Page updated 30 Jan 2016
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How to Know You’re a Christian
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You may pray with all the passion and regularity in the world, but if you have not admitted to God that you are a sinner, lost without Him; if you have not sought His forgiveness and salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ, it won’t do you any good. The psalmist wrote:
If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me. Psalm 66:18
A person may make visible changes in life and still not be a Christian.
People will "get converted" to get what they want. A non-Christian guy asks an attractive and virtuous Christian girl out on a date. But she turns him down, saying, "Sorry, I only date Christians."
Suddenly, the nonbeliever is saying, "Oh … praise God! I’m really into this Christian thing, too." Probably not! And it will only be a matter of time before the mask falls off and his true motives are revealed.
You can live a good life, be religious and even keep the Ten Commandments to the best of your ability and still not be a Christian.
Think for a moment of the account of the Rich Young Ruler in the Gospels. One of the accounts tells us that he came to Jesus and said, "Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?" (verse 16
And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?Matthew 19 (KJV) verse 16)
Jesus told him, "If you want to enter into life, keep the commandments." And then the Lord told him which ones. (verse 17And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? [there is] none good but one, [that is], God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.Matthew 19 (KJV) verse 17)
The young man said to Him, "All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?" (verse 20The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?Matthew 19 (KJV) verse 20)
Read Matthew 19:16–21 (NKJV)(verse 16) And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?
(verse 17) And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? [there is] none good but one, [that is], God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.
(verse 18) He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness,
(verse 19) Honour thy father and [thy] mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
(verse 20) The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?
(verse 21) Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go [and] sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come [and] follow me.Matthew 19 (KJV) verses 16-21.
Look how far this earnest young man had gone: He not only heard the commands of God, he kept them. And he had done it since childhood!
But he didn’t go far enough—he stopped short of following Jesus.
The story concludes with the young man turning his back on the Lord and walking away sadly. And there is no record that he ever came back to Jesus.
So let’s summarize. The outward without the inward is only an empty shell. You can pray, believe in miracles, hear the Gospel and even believe in its truth, and still not be a Christian. You can live an exemplary life, be religious and keep the commandments of God from earliest memory and still not be a Christian. You can be in church with other believers, hear the same message, receive communion, and even believe that Jesus is coming back—and still not be a Christian.
Who Then Is a Christian?
The real question before us is one that man has been asking for years. The Philippian jailer put it so clearly when he cried out, "What must I do to be saved?"
Paul’s response was significant, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved" (Acts 16:31 (NKJV)And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.Acts 16 (KJV) verse 31).
Fine. But what does "believing" actually mean? The Bible says that even the demons from hell believe, and tremble at what they know very well to be true (James 2:19Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.James 2 (KJV) verse 19).
Here are the essential elements of the Good News that we must believe and receive to become a born-again child of God:
■ REALIZE YOU ARE A SINNER
Romans 3:23 (NKJV)For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.Romans 3 (KJV) verse 23 tells us, "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." In other words, sin has infiltrated the human race, and not one of us has escaped its effects.
The Bible says that prior to coming to faith, we are dead in our trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1And you [hath he quickened], who were dead in trespasses and sins.Ephesians 2 verse 1). The Greek word used here for "sins" is hamartias— "to miss the mark." It was a term used in archery. This phrase came to represent missing or falling short of any goal, standard or purpose.
No human being in his or her own strength has hit that mark. Some of us may miss the bull’s eye farther than others, but not one of us has hit it.
Why? Because God’s "mark" is absolute, total, complete, flawless perfection! Jesus said,
Be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect. Matthew 5:48 (NKJV)Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.Matthew 5 (KJV) verse 48
■ REPENT OF YOUR SINS
To repent means to ‘change’ or to ‘turn.’ It’s like driving down the highway, pulling a U-turn and heading the other direction. (Read What does the word "repent" mean?)
More than simply being sorry, it is a word of action. Many people feel remorse for their sin but never truly repent. Remorse is being sorry; repentance is being sorry enough to stop.
In the story of the Prodigal Son, the young man knew he was wrong. But nothing changed until he acted on that knowledge, crawled out of the pigpen and started down the road toward his father and home. He had a change of mind that resulted in a change of direction.
■ BELIEVE IN AND RECEIVE JESUS CHRIST INTO YOUR LIFE
The Bible says,
But as many as received Him [Jesus], to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name. John 1:12 (NKJV)But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, [even] to them that believe on his name.John 1 (KJV) verse 12
Jesus said,
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16 (NKJV)For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.John 3 (KJV) verse 16
This is because you realize that Jesus Christ is the very Son of God. He is the One who loves you so much that He died on a cross for you 2,000 years ago to pay the penalty for your sin, and then rose from the dead three days later. You need to believe that, and ask Him into your life.
■ DO IT NOW!
Good intentions are not enough. Agreeing with what I have said here is not enough.
You must admit you are a sinner, repent of that sin, and put your faith in Christ.