“I’ve come to a decision…”

Who is a Christian? Who is your brother or sister in God's family? And for whom has Jesus prepared a place? How do you decide? You say to yourself, "I don't decide, only God decides" but you know that secretly you have decided who is in and who is out. So how did you do it? Where did you draw your line?

What do they believe about Jesus? Was he fully God? And fully man? Do they believe one nature dominated or merged with the other? Do they believe Jesus was omnipresent while lying in the manger? Do they believe that Jesus ever needed to go to the toilet? Was Jesus rich? Did the Father really pour His wrath on His own Son on the cross? Does it matter?

Do they believe the Creation story is literal or figurative? How old do they think the Earth is? Did a snake really talk? Do they believe in original sin? Does it matter?

What about the Old Testament? Do they believe the laws still apply? Would they put to death the person who cursed their parents? Would they tithe? Would they eat a ham sandwich? Does it matter?

What do they believe about the Bible? What translation do they use? Did God say everything He needed to say about everything in those 66 books? Can He speak to us above what is in those books? Do they believe that all these writings were inspired by God and are entirely without error? What about the Apocrypha? Do they believe the book of Jude (which quotes the Apocryphal book of Enoch) should be in the Bible? Does it matter?

Do they call themselves Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant, Emergent? Does it matter?

What about the Holy Spirit? Do they believe He is still working in lives today as He did at Pentecost? Do they believe in speaking in tongues? Or do they believe that Pentecostalism is simply a rebranded Montanism? Does it matter?

How many points of TULIP do they agree with? Are they amillennial, postmillennial, premillennial? Do they believe it is ever ok for a Christian to bring a Louis Vuitton handbag to church? Do they read Driscoll, Warren, Piper, Stott, Bell, Ortberg, Carson, McLaren, Jakes, Dollar, Osteen, Claiborne? How often do they attend church? Are they a member anywhere? Are they predestination or free will (and were they predestined to think that)? Do they drink alcohol? What do they believe is the role of women in church? Do they attend a church split? Have they been baptised as an infant, an adult or not at all? Does it matter?

Some of these questions are fundamental, some of them are peripheral. Whether you know it or not, you filter everyone who calls themselves a ‘Christian’ through these questions so YOU can decide whether or not they are saved. The thing is, you don’t get to decide, it’s not your call. Like in any family, you don’t get to pick your brothers or sisters. That’s the Father’s job. You simply get to love and serve.

Ask yourself how many of these questions does someone who calls themself a Christian need to answer ‘correctly’ before they receive your seal of approval. Probably a lot more than God requires.

On numerous occasions, Jesus made it very clear how you will know His disciples - they produce fruit. So, if you must ask questions, let your first one be “is this person producing fruit?” But ask it of yourself first.

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