What makes a person a Christian?

What do MEN say?

• I am a good person.
• I have faith.
• I am a member of a church.
• I was baptized.
• I was confirmed.
• I said the prayer.
• I’m not as bad as a lot of Christians I know.
• My pastor told me I’m saved and cannot lose my salvation.

What does the BIBLE say?

• Romans 3:10 – “None is righteous, no, not one.”
• James 2:17 – “So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.”
• John 14:6 – “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’”

What did the early Christians say?

• “Those who do not obey Him, being disinherited by Him, have ceased to be His sons.” – Irenaeus
• “The world returned to sin . . . and so it is destined to fire.  So is the man who after baptism renews his sins.” – Tertullian
• “Certain ones of those [heretics] who hold different opinions misuse these passages.  They essentially destroy free will by introducing ruined natures incapable of salvation and by introducing others as being saved in such a way that they cannot be lost.” – Origen

How do you know if you are REALLY a Christian?  If your life doesn’t show that you are one, then you probably aren’t.  You cannot live in sin and expect to go to heaven.  God says, “As for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death” (Revelation 21:8).

Jesus said in Matthew 12:33-37, “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit. . . . For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. . . . I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”  What kind of words come out of your mouth?  Does what you say hurt others?  Is the language you use offensive to God?  In Matthew 15:19 Jesus stated, “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.”

There is one final test to see if you are a Christian.  According to 1 John 2:4, “Whoever says ‘I know him’ but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him.”  Do you claim to be a Christian but fail to do what God says to do?  If so, then you are sinning against God, and according to this verse, you are a liar.

God makes it clear that those who live in sin will not go to heaven.  In fact, according to Romans 6:23, “the wages of sin is death” – eternal death in the Lake of Fire.

However, God did not leave you without hope.  God the Father sent His Son Jesus Christ to earth to live a sinless life, die on the cross to take the penalty of your sin, and rise again from the dead.  John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

If you are not a Christian and want to become one, consider carefully what this decision will mean for you.  Becoming a Christian is NOT simply saying a prayer.  Jesus calls it being “born again” (John 3:3).  Your whole attitude and thought life must change.  You must give up your sins and live a life of wholehearted obedience to Christ.  Be aware that this decision will mean persecution (2 Timothy 3:12 says, “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted”).

If you still want to become a Christian, confess your sins to God and determine to forsake them.  Trust in Jesus Christ to save you.  According to 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Then you need to be baptized.  Baptism is an outward declaration of your new life in Christ.  Acts 2:38 says, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.”

Now you must grow spiritually.  This process will continue throughout the rest of your life.  Read the Bible whenever you can, and do what it says.  It is not enough to simply read the Bible—you must do what it says.  In fact, according to James 4:17, “Whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.”  Jesus said in John 14:15, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”  (Good places to start reading are the gospels of Matthew and John, and the books of James and 1 John which clearly and concisely teach the basics of the Christian life.)

Have you been saved previously?  How are you living?  If you have been living in sin, you must repent.  Consider Hebrews 10:26-27 – “If we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries.”  You are under God’s judgment if you do not repent.  You must repent and forsake your sins in order to receive mercy.  If you love Him, you will follow Him.  If you do not follow Him, you are not saved.

Are you really a Christian?  If so, your life will show it.  Romans 8:13-14 says, “For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.  For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.”  Do not be deceived by those who say that it is easy to become a Christian and that you can never lose your salvation.  The Bible does not teach that and the early Christians did not believe that.  On the contrary, Jesus said, “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few” (Matthew 7:13-14).

The Christian life is hard, just as Jesus said it would be: “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (Matthew 16:24).  Yet Jesus promises, “The one who endures to the end will be saved” (Matthew 24:13).