How do I know I’ve become a Christian?

This is one of the most vexing questions of all, and every person who has ever made a commitment to Jesus Christ wants to KNOW he’s a Christian.  The reason?  Everlasting life is the real issue–If I’m not a Christian, I do not have everlasting life:  ”whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son shall not see life…” the question is, do I believe enough?  Have I truly received Jesus Christ?  What about my sins that I commit every day?

There are actually specific markers that the Bible gives us so that we can know that we’ve received eternal life:

1.  There is an “inner witness;”  the Bible says, “The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children…” (Romans 8:16).

2. There is a strong sense of belonging:  ”God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, by whom we cry, “Abba, Father” (Romans 8:15).

3.  There is a “pull to the right…” When God brings you into His family, he gives you a new heart, a new attitude, and a new desire to serve Him, so that the following is true:  ”If any man is in Christ, he is a new creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17). This “pull to the right” causes you to walk with God, so that you are now “led by the Spirit of God;” “whoever is a child of God is led by the Spirit of God.” (Romans 8:14); this work of God in you changes your life almost immediately, and you now find that you have a “Director” living within that directs you.  Listen to Him.

4.  He promises that if you have in fact truly received Jesus Christ, you are his. The question is, “did you really mean it?”  If you can  say, “yes, I really meant it,” you belong to Him.  See 1 John 5:11-13:

• ¹¹ And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. ¹² He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. ¹³ These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God” (NKJV).
• John 6:37 gives us some additional information:  “He who comes to me, will NEVER cast out.”  In other words, if you have come to Him, you will not be thrown away.  You belong, and you will belong to Him forever.

5.  So how do you “get the Son?”

• You receive Him in prayer–”Dear Lord Jesus, I need you as my Savior.  I now receive you as my Lord and Savior, and I promise to live for you.”
• If you don’t understand anything yet about Jesus Christ, and how He will give you eternal life, you can take several approaches:
  • You can read the Gospel of John, in the New Testament (the 4th book in the New Testament).  If you are Jewish, the Gospel of Matthew is probably more appropriate.  You will need to read it several times to “get it,” since the material will be unfamiliar to you.
  • You are welcome to write me with any specific questions.  I will respond to you, and will take whatever time and effort you need to understand all this.
  • You can begin attending a good church.  Most good churches, if there are churches in your area, will teach the Bible, and have classes that explain how to receive eternal life.
  • If you find that the churches in your area talk about things like, “go to catechism,” or “be baptized” rather than “believing in Jesus Christ,” and “Receiving Jesus Christ,”  or if they do not teach the Bible, but teach from any other book, then you need to find another church.
  • Churches that are usually good:
    • Baptist
    • Pentecostal
    • Calvary Chapel
    • Community Churches
    • Churches with certain words in them:  ”grace;” “bible;” “rock;” “anchor;” “faith;”
    • Many other churches are very good.  Normally, you can ask the pastor or minister to find out what they believe and teach.  It’s important (above anything else) to find a church that teaches the Bible.  It is a sure sign that a church is good if the pastor, at the end of the service, issues an invitation to receive Jesus Christ (“as Lord and Savior” may be included).
    • Avoid churches that require you to “do something special” to become a Christian–meaning, they may tell you, “You have to be baptized in our church” to become a Christian; or, “You have to become a member of our church, fellowship, group” to become a Christian.
    • Always go back to the simple Bible statements:  ”He who hears my word, and believes in Him who sent me, has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life;” or, “As many as received Him, He gave the power (authority) to become the children of God, to them who believe in His Name…” or,  ”He who believes in the Son has everlasting life…”  These are very clear, and show you exactly what you need to do to become God’s own dear child.