I must understand what it means to be a counterfeit Christian. The Bible reveals many—Judas, Demas, Diotrephes and so does human experience. I have known a number of “saints” who no longer walk with God. This is enough to chill me with fear, then drive me to my knees in self-examination.
Who is counterfeit? Only the end will really tell. But since I cannot afford to wait for the end, I must know now.
As I study the Bible’s counterfeits, I seem to see one outstanding characteristic: accepting unconcern. Nowhere do I find Judas examining his relationship to Jesus, scrutinizing his feelings to see if they Stand up to the light. I see him move along with a numb indifference to everything spiritual. Like a chameleon, the counterfeit takes on the color of his surroundings without asking, “Am I still a chameleon?”
A counterfeit really cannot ask questions about his relationship with God. It is the mixture of light and darkness that produces shadows; total darkness creates no shadows. That is why I am challenged by Paul: “Take heed lest [ye] fall” (1 Corinthians 10:12). If I take heed, it is a good sign I am not a counterfeit. If I “watch,” “take heed,” and “examine myself,” then I am doing what the counterfeit cannot do, which makes the difference.
My continual concern about my relationship to Christ is a sure sign that I belong to Him; to be unconcerned is to be fatally wrong. When Christ offered me rest, He did not mean, “Take Me for granted.” A soldier on inspection does not need to ask, “Am I still in the army?” only, “Am I pleasing my commander?” The counterfeit never asks that! Above all, I rest in His supreme knowledge, “The Lord knows those who are His” (2 Timothy 2:19).
“That the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Thessalonians 1:12).
Daily with the King 