Was I Ever Really a Christian?
My husband and I just recently had a six-month-long debate about this question:
“Were we actually Christians before coming to our current church?”
I’d been wondering it in the back of my mind for a while, but then I listened to an Ask Pastor John podcast titled, “How Can I Know I’m a Christian?”
And what he said made it crystal clear…
“You know you’re a Christian if you hate your sin.”
Simple as that.
And the Bible backs this up…
In 1 John 3:6, it says, “No one who abides in him (Jesus) keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him.”
The apostle John goes on to say in verse 8 that, “Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning.”
And to really hammer the point home, he says, “No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God.”
So here Jordan and I were…
Reflecting on our past (especially our college years and the five years that followed) and seriously wondering whether or not we were actually Christians at the time.
We went back and forth on this question for MONTHS.
We sought answers from our missional community.
And finally…
We shared our testimony with one of the pastors and elders of our church…
And what he said cleared up everything.
He referenced James 2:14-26.
In these verses, James shares the difference between dead faith and saving faith.
Before yesterday, I didn’t even know there were two different types of faith…
But after learning about them, I think it’s essential that everyone know the difference between the two…
Because the harsh reality is that one gets you into heaven—and the other doesn’t.
And in our Western culture, where 62% of people claim to be Christians, this should be a question that makes you stop, pray, and reflect on: Am I really a Christian?
Okay, so what’s the difference between dead faith and saving faith?
Put simply:
Dead Faith = faith without works (James 2:17)
Saving Faith = faith with works (James 2:22)
But wait, I thought Christians weren’t saved by their good works?
You’re right. They’re not. (Read Ephesians 2:8-10.)
But when people are saved—truly saved—you will know it by their good works.
Works are a byproduct of real, saving faith.
When you’re a Christian, good works just ooze out of you. You can’t help it.
It’s evident to strangers. It’s evident to the people you do life with. It’s evident to you.
So what are these “works” that James is referring to?
If you have saving faith, here’s a list of works you may see in your life or in the life of other believers:
The fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).
Conviction of sin: sin becomes uncomfortable, and you have a desire to repent (John 16:7-8).
Repentance: acknowledging and—this is key—turning away from your sin (Revelation 3:19).
Obedience to the LORD and His commands (John 14:15).
Love for others: caring about people more deeply, serving others, generosity, and compassion (1 John 3:14).
A desire for God and His Word: wanting to know Him more, be in scripture, and pray.
On the flip side, if you don’t have works, your faith is dead.
AKA it’s faith that won’t save you or get you into heaven.
This is a very jarring reality if you let it sink in.
What’s even more jarring is that most of the “Christians” I’ve been around my entire life don’t have any of the visible works that James is referring to. Or at least it doesn’t look like they do.
This is why my husband and I have been so confused as to whether or not we were ever really Christians up until a few years ago…
We went to church every Sunday.
We were baptized.
We went to a Christian elementary school, high school, and college.
We were just like all the other Christians we knew…
But looking back, it seems like they were the lukewarm Christians that Paul warns us about in Revelation 3:15-16: “I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot… So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.”
We were so lukewarm!
Going to church every Sunday…
But getting drunk every Friday and Saturday night, encouraging others to get drunk, smoking pot, cursing like a sailor, gossiping about others, pursuing money and influence, having sex before marriage, getting into astrology and new age “universe” stuff, not serving the church, not getting into the Word…the list goes on and on and on.
We were deceiving ourselves.
Like James says in James 1:22, we were hearers of the word, but not doers.
So what now?
If you grew up in a Christian household and still consider yourself a Christian now, I encourage you to take some time this week to read James 2:14-26 and 1 John 3:1-10.
And then ask yourself: “Am I really a Christian?”
“Or am I just a hearer of the word?”
Because the answer to these questions is the difference between eternal life in paradise and eternal life in hell.
It could be one of the most important questions you ask yourself and those around you.
And no shame if your answer is: "No, I don’t think I am.”
If that’s the case—and if you want to change that and be a follower of Jesus—then first do what Paul tells us in Romans 10:9:
“If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
And then be a doer of the word (James 1:22).
Be obedient unto the Lord, repent, and seek His kingdom first and foremost.
And by the grace of God, you’ll have a faith that produces good works. (James 2:24).
