THE MOST IMPORTANT TRUE/FALSE TEST YOU'LL EVER TAKE

The Most Important True/False

Test You'll Ever Take

                                    By Brannon Howse

This article is from Brannon's newest book, Christian Worldview For Students Vol. II: Your Worldview Notes For Going To College Without Going Astray.

This hardcover book makes a great graduation gift. To order your personally signed copy click here now:

http://www.worldviewweekend.com/secure/store/product.php?ProductID=523

           The late Dr. Francis Schaeffer was one of the greatest defenders of the Christian faith in the 20^th Century. He predicted the American church would become inconsequential because of a false concept of spirituality. Self-professing Christians would talk about God and proclaim a belief in God while rejecting the God of the Bible-instead following a man-made New Age god.

          I believe one of the main reasons we have a crisis in the American church, that Christians poll no differently from the world, and that students are leaving the church in large numbers is that we have an epidemic of false converts within the American church.  Many people today call themselves Christians but do not believe in many, if any, of the essential Christian doctrines.

My own study of the Old Testament moral law revealed to me that I was not a good person, but it was when I opened the book of 1 John, took a pen, and underlined every sign of a true convert that I realized I did not meet even half of them. To my dismay, I recognized myself as a false convert. 

First John 5:13 tells why the book of 1 John was written: "These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life" (emphasis mine).

Here are 1 John's ten signs of a true convert (you might want to compare yourself to make sure you're where you think you are):

1.  A true convert admits he or she is a sinner. He does not believe he can go to heaven by being a "good" person. She understands her own totally depravity. (1 John 1:8)

2.  A true convert lives a life of obedience by keeping God's commandments more often than breaking them. A true convert is not a habitual sinner. There's a difference between stumbling into sin and jumping in with both feet. While true converts may continue to sin as part of the struggle with our sin nature, the life of a true convert is marked by a desire to pursue holiness and walk in obedience to God's Word. (1 John 2:3-6, 3:6, 5:2)

3.  A true convert does not harbor hate for his brother but displays forgiveness, love, and compassion. (1 John 2:9, 2:11, 3:15, 4:16, 4:20)

4.  A true convert does not love the world or the things of the world, nor the world's system of evil, ruled by Satan. (1 John 2:15)

5.  A true convert proclaims Jesus Christ as the Son of God and defends the exclusivity of Christ in a world of multiple religious systems. (1 John 4:15)

6.  A true convert hopes and longs for the return of the Lord. (1 John 3:2-3)

7.  A true convert desires to serve and help other Christians. (1 John 3:17, 3:14)

8.  A true convert loves being with other believers and hearing the Word taught. (1 John 5:1)

9.  A true convert rejects false teaching. (1 John 2:22-23)

10. A true convert remains in the truth and perseveres in the faith. (1 John 2:24)

The following e-mail reveals that when we are faithful to proclaim truth and what it really means to be a Christian, people like Nick (and me!) will listen, open God's Word, be convicted, and come to a place of godly sorrow that produces repentance unto salvation.

Dear Mr. Howse,

I took your worldview test a few years ago and ranked as a secular humanist worldview thinker. At the time, I got mad at it and mad at your organization. I took the test again just a few weeks ago and ranked as a strong Biblical worldview thinker. I knew I'd changed vastly in recent times, but never how much. I've become a new man since those few years back, and I'm happy for it.

I was raised by a Lutheran father and non-denominational Christian mother. I'd always been a strong believer in God's existence and the salvation found in Christ. However, I realize now that I never really understood it during all of those years. Even though I accepted the Bible as truth, looking back I realize how much I twisted meaning to find what I wanted to see instead of what was there. This "liberal theology" is due a lot, I believe, to the media and societal structure in which we live. I have seen many, many others fall victim to it, as well as false doctrines such as theistic evolutionism. Thankfully, those misinterpretations are in my past, and I now stand with the real truth in hand.

I attend one of the largest evangelical churches in the Las Vegas area. As I silently observe my college contemporaries, I see that they are like I once was--having a terribly skewed interpretation of God's Word or in many cases, even worse, they deny the Lord outright. Watching this, along with an even greater passion for the lost, inspired me to begin studying for the ministry. I'd spent about 12 years of my life preparing for and gearing towards becoming an attorney. Now, all I want to do is spread the message of our Lord.

