When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, "Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is nothing false."John 1:47
The Lord Christ does not want us to brag about being a Christian or, as in the case of Nathanael, being an Israelite. It's not enough to say, "I am baptized," or even to say, "I am a bishop," "I am a cardinal," or "I am a preacher." You must believe in Christ and live like a Christian. You must be righteous both on the inside and on the outside. You must not be embarrassed of the Lord Christ and the Christian faith. If you are, then you are a false Christian. If you don't believe in your heart, your entire life is a lie and you remain in darkness. You aren't righteous, and you only appear to be a Christian. Your actions don't reflect your Christian faith.
If we could separate Christians from one another and divide them into true and false Christians, how many true Christians would we find? The world is crazy, foolish, and wild. It's filled with all kinds of evil—adultery, drunkenness, vindictiveness, and other sins. Some people no longer consider it a sin for people to cheat each other. Yet these same people want to be considered good Christians.
Believe me, you're not fooling anyone but yourself. God isn't fooled or mocked. He will know what you are really like in an instant, just as he knew that Nathanael was a true Israelite who believed in the prophets. He will look at you and say, "Yes, here is a true Christian!"
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