Question: Can you tell the difference between a Christian and a non-Christian if they were both standing in front of you or are we deemed as Christians purely based on our actions?
Ultimately, the works are only seen by man. the heart is seen by God! Matthew 7 ensures that we (as humans) can never be certain about anyone else’s christianity but our own. Remember: Peter denied Christ three times, and he was pre-warned. David was a murder and an adulterer after God had made him King.
What makes a good man is his actions, what makes a christian is his heart (His response to the cross). Really, all have sinned and fallen short (in fact – all are sinning and falling short). Looking at our – as well as other people’s – actions with a view towards accountability (helping to reconcile actions with vows), rather than judgement is definitely the way forward.
Journey inward and ask the same of your brothers, then be there to help if and when they fall or succeed to rebuke, restore, and encourage where necessary. Seek the same from your brothers. This takes humility (being prepared to open and honest) and love (genuine selfless, unconditional, concern for others); the prerequisites for any fruitful relationship (as demonstrated by God).
"Somewhere in the process of obedience to the law, in the turning to scriptures to discover more from them, the sight and sound of the living – active and moving – God whose Word dictated their deeds was replaced by the ritual itself. There he stood amongst them, unknown to them, lamenting their self-blinkered hearts, ready to intervene and bare the cost".
It's Complicated 