In Luke 19:1-10 a tax collector named Zacchaeus encountered Christ. He was known as a wicked man and gained some of his wealth by cheating people, but after meeting Jesus he turned from that way of life.
Luke 19:8-9 says:
But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.” Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. (NIV)
When a person decides to follow Christ, their faith in Jesus will produce a change in their way of living as it did for Zacchaeus. That change is what proves his or her conversion to Christ is real.
The Bible says: No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God. (1 John 3:9 NIV)
God not only cares about what a person believes, but also whether their actions align. For that reason let’s all make sure we’re pursuing true change in Christ!
Matthew 3:8 NLT
Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God.