I'm not sure if I really get it. I was brought up to believe that only God can see a man's heart, so we must go by what a he confesses. After all, no one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 12:3b). Faith is to bear fruit. I think fruit includes confession. We discern from
what is spoken (see Matt. 15:18-19) or confessed, and what is done (see James 2). If a person claims to be a Christian but insists on speaking and living in a way that brings shame to himself and the Church, aren't we right to question the state of that person's faith? After all, how could church discipline be practiced if such judgements could not be made?And yet it can be a very dangerous thing to judge another sinner with our imperfect judgement (see Matt. 7:1-5). Keep in mind that one does not go from being a babe to a mighty warrior in the Faith overnight. And even mighty warriors are capable of terrible sins.
But look at it from the flip side; haven't we all known Christians whom we admired for their bold and steadfast faith? What was it that triggered that admiration? Perhaps it was something they said or how they behaved (i.e., their works) during a particular situation or trial. Or perhaps their faith became apparent to you over time as you witnessed how they lived their lives in humble service to Christ and His Church. However it happened, I'm quite certain you didn't just sense a vibe. Their faith was shown to you in some way.
I don't think that asking someone how their faith or the faith of someone close to them is will be a part of my regular conversation starters any time soon. But encountering people who do make such queries has made me consider the role of works in the Christian life. Deep down, I do expect more from someone who calls himself a Christian. It has no bearing on their justification; that's not the issue here. But if one can't, or even shouldn't, take note of the works in a Christian's life, then we might as well grow trees that bear invisible fruit (cf. Matt. 7:15-20).
