It's not what we claim to be that matters; it's who we really are that counts.

 

Matt. 3:8 “Prove by the way you live that you have really turned from you sins and turned to God.”

Many people claim to be right with God.  It is not uncommon for people to identify themselves as being a Christian.  There is still churches being built and filled with people who identify themselves with Christ.

Yet, evil continues to flourish.  Things are getting worse, not better.  It is not uncommon for all kinds of evil to be exposed.  Morality is scorned by a large part of society.  Theft is common and on the rise.  Daily murders make the headlines.  Divorce is on the rise both in and outside the church.  Internal squabbles plague the church.  Society is in a real mess, in spite of the claims of so many to be Christians.

It’s not what we claim to be that matters; it’s who we really are that counts.  Our actions speak louder than our words.  If how we live doesn’t match with what we profess, we are not what we claim to be. 

Living in Christ means that we have turned away from our sinful practices and are now living right with God.  We no longer act and react like we used to.  We no longer say things we used to say and in the way we used to say them.  We no longer think like we used to think.  We no longer are driven by the passions that used to drive us.  We no longer live for the things we used to live for.

A true believer in Christ is changed by Christ to be a reflection of Christ in the world.  Prove that you are indeed a child of God by the way you live.