As I travel to different churches and meet various people throughout the day, I have a great burden to make sure that those who think they are Christians are truly so. It is not popular in today’s society to question someone’s salvation. As a matter of fact, it is more appropriate to assume that everyone you meet is a Christian. It is a cultural designation now. If you assume someone is not a Christian, and you say to him or her, “Have you ever thought about becoming a Christian?” It would be offensive! It is like saying that that person has no morals and does not love God or the country. But there is something wrong with assuming everyone is a Christian.
A Barna poll has found that about eight-five percent of Americans identify themselves Christians (2002). We all know there is something wrong with this figure. If eight-five percent of Americans were living out the Christian life as they ought, this country would be radically different. So we know that they all cannot be truly Christians. Furthermore, Barna found that about forty percent of those who think they are Christians are not truly Christians because of their beliefs (2004). It is staggering to think that so many people have a false hope of Heaven! I believe the actual figure is much higher than 40%. I find that about one out of twenty people I talk to about the Gospel of Jesus Christ have any biblical basis for their hope for Heaven.
The Bible does not assume that anyone is truly a Christian. Paul writes to the church at Corinth (2 Corinthians 13:5) saying, “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test?” It is very important that we test ourselves to be certain that we are truly Christians. Jesus warns us saying, “Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' "And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me you who practice lawlessness'” (Matt 7:22-23).
Jesus is warning us that there will be many people that come to Him on the Day of Judgment thinking they were Christians but were not. They did all the right things: went to church, spoke out in His name, did acts of kindness, and yet they were never truly Christians. When Jesus said, “Many will come to Me…,” I believe He meant it. There will indeed be a whole host of people expecting to enter Heaven but are rejected instead.
What I desire to do in this sermon is to give you six tests to know if you are truly a Christian. It is better to take a few moments to do that now than to go before God on Judgment Day and find you have been wrong all along. The first three tests are outward tests of actions. The last three tests are inward tests of the heart.
The first question is: Do you have a love for the Word of God? That is to say, do you have a desire to read the Bible? The Apostle Peter wrote, “Like newborn babes, long for the pure milk of the word, that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord” (1 Peter 2:2-3). What Peter is saying here is that if you have experienced the goodness of the Lord in salvation, you will desire to read the Bible. The reason is that a person who has become a Christian has discovered that in the pages of the Bible are truth and life. The Psalmist says, “[The righteous person] delights in the Law of the Lord and on His Law he meditates day and night” (Ps. 1:1).
Some people rely on the fact that they own a Bible or feel inclined toward religious things. But that is no sign of a true Christian. Let me ask you, do you have a desire to read the Bible? Do you delight in the Word of God? This is a characteristic of a true Christian. If you answer no to this, then there is some question whether you are truly a Christian.
Secondly: Do you have a desire for prayer? Almost times without number, the Bible speaks of the necessity for prayer. Paul says, “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Jesus would go away to pray privately. Tradition has it that the knees of James, the half-brother of Jesus, were as calloused as the knees of a camel because he spent so much time in prayer. Prayer is an integral part of the Christian life. It is your communication with God the Father. How could a Christian not talk to his or her Lord?
It is the same as this: Imagine a man who marries a young lady. But after they get married, he never talks to his wife. Oh sure, he will say, “Thanks for the meal.” But he never sits down and has a real conversation with her. What would you say about that person? You would say, “That man doesn’t really care about his wife! He has no gratitude in his heart for her.” Well, that is the same way with praying to God. On becoming a Christian, we have been effectively “wed” to Christ. The Bible speaks of the church as the bride of Christ. The Apostle John calls Jesus the “Bridegroom” (John 3:29). If you can go your whole day without every stopping to pray to God and seek Him in fervent prayer – more than just a thanking Him for your food or “blessings” – than there is serious question whether you really care about Him. And there is question whether you are a Christian. The Christian has a heart that is full of gratitude for his or her salvation and cannot help but pray to the Lord.
