Out of many things evangelical Christians say to non-believers when proselytizing, I suspect one that "pisses off" them most is the claim that those who don't believe shall not go to heaven but are doomed for life in hell.
"Who do these 'holier-than-thou' clowns think they are," they probably snap when turning their backs on these "Jesus freaks."
God only knows a true Christian is one who knows he's the lowest of the low, been to the abyss of his misery, therefore seeks refuge from the almighty at the end of his rope with utmost humility.
And not all self-professed "Christians" are guaranteed to go to heaven, anyway, says Jesus himself in the Bible. "Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evil-doers!'" (Matt. 7:22-23). He could not have put it any more blunt than this, could He?
So the real question to ask, if you want, is "who is a true follower of God?"
Only God knows.
For all that much postulation and theorizing done by the Predestinationist theologians, this is basically all they can come up with: Yes, some of us are pre-elected by God for salvation, and some are not, but we don't really know which ones are which--God alone holds the ultimate authority and knowledge to this. Really, it's not our place to even ask such question--just like the pot has no right to question the potter why it was made a particular way (Rom. 9:21).
Once for some unexpected reason I was talking about "everlasting life after death" in a social occasion (God knows I am not the proselytizing type) to some people, and one guy interjected, with honest curiosity, "I don't think I ever want an everlasting life, really. I just live my life one honest day at a time, work hard, do the best I can, and when I die, I die." I had to explain, then, "I am not looking forward to an everlasting life after death per se either.. but since the day I realized I have a spiritual life in me that's everlasting in nature, I made up my mind to cultivate it, and when I die, it just disengages from my earthly body and continues its journey into eternity.. It's like a higher standard I set for myself to pursue even while I am on earth."
Some who know me might know I have a strong mystic bend in my Christian belief. Indeed I have explored and read some books on Christian and Eastern mysticisms and practiced "contemplative prayer" for years. But lest some of my Christian friends should worry I go astray 😄 I'll echo what is concluded by an Irish Jesuit who went all the way to Japan to study and practice Zen Buddhism there for 50 years and analyzes and compares each and every elements of these two religions and explains them with perfect sense, and yet at the end he admits there is still one thing he cannot explain or compromise his Christian faith with. It is "the feeling of being loved by God," the sense of His presence even when he is in the depth of his Zen meditation. "For Zen Masters, sentiments of love for God, even for a God who is my deepest being and my truest self, are a species of illusion or makyo (魔鏡).. yet I regard these sentiments as--yes, imperfect and inadequate to express the reality, but nevertheless as true and valid and valuable religious experiences," said the Jesuit.
Christ is the reality behind these "religious experiences" that I believe in.
* 莊子與惠子游於濠梁之上。莊子曰：「鯈魚出游從容，是魚之樂也。
I know it right here.
-- 《莊子‧秋水》篇
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