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Am I Really a Christian? |
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By Rev. Rick Blumenburg
Retired Church of God Pastor, Former Editor of Church of God News
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2 Cor. 13:5-11; Heb. 2:1-4; John 14:1-6
“Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?” 2 Cor. 13:5.
Paul wants us to examine ourselves to be certain we are “in the faith”—not to see if we pass or fail as much as to gain assurance from knowing where stand and wisdom to know what changes are needed to become more Christ-like. If we depend on the wrong thing for salvation, the quicker we become aware, the better off we are. On the other hand when doubts come, as they do, it is important to know our faith is based on God’s Word.
There are many things in life for which we must be concerned. What to eat? What to drink? What to wear? Where to live? These genuine life concerns can become our primary interest so we neglect what should be primary, our life in Christ. Jesus said we need not be overly concerned because God is fully aware of our need for these basic necessities. Our primary concern is to
seek His kingdom and his righteousness. If we put these two matters first in life our Heavenly Father will see that our needs are supplied.
Jesus told us in John 14:6, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me.” This clearly tells us the only way to enter God’s kingdom and God’s righteous-ness is through the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul reempha-sizes this truth in Colossians 1:27, where he writes of “Christ in you, the hope of glory.”
Paul tells us to “examine ourselves” so we can know for certain we are “in the faith.” But how can we know for sure? Following are some questions we can ask ourselves to see if Christ lives in us, if we are in the faith.
1. Have I admitted my sinfulness to God? Confession is one way to achieve victory over sin. If we acknowledge to ourselves and to God that we have a problem, admitting it gives us power over it. We need to remember this because anytime we yield to temptation the first step back to victory is to admit we have a problem. Confession is also one step in acquiring salvation. The Bible tells us in 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” Holding on to our pride by saying, “Oh, I am not so bad. Many people are worse than I am,” is merely one way of calling God a liar (1 John 1:10), and as long as we do so, we won’t get a true perspective on our condition and we can’t experience God’s forgiveness.
2. Have I repented of my sin? In order for Christ to live in us we must also repent of our sin. When Jesus was present in the flesh, He preached a simple message of repentance. God is a holy God, so as long as we are unrepentant we cannot be free of sin and Christ cannot live in us. However we need to understand the nature of genuine repentance. If we are sorry we were caught, we may be truly sorry, but that is not true repentance. If we are sorry we must face the result of our sins, we may be truly sorry for the result, but that isn’t true repentance. True repent-ance is looking at the holiness of God and seeing that our own self-righteousness is, by comparison, dirty rags. When we wish more than anything else that we had always lived righteously so we could stand in His loving presence, that is genuine repent-ance.
So the first requirement if we want Christ to live in us, is genuine repentance (be honestly sorry for the sin our lives). This is necessary because God “commands all people everywhere to repent” (Acts 17:30b. So the next question is: Am I genuinely sorry for my sin?
3. Have I accepted my forgiveness? Forgiveness is a free gift God wants to give all His repentant children, but the receiving is not automatic. We must ask for and accept it by faith because God’s forgiveness must be sought and accepted before it is effective. Sorrow for sin may be totally genuine and desire for forgiveness equally so, but we must ask in faith through Jesus Christ because we receive it only if we ask for it. Peter preached peached to Cornelius that “everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name” (Acts 10:43). Thus we receive forgiveness by placing our faith in Christ and accepting forgiveness as an act of faith. Have I accepted my forgiveness by faith?
4. Have I accepted Christ as Savior and Lord? To accept Christ as Savior we must depend on Him alone for salvation. The Bible does not teach Jesus as a way of salvation, but the Way. [Shortly after] Pentecost Peter preached, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). As long as we think there is any other way to be saved, some other savior, our own good works, Christian parents—until we realize there is no other way of salvation except Christ, we will not depend on Christ alone and we will not be saved. In order for Christ to live in us we must personally accept him as Savior from sin and from its consequences. If we accept Him as Lord we go one step farther and give Christ control of all of life. We live daily by His teaching recorded in Scripture and by the guidance of His Spirit. Every area of life must be brought into subjection to Christ. Have I accepted Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord of my life?
5. Am I living and growing in Christ? It is possible to answer yes to the previous four questions, but still be in doubt spiritually. The Christian life is not merely a one-time crisis but continuing obedience. Sometimes people accept salvation and they think they have arrived, then neglect to live and grow in obedience to the Lord. This usually happens when someone is not totally converted. They believe the truth enough to say the words, but their hearts are not changed. Deep down, they still believe that the old way is best. The end result is a half-hearted Christian who is not totally converted.
Few things are worse than half-hearted Christians. They are a constant concern to fellow Christians, the laughingstock of pagans and a source of disgust to the morally upright but unsaved persons who see their inconsistent lives. Such persons lead no one to Christ, do not grow more Christ-like and find Christ-like living difficult because any good they do is done by human effort. Their faith usually makes them miserable. Eventually, partially converted Chris-tians experience a total conversion or they die spiritually and return to a life without Christ.
Thus the most dangerous person to the kingdom of God is not usually the atheist, agnostic, or hardened sinner. It is more likely to be the half-converted Christian who refuses to live and grow in Christ. To understand the difference between a genuine and a partial conversion, imagine watching three hundred students in a precision marching band. A drum major blows the whistle and signals an about face, forward march. Those who were leading are suddenly now following—those following, now leading. Perfect precision—a beautiful sight. They were marching west, now east—completely turned around—a perfect illustration of genuine conversion.
But wait. What if twenty percent of the marchers only half turned? Sixty persons would be out of formation and marching at cross purposes (actually interfering) with 240 who are following orders. The result would be chaos. A partially converted Christian is much like that twenty percent of the marching band. Part of him is going one way and part is going the other. He is a spiritual schizophrenic.
You may order the book from which this article was taken directly from the author. Its 13 chapters cover, among other things, such practical things as Bible Study, assurance, temptation, prayer, discovering God’s will. Cost: $5, postpaid. Bro. Rick’s address: Rick Blumenberg, 4801 Lake Street, Bridgman, MI 49106.
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