Real Christianity

"You might think that if you consider yourself a good person and are against bad things, your faith is adequate.  The fact is, you might not be a Christian at all but simply a moral person.  You might understand the Christianity our culture has adopted without understanding what constitutes authentic faith.  You might know the basic facts about Christianity but have no idea how those facts should apply to life."~ Real Christianity , an updated and revised version of William Wilberforce's work, A Practical View of the Prevailing Religious System of Professed Christians, in the Middle and Higher Classes in this Country, Contrasted with Real Christianity. William Wilberforce is best known for his work on the abolition of slavery, however his written work is filled with an amazing understanding of his own faith, and the faith of Christianity.  As you read his words you quickly realize that his external actions in advocating the abolition of slavery were merely an expression of his belief in authentic Christianity.  He did not believe Christianity was merely a faith of "good" people, but rather transformed people.  His definition of authentic faith is this;

"If we are going to walk worthy of Christ, we have to practice one central discipline... we are to fix out eyes on Jesus.  We are to run our race LOOKING UNTO JESUS as our motivation.  This is the key.  If we do this one thing, we will be unable to treat our faith in the superficial way most cultural Christians do in our time.  They want to live their spiritual lives on their own terms.  It doesn't work" Does going to Church make us authentic Christians? No. If we do good things are we authentic Christians? No. Does knowing every word of the Bible make us authentic Christians? No. All these are good, but they are not authentic Christianity in and of themselves.  Authentic Christianity is not external, but internal through the work of Christ in our lives.  When we have that authentic faith amazing things happen, like the ability to end slavery in England.  Christ is first and foremost, all other pursuits are products.