Do you have a desire for prayer? Do you earnestly seek the Lord in prayer daily? This is a mark of a Christian. If you answer no, then there is serious question of whether you a true Christian.
I also would like to ask you, Do you have a burden for those who have never placed their faith in Christ for the forgiveness of sins? Paul says, “Knowing the terror of the Lord we persuade men” (2 Corinthians 5:11). True Christians know what they have been saved from (i.e., Hell). That is why Christians have the designation “Saved,” i.e., saved from eternal damnation. The Bible says that those who never receive Christ are destined to Hell where the wrath of God will be poured out on them for their sins (Matthew 25:46). Those who have never received Christ for the forgiveness of sins will experience what Paul described as, “the terror of the Lord.” God is just; therefore He must punish sin. Some people would say, “My God wouldn’t create hell, let alone send anyone there.” Well, that is right. Their “god” would not do that because their “god” does not exist! It is a figment of their imagination. They have created a “god” to suit their desires. The truth of the matter is that Jesus spoke more of the reality of Hell than Heaven. Friends, Hell is real. It is a place of torment and punishment for sins committed against a Holy and Just God.
The reality of Hell motivates the true Christian to share Christ with others. Paul says in II Corinthians 5:14, “the love of Christ controls us.” Jesus Himself said that He came to seek and to save that which is lost (Luke 19:10).
Imagine that there was a life-guard. He is sitting beside the pool, sipping a cool drink and reading a book. It is a really good book, and he is at the best part. All of a sudden, he hears a shrill cry of a terrified mother, “My baby! My baby! He’s drowning! Someone help him!” Those gathered around are looking expectantly at this life-guard who is reading his book. A little annoyed, the life-guard looks up and says to the crowd, “What? It’s not my kid. Besides, I am reading this book, and I am at the best part.”
What would you say about this life-guard? You would say, “This man has no care for others! He has a heart of stone!” That is correct; he does have a heart of stone. But it is the same way for Christians. The Bible is the bestselling book of all time. Many people who call themselves Christians may even read the Bible, enjoy life, and all while ignoring the shrill cries of the 140,000 people who die and go to Hell every day.
I do not see how a true Christian can have no care for his or her fellow man. God said that when we become a Christian, He replaces our heart of stone with a heart of flesh, a caring heart, one that is concerned for others (Ezekiel 11:19). Friend, if you have no concern for the eternal destination of your fellow man, there is serious doubt of whether you are a true Christian. You have a heart of stone that has yet to be replaced with a heart of flesh. At the end of this sermon, I am going to show you how God can give you a new heart and make you a true Christian. But first, let me ask you another question.*
Do you have the weighty conviction of sin? Do you see yourself as a sinner before God? Do you acknowledge that you have broken the Ten Commandments? If so, is your conscience upset about these things? Do you feel bad about the wrong things that you do? This is what it means to have the weighty conviction of sin. Every true Christian has a weighty conviction of sin. It is because this person has seen him or herself in relation to the Holy God. Isaiah saw the Lord, and after seeing Him, exclaimed, “Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips…” (Isaiah 6:5). You have to understand that in those days, the mouth area was symbol for the whole body. So when he said, “I am a man of unclean lips…,” he was, in our terms, saying, “I am completely sinful!” The Apostle Paul felt the same way. He exclaimed, “Wretched man that I am!” (Romans 7:24). When a person becomes a Christian, there is also a conviction of sin. It is an absolute must. You cannot be a Christian and, at the same time, not have a conviction of your own personal sinfulness.
The Gospel of Jesus Christ revolves around the fact that Jesus died for our sins. Paul wrote to the church at Corinth, “For I delivered to you as of first importance…that Christ died for our sins…” (1 Corinthians 15:3). Jesus told a parable about a Pharisee (religious leader of the Jews that were very legalistic and self-righteous) and a tax collector (these people were looked down upon by the religious). The Pharisee prayed a grand prayer to God, in which he praised himself for all his good deeds. Then the tax collector also prayed. But he would not even look up toward Heaven. He looked down at the ground, beat his chest and cried, “God be merciful to me, a sinner.” Jesus said that it was the tax collector that went away forgiven, not the Pharisee. This is because he acknowledged his sinfulness before God and asked God for mercy (Luke 18:9-14).