In any case, I just wanted to let you know how much I've changed and how much more Biblical I've become. Praise the Lord for that.

Sincerely,
Nick

Remember, your faithfulness to proclaim truth may very well assist someone in passing the true/false converts test once and for all.

This article is from Brannon's newest book, Christian Worldview For Students Vol. II: Your Worldview Notes For Going To College Without Going Astray.

This hardcover book makes a great graduation gift. To order your personally signed copy click here now:

http://www.worldviewweekend.com/secure/store/product.php?ProductID=523

By Brannon Howse Email: Brannon@worldviewweekend.com Click here for bio and archived articles

Blessed is he who "do whatever He tells you" Posted On: 05/13/08 08:53:19 AM Age 60, GA Confessing Jesus Christ has come in the Flesh is the test of real believism, but obedience and doing whatever He tells you is the test of real living it out before an unbelieving world that can't tell the difference between real and unreal because too man 'confessors' are living just like the rest of the world. Pray for a REAL change in the hearts of confessors that they will realize DO IT means what He says. Read John 2:5 return to ancient paths the only hope Posted On: 05/10/08 09:20:12 AM Age 55, FL Scripture tells us to obey every ordiance of man. Yet how many pastors regularly break the speed laws? Scripture condemns gluttony, yet a fat pastor attacks a cigarette smoker. Would you sit under a pastor practicing ongoing sin, like adultery or theft? Surely not! But then you turn around and sit under a fat pastor, obviously practicing ongoing gluttony! Our behavior stretches credulity TRUE OR FALSE CONVERT? Posted On: 05/10/08 06:24:22 AM Age 40, MI I was reading the TURE and FALSE convert and believe one important point has been left out. Out of the abundence of the heart the mouth speaks. If your willing open your bibles and turn to 1 John 4, begin reading from verse 1 to verse 5. I have tested this on 4 occassions. Gods word being true we know it works. I even asked my new Pastor this question. Was he offended? Of course not, as a true Christian he was thankful. Shouldn't we obey and ask this very question of those we fellowship with? It is the way to tell Truth from deception. very legalistic Posted On: 05/09/08 01:45:09 PM Age 47, NC i think if you asked Jesus that question He would consider you quite pharasitic and legalistic. perhaps you should read the Bible to ask those questions. as for women "speaking" in church when they sing you might want to find out what praise and worship is - prayer is speaking also so by YOUR definition women should have their tongues removed, vocal chords removed, and mouths sewn shut lest they accidentally open their mouths. people like you need to wise up and understand what praise and worship are. remember the FIRST evangelist was a woman - the woman at the well. False Conversion? Posted On: 05/09/08 11:18:05 AM Age 61, MO The problem with being a false convert is not so much that we are lying to ourself or others about our salvation, but that in that condition, we are not going to get the deeper things of Christ. Instead, we are apt to be satisfied and live only according to the more shallow religious aspects of Christianity. If we deem ourself to be "saved" without the conviction and annointing of the Holy Spirit, then we are apt to struggle with God's will. Being saved requires heartfelt repentence and surrender to Jesus Christ, not just once in the beginning at an alter call or such, but every single day thereafter. Christ, not ourself, must be the master of our life. Jesus will be increased in us as our old Adam nature will be decreased. George Cancilla Good questions to take to heart Posted On: 05/08/08 07:57:52 PM Age 56, CA We all sin every day - I think most true Christians would agree with that statement. What Brannon was talking about in number 2 was being a habitual sinner; in other words, someone who chooses to deliberately sin all the time (jumping in with both feet). How many of these things do you have to see in yourself before being assured of eternal life? All of them. Believing in Jesus means much more than just saying you believe in Him. When you truly trust Him to be your Savior, your old worldly desires are replaced with a concern for other Christians and the lost, and you can't help but look peculiar to the rest of the world. Agreed...but Posted On: 05/08/08 07:57:35 PM Age 42, NM I think I see your point about the "tests" of 1 John still leaving questions and are therefore not "good" tests if that was John's intent. But Paul instructed Corinthian believers to examine themselve to see if they are in the test (2 Cor. 13:5). And these "tests" do serve to help us examine ourselves. But be careful