There is a test and to prove you are a Real Christian™ you will have to pass it. This test is based upon an article written by Dan Foster on Medium.com (What Jesus Actually Said). This article lists the 49 commandments of Jesus the Christ. To save you some time, I recreated the list below, without Dan’s always brilliant commentary. Note—These have been rephrased from what the scripture directly says. And, as always, I recommend you read the whole original article if you are interested.
The 49 Commandments of Jesus the Christ
- Turn your life around (repent) Matthew 4:17.
- Follow my example Matthew 4:19.
- Be happy if others put you down Matthew 5:11–12.
- Shine! (Matthew 5:16).
- Reconcile with your enemies (Matthew 5:23–25).
- Do not lust Matthew 5:28–30.
- Keep your word Matthew 5:37.
- Turn the other cheek (Matthew 5:39).
- Go above and beyond (Matthew 5:41–42).
- Love your enemies Matthew 5:44–46.
- Live generously and graciously Matthew 48.
- Don’t show off your generosity (Matthew 6:1–18).
- Do things that matter eternally Matthew 6:19–21.
- Seek God first (Matthew 6:31–33).
- Don’t judge others Matthew 7:1–3.
- Don’t reduce holy mysteries to slogans Matthew 7:6.
- Ask, seek, knock Matthew 7:7–8.
- Treat others as you’d like to be treated (Matthew 7:12).
- Don’t look for shortcuts to God (Matthew 7:13–14).
- Look for character, not charisma Matthew 7:15–16.
- Pray for more helpers (Matthew 9:37–38).
- Be wise and inoffensive Matthew 10:16.
- Don’t be afraid Matthew 10:28.
- Listen to God’s voice Matthew 11:15.
- Cast your burdens onto him Matthew 11:28–30.
- Honor your parents Matthew 15:4.
- Beware of performance-based religion Matthew 16:6.
- Don’t run from suffering Luke 9:23–25.
- Be kind to children Matthew 18:10.
- Restore broken relationships Matthew 18:15–17.
- Don’t be greedy Luke 12:15.
- Forgive others Matthew 18:21–22.
- Don’t split those who God has brought together Matthew 19:4–6.
- Serve others Matthew 20:26–28.
- Use the church for what it was intended Matthew 21.
- Don’t doubtMatthew 21:21–22: .
- Invite in the outcast Luke 14:12–14.
- Respect authority (Matthew 22:19–21).
- Love God (Matthew 22:37–38).
- Love others (Matthew 22:39–40).
- Be ready to go Matthew 24:42–44.
- Remember me Matthew 26:26–28.
- Start a new life John 3:5–7.
- Don’t walk into temptation (Matthew 26:41).
- Care for others John 21:15–16.
- Baptize those who believe (Matthew 28:19)
- Let God’s power be your strength Luke 24:49.
- Teach others to live like me Matthew 28:20.
- Keep My Commandments (John 14:15).
Comments
Citations
4 in gLuke
3 in gJohn
42 in gMatthew
At first I was a little taken aback that there were no citations from gMark, and then I remembered that over 90% of Mark was included verbatim in gMatthew.
I would also add that there is absolutely nothing new in these “teachings,” that is all of the precepts were available prior to the time these were supposedly taught. No great innovations, no new understandings, nada.
The Test!
Okay, now is the time to take the Real Christian™ Test, which will determine whether you are a Real Christian™ or not! Basically, all you have to do is go down the list: Give yourself 2, 1, or 0 points for each commandment if: 2–you do this almost always, 1–you do this off and on, or 0–You rarely or never do this.
Go ahead, I will wait.
Now sum up all of those numbers. A perfect score for a follower of Jesus the Christ would be 98 but that is unlikely. So, how high do you have to score to qualify? Well, to even be considered, you have to score . . . higher than atheists score.
I took the test and there were more than a few guaranteed zeros, being an atheist and all: #2, 13, 14, 17, 19, 21, 24, 25, 33, 35, 36, 39, 46, 48, 49. You cannot profess to not believe in this god and do those things with any sincerity. So, there are 30 points an atheist can’t claim, so a score of 68 is a line of demarcation (98 – 30 = 68). If you score above 68, you are guaranteed to be better than any stinking atheist!
I scored 36. So, if you can’t beat 36, then you aren’t following Jesus any more than an atheist does. But then my score may be high or low compared to the scores other atheists might achieve, so if you know any (or are one), if you can convince them to take the test or take it yourself, you might list your score in the comments below. I am sure other test takers will be grateful.
Have fun!
Addendum If you pass this test and in the future someone claims you are not a Real Christian™ or a True Christian™, you can point out that you are certified to be so by the Real Christian™ Test and challenge them to take the test themselves!