Is He a Christian?

Some church members tolerated a man whose conduct was repeatedly dishonest, disruptive, and morally offensive, excusing their inaction by saying, “Maybe he really is a Christian, so we must be patient with him.” But this attitude betrayed a false standard. Christ Himself said believers are known by their fruits, not their claims (Matt. 7:16–20); to assume a man is a Christian while his actions deny it is not charity but folly. Worse yet, such thinking creates a double standard treating sin as more tolerable in a professing believer than in an unbeliever and produces a church with lower moral expectations than the world. True Christianity does not require submitting to abusive behavior, nor does Christ’s atonement imply tolerance for sin. His cross is God’s total judgment against sin, and His grace produces repentance and new life, not indulgence. To excuse or protect sin in the name of being “Christian” is itself a sin.