ARE YOU TRULY A CHRISTIAN?

Today we’re going to discuss a very important subject – and raise a question that I think that all believers, at some point in their walk, should ask themselves. And, that question is “Am I truly a Christian? or “Am I Truly in the Faith?”

You know, there are many people today who consider themselves Christian: Many of them are good, sincere people. They said the sinner’s prayer – they go to church – they pray – they even stand in the pulpit and preach. But, despite all of these things, our Lord Jesus warned us that none of these things are, in and of themselves, necessarily proof that a person is truly a Christian.

I’m going to be looking at several passages during this article. But, I’ll let you know where I’m going; just in case you want to follow along. I’ll be beginning with Matthew 7:21-23 and 2 Corinthians 13:5. In Matthew 7:21-23, Jesus said:

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?' And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.”

In 2 Corinthians 13:5 the Apostle Paul tells us to, “Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!” The statements by Jesus in the passage we just read are very sobering, and they should give us all reason to pause, and ask ourselves “Am I truly a Christian?”. You know, some people disagree with me, but I think the passage we just read in Matthew shows that, when Jesus returns, there’s going to be lots of people who believed that they were Christians, only to find out at that time that they’re not. Can you image the shock they’re going to experience in that moment? Think about it. There you are – standing before Jesus – thinking that you’re a Christian – waiting for Him to call your name, and usher you into heaven. And, then, when He finally does look at you and speak, He says “Get away from me!” Wow! Can you imagine that? Well, I don’t know about you, but I definitely don’t want to be one of those people. And, we don’t have to be. The bible says that we can know for sure. And, that’s why we’re having this discussion today.

To do this, we’re going to look at the book of 1 John. In this book, John tells us that there are certain things which should be apparent in the life of a true believer. And, so, he gives us some of these evidences with which we can examine ourselves to see if we are truly in the faith. In fact, in 1 John 5:13, John says, "I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life."

Now, one thing that you'll notice about the Apostle John is that John is that he gives it to you straight. He doesn’t mess around. He tells it like it is – and, that’s probably because he wants us to really consider the seriousness of what he’s saying to us here – because this is serious stuff. Some of what John has to say may shake you up a little bit. But, keep in mind that John did not write this book to scare us; but rather, he wrote it so that we believers would be assured that we have eternal life.

Now, I’ve got several points that I want us to look at, but, for time sake, we’re going to move through this real fast, and apply John’s principles to our own walk, just to get an idea where we are in our walk. So, we’re going to start in 1 John chapter 1, verse 5...and our first subject is… Walking in the light

Walking in the Light

Beginning with chapter 1, verse 5, John writes… This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.

So our first question we’re going to ask is: Do you walk in the light? Or, do you still walk in darkness? Think about this now. Has there been a real change in your life since you were received Christ? Do you still like to hang out with the same old friends doing the same old things? Do you still watch the same movies, and listen to the same music – with all of the sex, drugs, and violence? Do you still like to go to the bar on the weekend, to get drunk – and flirt with the guy, or flirt with the girls? Do you still wish you could have your drugs now and then? Some people think these things are okay. What about you? Is your life still generally marked by darkness? Because, if it is – I’m here to tell you – there may be a problem there. As we read above, John says If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we’re a liar, and we do not practice the truth. If we are truly saved – and I mean truly saved – the 2 Corinthians 5:17 says that “We are new creatures.” We are no longer the same person. “The old has passed away – and all things have become new.” Well, if this is true, then there should be a measurable change in our life. Not perfection – but a change – and a real desire to walk in the light. So, examine yourself and ask, “Is this present in my life?” “Do I walk in the light?”

Keeping His Commandments

Beginning at chapter 2, verse 3, John goes on to write: “And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected.”

What about that? Do you keep His commandments – His precepts – His teachings? Do you try to live your life in accordance with the scriptures? A lot of people will tell you that because you’re under grace, you have no rules to follow – or no standards to uphold. They’ll tell you, “Don’t worry about that right now.” You’ll get that together when you get to heaven. But, is that what the bible says? I don’t have any rules to follow? So, what exactly does that mean? Does it mean that it’s okay for me to steal, kill, or sleep with another man’s wife? Of course not! Teaching believers that they have no rules to follow, and no standards to uphold is nonsense. Let me tell you something: Jesus expects us to be obedient to His commandments – to His precepts – and to His teachings. In Luke 6:46, Jesus said, “Why do you call me Lord, Lord, and do not do the things which I say?” A few verses later, Jesus said that “He that hears, and does not do what He says, is like a man that built a house upon the earth, without a foundation, and a stream beat against that house, and immediately it fell.” If you are a true believer, you will want to live your life in accordance with the scriptures. You will want to obey Christ's commandments. Will you fall short? Of course, you will. And, you’ll do so quite often. Nobody is perfect. But, it shouldn’t be for lack of trying. All true believers should have a desire to live according to scripture.

Loving your Brother

We move on to Chapter 2, starting at verse 9-11, John writes: Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness. Chapter 3, Verse 15 says...Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.” Chapter 4, verse 20 says, “If a man says I love God, and hates his brother, he is a liar.”

