Ex pastor explains how Christianity is fake

[Alan V]

This point has always confused me.  How can Christians judge themselves as Christians, or that others are not, if God is the only accurate judge?

And if you say real Christians are not taught to consider themselves Christians, you just eliminated 99% of them from their memberships, including yourself.

It's like saying, "We shouldn't judge others, but WE are all saved and going to Heaven!"

It's not that difficult. We're not to judge others, but we are to judge ourselves. That is the purpose of the law and the Holy Spirit, to pint out ways we are not Christlike to repent from them. I don't and didn't judge this ex-pastor. I was merely pointing out that by his words he judged himself a faker, and by definition not a Christian. Then the band wagon got riled up at a perceived Christian being judgy to a down and out guy, when I was just calling a spade a spade. I am assured in my salvation. I can only speak for me. I can hope for others that I love and care for, even some of you, but I don't know. Christians are taught to have a genuine faith and assurance of their salvation. You study and learn how to judge yourself, it's called sanctification.  It is exactly like saying WE shouldn't judge others, and I am saved. Christians didn't originally call themselves Christians, it was a term used by non-Christians to label followers of Christ. This whole last two pages really isn't about anything other than agreeing to a definition of "true Christian". I'm sorry if you remain confused, I hope I cleared some of that up for you.

"It's not that difficult," as you say, only if you interpret the original as you do.

The original Matthew 7 says this: "[1] Judge not, that ye be not judged. [2] For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again."

I take this to mean, "don't judge others, your community, or yourself." The reason for this was implied in the second verse: we are not capable of doing so, and if we do so we set ourselves up for future failures. People can be good or bad over time, and most certainly can change. Every judgment is jumping to a conclusion, including about our own righteousness. That is as much a trap for us as thinking we or others are awful. So not judging is a way of being on guard. Many people who believe they are already saved are not on guard.

What may confuse this issue is that the saying which follows it in the Bible is about finding fault with another, the speck in another's eye. But to me this explores only one aspect of the first idea.