Monday, July 12, 2021

How do you know your are a Christian?

 

You know you are a Christian by believing in these things:

The virgin birth of Jesus
That Jesus is the Son of God 
There is one true and living God (The Trinity - Father, Son and Holy Spirit)
The necessity of the Cross for salvation
The Resurrection of Jesus
The second coming of Jesus
The Scriptures are the inspired Word of God

Do you love God and seek to obey His Word?

When you sin, do you feel sorry and turn away from your sin?
Are you growing to be more like Jesus by showing love, joy, patience, kindness, and self-control?

You know you are a Christian when you put God first and by not having idols.  Anything you put before God is an idol.  An idol can be a person, a material thing, a denomination or even a ministry.  A Christian is not full of pride, but humility.  You don’t have a feeling of being superior, but think of the others before yourself.

You can know you are a Christian because of God’s Word.  The Bible gives you assurance and encouragement.  By studying the Bible, it helps you grow and mature in Christ.  It guides you in the right way to live.  It tells you of God’s promises and that His promises are for all believers from the beginning of time.

You can know you are a Christian because He has given you the Holy Spirit who has sealed you for salvation.  His Spirit reminds you that we belong to God.  He intercedes for you when you pray.  He speaks to you with an inner conviction when you sin drawing you away from that sin and closer to God.  He bears witness with your spirit that you are a child of God.

You can know you are a Christian when you strive to be more like Christ.  You listen when the Holy Spirits speaks to you and you are obedient to God’s Word.  You don’t live as the world does by giving in to the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes.  You love others and want the best for them.  You want to do the Father’s will and not your own.  You obey God’s call to be a witness for the Gospel of Christ.

Remember that being a Christian doesn’t mean you are perfect.  While you try to live as God wants, you will fail from time to time.  But you need to remember that Jesus died to pay the penalty for that failure.  So when you fall, get up and admit your sin and give thanks for what Jesus has done for you.  Look at what He has done rather than what you have done.  His actions, not yours, are the actions by which God has saved you.

You can be religious and go to church, mosque, or synagogue and still not be a Christian.  All roads don’t lead to God.  Jesus said He is the only way.  He is the only one who died for your sins.  You can be baptized and live a good life; you can believe in miracles, heaven and hell, but there needs to be an inward change.  You can pray and still not be a Christian.  We all pray when we are in trouble.  You can pray and pray, but if you haven’t admitted to God that you are a sinner and lost without him; if you haven’t asked His forgiveness, it won’t do any good.

1 Corinthians 11:28; 2 Corinthians 13:5 says to examine yourself to see whether you are in the faith.

Now that you know who you are as a Christian, how are you living?  Is there evidence that you are a Christian?  If anyone examined your life, would they find any spiritual fruit?  Would they find good works? 

Good works won’t save a person, but they are reasonable evidence of salvation.  God has taken care of your salvation through the finished work of Jesus on the cross.  Because of the work of Jesus Christ, your life should reflect your commitment to Him.  If you are saved, then good works will follow.  Do you exhibit the fruit of the Spirit which is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness and self-control found in Galatians 6?  A Christian should also be God-fearing and humble.  No Christian is perfect in all these qualities, but you will continue to grow these qualities when the Spirit is at work in you.

You need to know who you are as a believer so you can live the life and destiny God intended.  Understanding who you are will give your life a strong foundation.

You are not your past or anything you have done or not done.  When you became a believer, you became a new creation.  You have a new identity.  Your old life is gone and forgiven.  You are loved and accepted as a child of God.  You are a Saint, redeemed and forgiven.  You are free from condemnation.

Ephesian 1 and 2 tell you exactly who you are as a Christian:

You were chosen before the creation of the world.
You were predestined to be adopted into God’s family.
You have redemption through the blood of Jesus.
You are marked with a seal of the promised Holy Spirit guaranteeing your inheritance.
You are enlightened so you know you have hope and riches in heaven.
You have power and strength like that power Jesus exerted when He was raised from the dead.
You were dead in your transgressions and sin in which you used to live when you followed the ways of Satan and displayed disobedience.
Now because of God’s mercy, you are made alive with Christ.
We are saved by His grace through faith, not by your works.
You are God’s workmanship created in Christ to do good works.
You were separated from Christ, but now you have been brought near to Him because of His blood.
You are at peace because Jesus Himself is peace.
You are a new creation.
You have access to the Father by one Spirit.
You are no longer aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of His household.
You are part of a community of believers joined together with other Christians building a holy temple in the Lord in which Jesus is the chief Cornerstone.

Thanks for stopping by.  Hope to see you here next time.  I encourage you to trust in Jesus.

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