Here’s the question: Do you love your brothers and sisters in Christ? Do you enjoy going to church to fellowship with them? Are you there when they need you? Or, do you just gossip about them? Do you encourage them, and support them, and help them out when they’re in need? Not just because it’s expected of you, but from your heart? You know many people say that they love their brother, but they don’t spend any time with them. They don’t help them, or communicate with them, or encourage them. What about you? How do you stack up?

Love for the World

Let's move on to chapter 2, verse 15, John admonishes us; Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

Do you still love the world? Are you still tied up in the things of this world? Maybe your money – or some property – or your car? The television – your recreational activities – your associations and friendships? Is your focus still on what you can get, or what you’ve already got in this world? Do any of these things cause you to compromise your Christian walk, or get in the way of you reading your bible, or going to church, or otherwise serving Christ? If they do, then you need to seriously think about making some changes. The bible tells us that we are not of this world. We’re just visiting – and our focus should be on heaven above.

Confessing the Son

Next, let’s look at Chapter 2, verse 23. Here John says: “No one who denies the Son has the Father. But, whoever confesses the Son has the Father also.”

Are you clear about the fact that, before you received Christ, you were on your way to hell – and that there was absolutely nothing that you could do on your own to change that? Are you clear that Jesus is the Son of God that came to take away the sin of the world? Are you clear about the fact that Jesus came down from heaven – that He lived a perfect life as a man – that He was crucified on the cross for your sin – that He was buried – and that on the third day God raised Him from the dead? Because, if you’re not sure of that, then I’m here to tell you you’re not saved – but, we have to fix that – today.

Practicing Righteousness

Chapter 2, Verse 29 reads...If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him.

Do you try to practice righteousness? You know, some people you see them on Sunday morning, and you’d swear that they were the holiest thing you ever saw. But, if could see them on the Saturday night before church, you’d see things that would make holy water to boil. Is that you? I’m not asking if you’re perfect. I’m simply asking, “Do you try to make it a habit or doing the right thing, and practicing righteousness.” Not just when it’s convenient – and not just when people are watching – but, always – when nobody is watching. Can you say that’s you?

Practicing Sin

Finally, let’s take a look at Chapter 3, verses 4-10. In this passage, John writes, “Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. You know that he appeared in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil.”

Are you listening to what John is saying here? Do you make a practice of sinning? Some of us think that a little sin is okay. I’ve been guilty of that. Many of you have too. The question here is not whether or not you sometimes sin. We all do. Chapter 1, verses 8-9 says, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. But, If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. So, then the question is not whether we sometimes sin – the question is, what do you do about it? Are you sensitive to the sin in your life? Are you broken over the sin in your life? Do you repent of your sin daily? Or, do you just blow it off like it’s no big deal? The question is, “are you willfully walking in sin.” There’s a difference. Everybody sins. Nobody’s perfect. But, not everybody intentionally “walks” in sin.

What is the Lesson From This

OK. So, what’s the lesson here? Well, what John is trying to teach us is that, if we are truly Christians – and if we have been truly converted – then these qualities he wrote about should, to some degree, be present in your life. Now, when you examine yourself by this test – if you find that you fall a little short – don’t despair. Don’t panic – it’s okay. Just be aware of it – repent – and pray to ask God to help you in these areas. If you’re sincere, He will.

Now, if at this point you’re not sure that you’re a Christian, then we can settle that matter right here and right now. The bible say that “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in His should not perish, but should have eternal life.” If we want to be saved, the bible says that we have to repent and believe the gospel. To repent means to acknowledge your sins and turn from them towards God. To believe the gospel means to believe that we were all on our way to hell, and there was nothing we could do by our own efforts to change that. Believing the gospel means that you believe that God sent His Son Jesus to this earth to die on the cross – not for His wrongdoing – but, in our place, for our sins. Jesus was crucified on the cross – He was buried – but on the third day, God raised Him from the dead. The bible says that “if we confess with our mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord – and if we believe in our heart that God raised Him from the dead – we will be saved.” So, if you want to receive God’s salvation, and know that you’re a Christian, bow your head and pray with me. But, you must mean it from your heart.

Dear God, thank you that you have shown me the truth. I understand that if I were to die right now, I would spend all eternity in a punishing fire with the devil and his demons. I don’t want that, God. I believe that you sent your Son, Jesus, to this earth to suffer and to die - not for His own wrongdoing; but rather, for mine. I’m sorry for my sins, and for the life I have lived; and, I acknowledge that I am in need of your forgiveness. Please forgive me for my sins. Right now, I confess with my mouth that Jesus is Lord; and, I believe in my heart that you raised Him from the dead. This moment, I turn from my sin, and accept Jesus as my Lord and savior – never to turn back again.

If you prayed that prayer, and you meant it with all your heart, the bible says that you are saved. If you are a new Christian, the first thing you need to do is get yourself a bible. The next thing you need to do is find yourself a church to attend. Going to church does not save you. But, fellowshipping with God’s people is absolutely essential to your spiritual growth. Lastly, if you have not been baptized, speak to the Pastor about getting baptized.

May God richly bless you.