I can hear the arguments already. But how are we to discern and know who is a Christian and who is not? My questions back - What does it matter? It is our job to live at peace with all men (Romans 12:18) and let our light shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify our Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:16) God will save who He will save and everyone is accountable to Him, not to His kids. Our responsibility is to reflect God and His Truth. We need to be practicing Christians.
In the music world we hear a lot about practicing or rehearsing. If I claim to be a musician, it means I can skillful perform music. The only way to do that is to practice. I can spend my entire life practicing and performing and never reach the level of expertise I would like. In fact I hope that is the case. I want to continue to grow as a musician and performer. We need to be the same with our spiritual lives. Never satisfied with where we are. Never feeling as though we have arrived as Christians but constantly practicing our faith. It's in the daily grind of living out the Christian life that we truly begin to hear and see God work. My we all continue to grow in our relationships with Jesus by daily practicing our faith. Take up your cross and follow Him. (Luke 9:23)
SCRIPTURE READING
Matthew 5: 13-16, Matthew 7:1-6, Luke 9:18-27, Romans 12:9-21
BOTTOM LINE
Practice does not make perfect, but it does make improvement.