Am I Really a Christian?
“You’re not a Christian just because you say that you are.”
Most of us would probably agree that going to your doctor to have a regular check-up every now and then…to have a yearly (or so) physical exam is a good idea. It can quite reassuring to us when our doctor gives us a clean bill of health…which is what we want to hear from our doctor when we go for a visit. But you know, it’s also a relief when, even if we don’t get a clean bill of health and the doctor does find something concerning our bodies that needs attention, that because we have gone in for regular examinations the doctor has been able to identify the problem early enough before it’s too late for him to deal with. I mean no one wants to hear the doctor say anything other than “Everything looks good.” But isn’t it so much better to hear the doctor say, “We found something that needs attention, but we found it early enough that it’s not a threat to your health.”
Ill: Dermatologist appointment.
Well guys, if it is a good idea to have a regular exam of our bodies which will last if we’re fortunate 70-100 years, how much more our souls, which, according to the Bible, live forever and have one of two eternal destinations. I imagine that there are tons of people who profess to be Christians who are very meticulous when it comes to their bodies but hardly give a second thought as to the “health” or the condition of their souls.
Did you know that the Bible actually teaches us that we should examine the state/condition of our souls? Look with me at:
NASB 2 Corinthians 13:5 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?
Something really important to notice about this verse is that Paul isn’t addressing this command to unbelievers (non-Christians). Paul is writing to the church of Corinth. Paul is addressing professing Christians when he says, “Test yourselves…see if you are in the faith…examine yourselves!”
So tonight we’re going to begin a new series of messages titled: Am I Really a Christian? And over the course of the next 6 weeks I want to give each of us opportunity to truly examine ourselves that we might know that we are in Jesus and that Jesus is in us.
Let me make it clear at the outset of this series that the goal of this series of messages is not to:
· Cause you to doubt the state of our soul
· I’m not trying to cause confusion
· I’m not trying to get you to question your salvation if you are a believer in Christ.
In this series I hope to:
· Challenge some of the many common misconceptions about what it means to be a Christian.
· Give us clarity as to what it means to be a Christian
· Give assurance to those of you who are believers in Christ that your faith is real and genuine
· And for others…I hope that this series might be the means God uses to clear the fog of your spiritual condition. I think that for some of you, your spiritual condition is ambiguous (it’s fuzzy). And whether it’s like that intentionally or unintentionally, I hope this series of messages is going to burn off the fog and expose the real and true condition of your soul.
· Finally, my goal is to do this series in an environment (here during our student group gathering) in which you’re surrounded by caring adults and other peers who love you and truly care for you and can help you see yourself more clearly.
Let’s start tonight by making two simple observations from Paul’s command that we examine ourselves. Look with me at:
NASB 2 Corinthians 13:5 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?
1. Assumptions can be Wrong.
As I said earlier, Paul is writing to the church here in 2 Corinthians. He’s not writing to unbelievers he’s writing to people who are professing to be believers in Jesus Christ. He’s writing to people who no doubt assume that they are genuine believers. He’s writing to people who assume they are saved, who assume they have been justified, who assume that they have a heavenly inheritance.
Question: Why is Paul doing this in 2 Corinthians 13:5? Well I think one thing he’s doing here is he’s challenging the assumptions of some of the people at Corinth.
Assumptions can be dangerous….assumptions can be dangerous because sometimes our assumptions are wrong.
· Rock Throwing in C-view
· Weight Lifting
· Samson & Delilah
Jesus speaks of the dangers of assumptions in three of perhaps the most serious verses of Scripture in all the Bible:
NASB Matthew 7:21-23 "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22 "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?' 23 "And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.'”
Let me ask you a question. Do you think the people to whom Jesus said “Depart from me you who practice lawlessness” had made an assumption about themselves? Yes they did…they assumed that they were genuine followers of Jesus…they assumed that they would be among those who would enter into heaven. Look at their response when they realized that they would not be permitted to enter into heaven in 7.22:
NASB Matthew 7:22 “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?”
Jesus teaches us in Matthew 7 that it’s possible for us to honestly believe that we are followers of Christ but not actually be one. It’s possible to say to Jesus, “Lord, Lord,” but never enter the kingdom of heaven. Our merely calling ourselves Christians does not mean that we really are.
But there’s good news to be found in 2 Corinthians 13:5. And the good news is this:
2. God has not Left Us to Guess about our Salvation.
Do you remember the classic 1971 film Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory? (I’m talking about the old freaky one starring Gene Wilder, not the new freaky one starring Johnny Depp.) After our heroes Charlie and Grandpa Joe have survived an arduous tour of the Wonka Chocolate Factory, they go to collect the grand prize that’s been promised to them: a lifetime supply of Wonka chocolate. But there’s a surprise at the end. Willy Wonka, the factory owner, denies Charlie the prize based on a technicality.[1]
(Play Video Clip)
Guys, Jesus is not like Willy Wonka! God isn’t out to get us in the end and void our hope in salvation and heaven on a technicality. Instead, Scripture says that God delights to save His people. Look at what Luke 19:10 says:
NASB Luke 19:10 "For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost."
Jesus came into the world and was bruised, beaten, and crucified to save the lost. He didn’t come to leave us guessing about our salvation.
And I think this is Paul’s objective in 2 Corinthians we he says we should “test” ourselves. He doesn’t want the genuineness of our faith to fuzzy…but clear. That’s why he says “test” yourself!
What is a test given for? A test is given to give an accurate objective assessment about someone.
· If Mr. Adam gives you a test on the Gospels in his Bible class, the test will reveal whether you know the material or not.
· If your music teacher gives you a test in music class to see if you can play your piece for the song the marching band is doing during Friday’s game, the test reveals whether you have mastered the composition or not.
· When Jesus was tested in the wilderness by Satan for 40 days and nights according to the Gospel of Luke, the test revealed some truths about Jesus…that He was the Son of God, that He was committed to obey His Father, and that He would not give into temptation.
In the same way Paul challenges us to test ourselves…not so we remain in a haze as to our spiritual condition. But rather, that we might know, have assurance, that it might be confirmed within us that we are Christ’s!
Guys what do you think when you read Paul’s exhortation that we test ourselves to see if we are in the faith? Do you have confidence in how you answer?
There’s nothing more important in life than this…knowing you’re in Christ!
Am I Really a Christian?
“You’re not a Christian just because you say that you are.”
How to Respond to Tonight’s Message
Reflect:
Does Jesus’s warning in Matthew 7:21–23 make you uncomfortable? Why?
Why do you think it is not enough to just say that you are a Christian?
Have you ever examined your life to see whether you are really a Christian? If not, why not? If so, what criteria did you use? What did you conclude?
Repent:
Ask God to forgive you for any ways that you have been wrongly confident about your spiritual state. Think of one way you could grow in humility and learn to not always trust your own perception of things.
Remember:
Think about 2 Corinthians 5:21: “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
You will never be righteous enough to please God. But thankfully, Christ’s perfect righteousness becomes ours when we come to him in faith. Praise God for that good news!
Report:
Talk to a leader or friend in your church and ask for honest, regular feedback about your spiritual life.
[1] McKinley, Mike (2011-06-07). Am I Really a Christian? (9marks) (p. 24). Crossway. Kindle Edition.
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