:15-17)?
-- Does he confess that Jesus is God, or does he deny that Jesus is God (1 John 2:22-23)?
-- Does he practice righteousness (1 John 2:29) or does he make a practice of sinning (1 John 3:4-10)?
-- Does he believe that Jesus came to earth and took on human flesh, or does he not believe this (1 John 4:2-3)?
-- Does he have the Spirit of God? The Son of God? Or is he just doing life on his own (1 John 3:24; 4:12)?
If the majority of your answers were on the right side of the comma rather than the left, this guy is not for you, nice as he might seem. God is the treasure in this life — and in the life to come — and you will want a man who will consistently point you to this treasure . . . through his words and his life.
How about you? Are you currently dating or considering dating someone you have doubts about? Where does this post find you today?
By Paula Marsteller
