Am I a Christian?

Many Think They Are Christians

There are over 2 Billion people worldwide that would claim to be a Christian. What does being a Christian mean and how do you know if you are one? You should examine yourself and see if you are in the faith.

Are you a New Creation?

In anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation. You should hate sin and mourn over it. You should read and love the Word of God. You should trust God and do His will. A Christian will love, imitate, and follow Christ. You should have a life of prayer and be willing to suffer for Jesus.

What Do I Need To Know?

If you think you are a Christian, you may intellectually understand all or most of the other facts or concepts that you need to know such as:

Perfection of the Supreme Being
(God is holy/perfect and sin can't be near him)
Problem of Sin
(You fall short of God's perfect righteousness by even sinning once)
Penalty of Sin
(If your sins aren't forgiven you must be eternally separated from him)
Performance is Separate
(Being good is not the solution because you can't be good enough)
Propitiation for Sin
(God lived a perfect human life in Jesus and died taking your penalty)
Proof of Salvation
(Jesus rose from the dead to prove God's plan of salvation is true)
Purpose of Salvation
(God loves you, wants to save you, and be with you forever)

Still Wondering If You Are A Christian?

Maybe you kind of know all this stuff in your head as facts, but you still wonder at times what it really means to be a Christian or even whether you are one. If you are still wondering, really think deeply about it as you continue to read on.

Evaluating Your Life

Do you believe that you trusted Jesus Christ to forgive you of your sins? Have you turned from your sins and desired to obey God? Would you say you are living your life for Him or yourself? Do you have a desire to go to church, read the Bible, or share your faith? If you answered "no" to these questions, then you may have never surrendered your life to Jesus Christ and become a Christian.

More than Head Knowledge

You may have personal knowledge about the Bible, but it's just head knowledge, lacking a personal surrender of the heart. The book of James in the Bible says even the demons believe and have an intellectual knowledge and agreement only. Does your faith have any significant effects on your life or is it more like a hobby that you fit in sometimes? Is your life filled with a lot of sinful behaviors or thoughts that you don't really have a desire to change or give up control of to God?

Realizing You Are Not A Christian

To have thought you were a Christian and then suddenly come to the understanding and certainty that you are not a Christian is a scary thing. Freedom is in the truth, even if it is a hard truth to face up to.

Things That Don't Necessarily Make You A Christian

Here are some things that some people believe make you a Christian just by doing them:

Repeating a "sinner's prayer" with/after someone
Being baptized or going through "confirmation"
Belonging to, attending, or being a member of a church
Going down an aisle at an "altar call"
Responding to an invitation at a "crusade"
Praying a "sinner's prayer" silently or out loud at church
Taking the Eucharist / Lord's Supper / Communion
Being a good person and/or trying to keep the Ten Commandments
Growing up in a Christian home

Faith in Jesus Christ

Becoming a Christian involves faith which is an amazing gift from God. A great acronym for faith is:
F-orsaking
A-ll
I
T-rust
H-im

Whatever it is that you are trusting in with your life; you must be willing to cast it aside and forsake it. Becoming a Christian is about recognition of a need for forgiveness that only Christ can provide.

How Do I Become A Christian?

You must realize that without Jesus you cannot be good enough to be allowed into Heaven nor have your sins forgiven. You must be willing to turn away from your sins and trust in Jesus alone to forgive and save you.