Are there fake Christians?

General Faith
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It’s easy to call ourselves Christians. But, Jesus said:

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ Matthew 7:21-23

Can we tell when someone’s faith isn’t genuine by the way they live? Should Jesus’ warning make us look more closely at our own faith first?

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I think there are definitely many people who say they are Christians because they grew up in a Christian family or in the Church, but they haven’t necessarily thought too deeply about what that means for their own lives.

The Bible tells us to examine ourselves to see if we’re in the faith, so I think it’s always important to consider the fruits of the Spirit in someone’s life, but at the same time, only God knows if they are following him or not.

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I think there are people who consider themselves Christians, who aren’t too concerned with doing the Lord’s will.

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It is clear to me what God’s will is for my life.

  1. John 6:38: “For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.” [1]

  2. John 5:30: “I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.”

  3. John 6:40: “And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.”

  4. John 4:34: “Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.”

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Yes, Scripture certainly gives us examples of people who professed to know God or Christ while their doctrine, conduct, or ultimate response demonstrated that their profession was false. Judas is an obvious example, as are the people Jesus describes in Matthew 7:21–23 who call Him “Lord” and even appeal to their religious works, yet whom Jesus says He never knew. Titus 1:16 is even more explicit: “They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him.” First John 2:4 likewise says that the person who claims to know Christ while habitually rejecting His commands is a liar.

But I think we need to be careful with the wording. Scripture gives us discernment, not omniscience. We can examine fruit, doctrine, conduct, and profession, but we cannot infallibly see another person’s heart. Jesus’ warning in Matthew 7 should therefore cause us to examine ourselves first, exactly as Paul says in 2 Corinthians 13:5, “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith.”

And there is a distinction between saying, “That person’s profession is contradicted by Scripture and by their conduct,” and saying, “I know with certainty that person is unregenerate.” The first can be biblical discernment. The second can presume knowledge that belongs to God.

I would also be cautious about some of the examples in the article you posted.

For instance, it labels Nicodemus a “fake Christian,” yet Scripture never actually calls Nicodemus that. John 3 records his initial misunderstanding, but John 19:39 later has Nicodemus participating in Jesus’ burial.

What we shouldn’t turn someone whom Scripture leaves more nuanced into a definite example of false conversion.

So yes, Jesus’ warning should make us examine ourselves. But Matthew 7 is not primarily a passage telling us to go around identifying “fake Christians.”

It is a solemn warning that religious profession, religious activity, and even religious experiences are not substitutes for actually belonging to Christ.

Lightfoot on John 3:10…

John 3:10
Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?
[Art thou a master of Israel?] Art thou a Wise man in Israel? It was the answer of a boy to R. Joshua, when he asked him, "Which is the shortest way to the city? The boy answered, ’This is the shortest way though it is the longest: and that is the longest way though it is the shortest.’ R. Joshua took that way which was the shortest, though the longest. When he came very near the city, he found gardens and places of pleasure hedged in [so that he could go no further]. He returned therefore to the boy, and said to him, ’My son, is this the shortest way to the city?’ The boy answered, ’Art thou a wise man in Israel? did I not thus say to thee, That is the shortest way though the longest?’ " etc.

Love the Jewish Rabbi’s humor.

J.