when you say that all that is required is that we "believe" in Jesus. Yes what you quoted is accurate, but the word "believe" is intricately related to the word "obey". That's why Jesus said in Matthew 7:21: "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord' will enter the kingdom of heaven - only the one who DOES THE WILL OF MY FATHER in heaven." Another example of this is in John 3:36. The NLT writes it this way: "And all who believe in God's Son have eternal life. Those who don't obey the Son will never experience life, but the wrath of God remains on them." So you see, the opposite of believing is to not obey. One cannot, biblically at least, claim to believe if he does not obey. We believe in salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone - but faith in Christ and obedience to Christ are one in the same thing. Kevin wv test Posted On: 05/08/08 07:53:23 PM Age 55, FL I took the WV test more than a year ago. I went to a WVW event once. When I took the test, I noticed a good number of questions that could have been answered in differnt ways, and still be correct. The test was fun, but weak. I think I can understand Brannon's frustration of what makes one a believer, and what makes one false. Perhaps hard times ahead will cull the flock down somewhat. But what is the minimum for someone to be a Christian? What if you believe the theoretical miniumum but commit fornication? Is once too much, or does it become too much if the other is married. So do we measure disobediance or what they say they believe? What if you believe the minimum, but are a member of the JCLDS, Catholic, or even Moslem? If you believe the minimum, will that be cancelled out by believing something else or extra, like some crazimatics? How much Mormonism does one have to believe before they can't be a Christian? I met a former Mormon missionary who seemed to understand the atonement of Christ quite well-and his behavior was exemplary. He did not know that some in leadership believed evolved Christ was considered a brother of the devil. I have met no one who knew everything that some of their group believed. What if a Catholic didn't even know about some of the errors of their church? Which errors would disqualify? So many have attempted to answer that question that it is meaningless. God knows the heart of a man or woman. If they don't obey the clear teachings, there is a problem. Take woman speaking in church if you want to find a clear teaching being violated all over the land. Even if they don't preach, they do sing. Who would thoughtfully argue that singing is not a form of speech? How much of a literalist does one have to be on an issue like this? Brannon, if you think you have an answer, I am all ears. @ 26 in KS Posted On: 05/08/08 06:24:44 PM Age 37, TX Yes, we all sin (and continue to sin after we are saved). The question is this: are we GRIEVED by our sin? Do we strive to avoid repeating our sins or do we treat them lightly and write them off flippantly to God's grace? Are we getting better about not sinning or do our lives look the same 12 years after we are saved as the days and years before we were saved? It's a process. Don't expect a person who was saved yesterday to exhibit the same maturity that a person who has been "working out their salvation with fear and trembling" for many years does. "Shall we continue sinning that grace may abound? God forbid!" - Rom 6:1. We should all make it a priority to seek His will and His strength to do what is right and to follow in the footsteps of the Master. How many? Posted On: 05/08/08 11:42:20 AM Age 26, KS If these things are really meant to be tests to see if you are a "true" Christian then I don't think they are very helpful. How many of these do you have to see in yourself before you can be assured that you are truly a Christian? Is it 2, or 5 or all 10? And secondly how would you know if you truly pass any of the tests? For example number 2 – “A true convert lives a life of obedience by keeping God’s commandments more often than breaking them. A true convert is not a habitual sinner.” I don’t know about you but I’m pretty sure I sin every day, does that make me a habitual sinner? Or is it only some sins you cannot habitually do? Sure we try to pursue holiness and walk in obedience to God’s Word. But for the purposes of this test how can I know if I’m walking in obedience enough to pass the test? I do not think these are tests of our relationship with God but rather tests of our fellowship with God once we are already believers. Believing in Jesus is all that is required for salvation. -Jonathan "Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” She said to Him, “Yes, Lord; I have believed that You are the Christ, the Son of God, even He who comes into the world.”" John 11:25-27