I'm curious; what is a true Christian? And how someone judge that?
Hello Soul Man!
I'm glad that you asked that question. Many others ask that same question, and I clear it up without a doubt, yet no one has ascended to this Truth. Here it is again with the NLT translation so that when you use your Bible of choice, it'll be more clear:
Romans 2:28-29 NLT - "For you are not a true Jew just because you were born of Jewish parents or because you have gone through the ceremony of circumcision. No, a true Jew is one whose heart is right with God. And true circumcision is not merely obeying the letter of the law; rather, it is a change of heart produced by God's Spirit. And a person with a changed heart seeks praise from God, not from people."
A True Jew is a True Christian. A True Christian is a True Jew. There are only two True types of people who walk this planet . . . those whose Hearts have been Spiritually Circumcised by Christ, and those whose Hearts have not been lifted, or Purified, of the Sinful Nature, the Curse of Adam and Eve. Those who have been relieved of the Curse of Adam and Eve, are the humans who will receive Eternal Life. Those who do not lift their Hearts to Christ for Purification are the humans who are bound to the Eternal Pit.
Anyone whose Heart has been changed will literally be a new person in mind and in character. A True Jew [will] change. A True Christian [will] change. Anyone who does not change is not a Child of God. Follow this path of Scripture to see how our Faith "works." Again, use your own translation as I provide them (below) in the NLT translation for ease of understanding.
Remove My Sinful Nature, Lord - Galatians 3:13 NLT -
"But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree."
Grant Unto Me a New, Divine Nature, Lord - 2 Peter 1:4 NLT -
"And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world's corruption caused by human desires."
My Old Life is Gone, My New Life Begins - 2 Corinthians 5:13-21 NLT -
"If it seems we are crazy, it is to bring glory to God. And if we are in our right minds, it is for your benefit. 14 Either way, Christ's love controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life. 15 He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them. 16 So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! 17 This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! 18 And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. 19 For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people's sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. 20 So we are Christ's ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, "Come back to God!" 21 For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ."
I Will Reflect Your Glory With Increasing Measure - 2 Corinthians 3:14-18 NLT -
"But the people's minds were hardened, and to this day whenever the old covenant is being read, the same veil covers their minds so they cannot understand the truth. And this veil can be removed only by believing in Christ. 15 Yes, even today when they read Moses' writings, their hearts are covered with that veil, and they do not understand. 16 But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord--who is the Spirit--makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image."
Free and Reborn of God, I Possess no Pattern of Sin - 1 John 3:8-10 NLT -
"But when people keep on sinning, it shows that they belong to the devil, who has been sinning since the beginning. But the Son of God came to destroy the works of the devil. 9 Those who have been born into God's family do not make a practice of sinning, because God's life is in them. So they can't keep on sinning, because they are children of God. 10 So now we can tell who are children of God and who are children of the devil. Anyone who does not live righteously and does not love other believers does not belong to God."
As you can see, it is clear that a changed Heart, which is the Work of the Spirit, is proven by our ability to Love each other in a Godly way. To Love others rightly, this Love can only come through a Circumcised Heart, the Holy Operation of Faith performed only by Jesus Christ, our Lord, and Savior. How does Jesus save us? It is so clear . . . and it is so unfortunate that virtually no pastor is teaching what I have clearly presented to you today. Check out the Work of Christ . . . as no pastor gives credit to Jesus for this amazing "Work."
Colossians 2:9-15 NLT - "For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body. 10 So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority. 11 When you came to Christ, you were "circumcised," but not by a physical procedure. Christ performed a spiritual circumcision--the cutting away of your sinful nature. 12 For you were buried with Christ when you were baptized. And with him you were raised to new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead. 13 You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins. 14 He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. 15 In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross."
Do not ignore the NLT translation, for I assure you that it says essentially the same things as your favorite translation of choice.