One is not a Christian because he is born into a Christian family. Being a Christian goes beyond being born into a Christian family or being related to Christians. Also, being a Christian goes beyond bearing a Bible name. So many people today bear Bible names who are not Christians. They may think they are Christians because they answer to names like Mary, Paul, Andrew and so forth. But those are just Bible names. And it is good to note that even in Bible days there were many people bearing those names who were not Christians.
So, just because your name is Joshua or Gideon, it does not mean that you are a Christian. And you must keep that in mind. Yes, the general idea is that once someone bears a Bible name, he must be a Christian. But you are not a Christian because you bear a Bible name. And you must settle that in your heart.
Also, you are not a Christian because you attend church meetings. In many places all over the world, people attend church meetings, that is, from Monday to Sunday. Many attend morning prayers, weekly meetings and midweek meetings. But those things do not make anybody a Christian. Even in Bible days, people who were not Christians often attended church meetings. Believers at that time expected to see non-Christians or enquirers in their meetings once in a while. These people came in to find out what was happening in the church. (Cf. 1 Cor 14:24-25)
So, you cannot assume that everyone who comes into a church meeting is a believer. That is a costly assumption, and many people are making it today, thinking that they are Christians because they attend church meetings. Some have even, in this condition, become pastors, preachers of the word of God, prophets or leaders of one Christian group or another. And others have become leaders of societies in the church. You know, some churches have what they call ‘societies’, and sometimes people become leaders of these societies just because they have been attending church meetings all their lives.
But, as I said before, that does not make you a Christian. When you read 1 Corinthians 14, you find Paul telling the Corinthians about enquirers who were coming into their meetings to see what was going on there. Some of these people come in because they just like God’s people—they like the way they sing and dance. Others come in because they want to learn one instrument or another. And we now have assemblies that hire people who are not Christians, people who don’t believe in the things of God at all, to come in and play the keyboard or the guitar for them in their church meetings. So, attending church meetings does not mean that you are a Christian.
You have to be born of God to be a Christian. If you have not been born of God, then you are not a Christian. If you have not received a new birth from God, you are not a Christian. And remember also that Paul says to the Roman Christians, “If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not one of His.” (Cf. Romans 8:9)
Now, to have the Spirit of Christ, you have to be born of God. And if you do not have the Spirit of Christ in you, it does not matter what title you bear in the church; you are not a Christian.
Life application: Do not lean on your name, your family background, your church attendance or your title. Ask yourself plainly: “Have I been born of God, and is the Spirit of Christ at work in me?” If you are unsure, talk with a pastor or mature believer this week and turn to Christ in repentance and faith. If you are sure, let your daily life, not your church activity, be the evidence.