This is the only way to become a Christian. You must acknowledge your sinfulness before God, stop trusting in your own works, and ask God for mercy. If you have not traveled this road, my friend, you cannot be a Christian. If you have never acknowledged your sin before God, stopped trusting in your works to make you right before God, and asked God for mercy, you cannot be a Christian. The only thing that you can expect is a terrifying day of judgment where God will pour out on you His anger for your sins.
To let you know how seriously God takes sin, the Bible says that “rebellion is as the sin of divination” (1 Samuel 15:23). When you sin (lie, cheat, steal, have lustful thoughts, act selfishly, etc.), you rebel against God. When you rebel against God, this passage says you make yourself a “god.” The Lord has said: You shall not lie. You shall not steal. You shall not commit adultery (even if it is just in your mind, Jesus said, as recorded in Matthew 5:27). The one who breaks even these simple commandments habitually makes him or herself a god. (See Exodus 20:1-17 for the Ten Commandments.)
The fact of the matter is that we have all sinned against God. Someone has said that a clean conscience is not as much an indicator of a pure heart as it is a poor memory. We have to acknowledge our sinfulness; confess our sins to God and turn from committing them anymore. Then we must ask God to have mercy on us based upon Christ’s work on the cross.
In the Old Testament times, a person would sacrifice an animal and by the death of that animal on the person’s behalf, he or she would obtain forgiveness from God for another year. Jesus became like that sacrifice when He was on the Cross. He was a perfect, sinless sacrifice whose death is sufficient to gain forgiveness, not just for a year, but for all eternity. The Bible says that Jesus took on the curse for sin (Galatians 3:13) so that all those who would call upon His name would not have to be cursed for their sins. Christ’s death on the cross is sufficient to obtain you forgiveness from God. He is the only way to be reconciled to God. Jesus said of Himself, “No one can come to the Father but by Me” (John 14:6). At the end of this sermon, I will give you the opportunity to receive Christ as your Savior. But first, there is another question I would like to ask you.
Have you stopped trusting in your good works to earn your place in Heaven? More than half of all Americans (54%) believe that if a person is good enough, or does enough good things, he or she will earn a place in Heaven (Barna, 2004). I was talking to a young man in a tuxedo shop about becoming a Christian. He said he did not think he had to ask God to forgive him of sin because he was not as bad as most people. He had never done half the things that other people had done. I stopped him there and said, “Wait just a minute. We are not talking about other people, we are talking about you. Have you ever told a lie, even a white lie or a fib? Have you ever stolen something, or taken something that was not yours? Have you ever looked at a woman lustfully?” To these questions, he had to answer, yes. Then I told him, “You have sinned against God, and you will have to pay the penalty for your sin if you do not confess your sins, stop doing them, and place your faith in Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.”
Other people believe that if their good out weighs their bad that somehow they will be accepted by God. This is trusting in your works to earn your place in Heaven. You can never earn your way to Heaven. The Apostle James wrote, “For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it” (James 2:10). Even if you were to keep all of the Law of God perfectly, if you were to make one mistake, you would be as just guilty as if you had lived an entirely lawless life.
Why is this so, you might ask? Imagine you have a prize vase sitting on your mantle. You child is playing in the living room. He has never broken anything before, so you don’t mind him playing. But then he throws the ball and knocks the vase off the mantle and onto the floor. The vase now has a crack in it. What do you say about that vase? You will say it is broken. Its perfection has been shattered. Whether there is one crack or a dozen cracks, the vase is worthless now because it is not perfect anymore. So it is with us. Even one sin shatters our perfection. We need Jesus Christ to make us whole again.
