“Am I a Christian?”

Ephesians 2:1, 1 Corinthians 12:3

Have you ever wondered whether or not you’re truly a Christian?

There’s maybe been times in your life when you felt extremely close to God, when you feel him maybe even literally at work in your hearts. Maybe with the singing of a hymn, maybe hearing a specific message.

Maybe there’s been other times when you haven’t felt so close to God. When you have fallen into some grievous sin and wondered “am I actually a Christian?”

One thing we’ve been talking about recently is how Christianity is so different than every other religion because it’s all about what God does for us. God’s grace for us in Christ.

The same is true even in becoming a Christian, in conversion. In Ephesians chapter 2 verse 1 it says

You were dead in your trespasses and sins, —Ephesians 2:1

and in 1st Corinthians 12:3 Paul writes

And no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit. —1 Corinthians 12:3

God makes plain that no one can choose to be a Christian. No one can choose to follow Christ. In fact all of us were born dead in our trespasses and sins. It is only by the power of the Holy Spirit that any can say and believe that Jesus is Lord.

This is incredibly comforting to us, especially in times of doubt, when we don’t feel that God is so close to us. God didn’t say I’ll do 99.9% of the work for you on the cross through Jesus, now you got to do your part, your 0.1% in choosing me rightly, in coming to me. No he does it all.

In fact it is even God who works in our hearts in conversion. 100% of the work of you becoming a Christian and believing Jesus as Lord is done by God. What an incredible comfort that is to us, that we can be reassured:

“Yes I am a Christian, because God was at work through his word and in baptism. He brought me to faith. Yes I know I am a child of God in an heir of eternal life. Amen.”

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