Denny answers:
The Bible says to test yourself to make sure you are a Christian (2 Corinthians 13:5).
You may go to church every week. You may have been baptized or confirmed. You may wear a cross necklace. You may try to be good. But all those things don’t make you a Christian! God giving faith to turn to Jesus is the only way to be saved (Ephesians 2:8-9).
Many people who say they are Christians are not true Christians. They will be sorry when Jesus tells them, “I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!” (Matthew 7:23b).
Maybe you are scared. You think, “I believed in Jesus to save me from my sin, but I still sometimes sin. Does that mean I’m not a Christian?”
Christians are not perfect. But they fight against sin. A Christian will not say, “I’m going to heaven because I believed Jesus died for my sin. So the rest of my life, I’m going to sin and do whatever I want.”
No, if you are a true Christian, you will keep turning from sin and trusting Jesus to help you overcome sin. You will want to obey the Lord Jesus and His Word, the Bible. That’s because when God saves a sinner, He makes the person new from the inside out (2 Corinthians 5:17). He gives Christians the desire and power to glorify God (Philippians 2:12-13). He gives Christians the Holy Spirit to help and teach them (John 14:26). Yes, Christians still sin, but sin no longer has to control them.
To test if you’re a Christian, ask yourself these questions and read the Bible verses:
• Do I love God and seek to obey His Word, the Bible? Read Matthew 7:21; Luke 10:27; 1 John 2:3-6, 15-17.
• When I sin, do I feel sorry and turn away from my sin? Read 2 Corinthians 7:8-10; Hebrews 12:5-8; 1 John 3:9.
• Am I growing to be more like Jesus, showing good things like love, joy, patience, kindness, and self-control? Read John 15; Galatians 5:19-24; 2 Peter 1:1-11; James 2:14-26; 1 John 2:6, 9; 3:17.
If you answered “Yes!” to those questions, you are showing signs that God has made you a Christian. God will never let you lose your salvation—
click here. Keep trusting and obeying Jesus!
If you answered “No,” to those questions, you may not be a Christian. You cannot become a Christian by trying to do better. Only Jesus can save you! Find out how to become a Christian by believing in the Lord Jesus—
click here.
Bible Truth
- “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17).
- “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 Corinthians 13:5).
- “No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God” (1 John 3:9).
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