Do you think that if you are good enough that God will let you into Heaven? This is what God thinks about your good works, “All our righteous deeds are like filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6). Someone might ask, “Why does God think this way about good deeds?” It is because mixed in with our good deeds are bad motives. Our sinfulness infects everything that we do. If someone does something good and thinks, “This will earn favor with God,” this is considered evil to the Lord. God cannot be bought or bribed by our good deeds. A few good things will not offset a lifetime of sin and rebellion to God.
I spoke with a young man once. After I had explained how to be forgiven of sin and asked him if he would want to receive Christ as his Savior, he replied, “Yes, I would, but I am doing the best I can! I have quit smoking, starting going to church, and I use swear words significantly less. What more do I have to do?” He expressed a desire to receive Christ, but he was still trusting in his works. He told me he had “turned over a new leaf” in life. I had to reply that God will not be impressed, if he is trusting alone in his works.
Just think of a mobster who has lived a life of crime and wanton pleasure. He has been party to murder, drug trafficking, extortion, and robbery. One day he becomes tired with his life and decides, “I’m through with this life.” So, he takes an honest job. He earns an honest living and totally cleans up his life. He has been clean for ten years and is beginning to forget his former life, when out of no where, there is a knock at the door. The authorities are there to take him in. New evidence was found to link him with a multitude of crimes, including murder. The penalty: Death.
If he were to go before the judge and say that he had turned over a new leaf, that he was a different person now, and he was an honest citizen, what do you think that judge would say? He would say, “I am glad to hear that, but you have still committed heinous crimes, and they require justice.” That mobster is going to die at the hands of justice, because there is still a penalty to pay. That judge is not impressed with this man’s new life. Justice demands punishment for crimes.
If man’s justice is not satisfied by someone turning over a new leaf, how much more do you think that God’s justice will not be satisfied? Will He not require a full account of all your sins? God is not only loving and kind, but there is also a justice component to God’s nature. He must punish sin. That is why Jesus came and died on the Cross. God wanted to give us a way to escape the punishment that we rightfully deserve. Will you accept Jesus Christ as your Savior and turn from your sins, trusting in Him alone for your place in Heaven?
The last question I have to ask you is: Have you had a definitive experience with Christ that seals your faith? The Bible says that when a person becomes a Christian, he or she is made a new person. Paul wrote that no outward sign of religiousness (church attendance, etc.) counts for anything, only a “new creation” (Galatians 6:15). This is what Christians refer to as being “born-again.” It refers to a time in life that, after having accepted Christ as your Savior, the difference is so great it is like you are a new person. You do not do the same things you used to. You do not have the same wants or desires. You are a new creation! Paul said again, “Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come” (2 Corinthians 5:1). Jesus said, “Unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3).
This experience happens at a definitive point in time and is directly related to placing your faith in Christ. Often times, people who have trusted Christ as their Savior at an early age, still have some experience later in life that seals their faith. By contrast, some people who thought they were “saved” at an early age were really not. I read the account of a young man who thought he was “saved” at age 6. He describes himself as being “a lost church member” for eleven years. While reading the Bible as a teen, he began to be convicted that he was not truly a Christian. He said he resisted those thoughts for a long time, clinging to a false assurance of salvation. “I remember praying the prayer with my pastor at age 6,” he said to God as he struggled over this. After searching through the Bible for two weeks, he finally surrendered himself to God. He acknowledged that though he “prayed the prayer” it had never made any difference in his life. He had never been born again. So he asked God to forgive him and received Christ as his Savior. He is now going into full-time itinerant preaching ministry.
Have you been born again? Has there been a change in your life? Does your relationship with Jesus Christ make you any different? If you answer no to any of these questions, there is serious doubt of your salvation. Let me encourage you examine yourself to see if you are in the faith. If you find that you are not, then cling to Christ and trust in Him alone.
*The three questions are based upon Jonathan Edwards evaluations given in “Narratives of Surprising Conversions.” George Whitefield also refers to some of them in his sermon entitled, “The Lord Our Righteousness,” from Jeremiah 23:6.