Am I A Christian? Part 1 of 2

by Josh Duncan

This is a question some people wrestle with more than they should. I say "more than they should" because God intends for us to KNOW His love and be confident that we are His. Consider these passages...

John 10:14
1 John 5:13

So why do people wrestle with this issue? Honestly, I believe it's because of how our culture (here in the south) has turned following Jesus into a religion built around the institution of church instead of a relationship initiated by Jesus.

I'm going to make 2 posts on this topic. In this first post, I want to deal with two common misunderstandings that have distorted salvation/following Jesus. Then, in the next post, I'll deal with the typical statements "I got saved" and "I asked Jesus into my heart".

#1 We think salvation begins with us.
Read Romans 3:10-12. Also, take a minute and read Romans 3:23-24. What do these verses say to you? Chances are you've read these passages before, but here's what they mean in regards to salvation... If it wasn't for God first loving us, we would never choose Him. Naturally, we don't want a relationship with Him. We desire to do things our way. This has been the case since Adam and Eve. Thank God that salvation begins by God first loving us and drawing us to Him! 1 John 4:19

Implications of this misunderstanding... You think it's up to you to make yourself right with God. You become confused as to who gives and keeps your salvation, which causes you to struggle with your salvation because you're basing it on your evaluation of yourself.

#2 Following Jesus means you're now to be a morally good person.
I recently talked with someone who consulted a pastor about their salvation. The pastor proceeded to tell them that if they felt guilty about the wrong things they've done, then they're most likely a Christian. Seriously? This is not grounds for determining salvation. Here's why...

Unless you have psychopathic tendencies, everyone feels emotion, including guilt and remorse. Atheists still feel bad when they do something wrong. Before I surrendered my life to Jesus, I felt bad about some of things I did. Salvation is much more than a moral issue; it's more than feeling guilty about something. Should you feel guilty about your sin? Yes, but has that guilt led you to true repentance and surrender? (I'll discuss that in the next post) Following Jesus is not primarily about attending church each Sunday, being a morally good person, gaining a college education, buying a home, getting married, and having 2.5 kids. Despite the fact that these things are what most Christians prioritize, following Jesus is much more than this.

Implications of this misunderstanding... You adhere to religious routines more than the Holy Spirit. You're constantly up and down in how you "feel" about God (or how you think God feels about you) because it's based off how good of person you are instead of the sufficiency of Jesus. You may be completely missing out on the joy of knowing Jesus.

Stay tuned for the next post when I'll discuss the misunderstandings behind the statements "I got saved" and "I asked Jesus into my heart."