3 WAYS TO KNOW YOU’RE A CHRISTIAN by Adriel Sanchez for Core Christianity
True followers of Jesus can be overwhelmed by the thought, “Am I really a Christian?” Some who have embraced Christ by faith have no assurance and are plagued by fear. God doesn’t want us to question his power and grace in our lives, though. The apostle John said, “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life” (1 Jn. 5:13). Despite John’s words, many Christians don’t know if they’re truly saved and are desperate to find out how they can be sure of their salvation.
Scripture gives us three ways to assure ourselves that we truly belong to God. For this reason, I often say that Christian assurance is like a stool with three legs. Each of the legs is a different biblical “proof” that can comfort (or challenge) us. As we’ll see, two of the legs are more subjective (making them less reliable, but nonetheless helpful), and one of them is objective. This objective “leg” of the stool is the most important when it comes to stability in the Christian life. Let’s look at the two subjective legs first, and then we’ll examine the objective leg.
1. You can know you’re a Christian because you bear good fruit.
Jesus said, “A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits” (Matt. 7:18-20). Throughout the New Testament, bearing the fruit of the Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23) is one of the signs that we are attached to Jesus by faith (Jn. 15:5). Healthy fruit—good works—aren’t the cause of our salvation, but they are one of the signs we’re truly born again. John said, “We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death” (1 Jn. 3:14).
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