![]() Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?-unless indeed you fail to meet the test!” (2 Cor. The Apostle Paul exhorted a local church, “Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. A willingness to evaluate one’s soul is also to be normal. We do it with our diet, our car, our dentist, and our golf swing. Thus, it is inappropriate, and even more, perhaps, spiritual suicide, to respond, “Who are you to question me?” The answer, of course, is, “someone who cares about you and your eternal well-being.”īefore some Christian evidences are given, a word of encouragement.Įvaluation is a normal thing. This is a matter of our own souls and those we love. And, according to Jesus, on that day many will be surprised when they are shut out from heaven for all eternity (Matt. 9:27), he is not going to ask, “So, did you think you were a Christian in life? You did? Oh, OK, come on in to heaven.” He will judge by his standard. After we die, when we stand before God in the judgment (Heb. Scripture, not experience or sentiment, is the say on the status of our soul. It’s critical that we use God’s objective word when evaluating whether or not we are a Christian, and not our subjective opinion. Some of the more common answers to the question, “How do you know that you are a Christian?”, are things like, “I have always been one,” “I believe in God,” “I was baptized or confirmed,” “At camp I came forward,” “I just grew up that way,” “I prayed a prayer,” “Because I am a decent person,” or, “Because I grew up going to/go to church.”īut how do those reasons match up with the Christian manual-the Bible-on what it means to be a Christian? Are 70% of 300 million Americans characterized by the Bible’s definition of Christian characteristics? What does the Bible say about what it means to be a Christian? Often at funerals (in an understandable grasp in grief) individuals-even clergy-will proclaim with certitude the individual’s presence in the eternal place for Christians, despite an absence of Christianity in the individual’s life. A 2014 survey revealed that about 70% of Americans consider themselves Christians. Especially in our nation, people assume the label, “Christian,” for themselves as easily as a food preference. It’s about as puzzling as it is pervasive. ![]()
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