“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’ ”
— Matthew 7:21-23

Like me, you’ve probably wondered whether you’re actually a Christian.

I fell in love with Jesus in 1998. He became a priority. I was drawn to Him. I made my life about Him because He came real, personal. I talk with Him. I hear His voice in my heart, in the Bible and in the circumstances of my life.

To be honest, I’ve had those doubts. Am I really saved? Am I going to make it into heaven?

The concerns quickly fade and rarely surface. I surrendered my life to Jesus. I became an adopted son, a beloved child of God who sees me through the righteousness of Jesus; my sins aren’t counted against me. My relationship with Jesus marked the beginning of my life as a Christian and the certainly that I one day will be in heaven.

Some religions treat salvation like a revolving door. Sometimes you’re going to heaven and sometimes you’re sent right out the door again because of that next sin. Or they lay a huge guilt trip on you. They also insist that salvation is never certain and that we’ll all just have to wait and see.

God is not that unclear and He’s not that cruel.

“My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.”
— John 10:29

“As far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.”
— Psalm 103:12

“For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.”
— Hebrews 8:12

No sin before or since can destroy that relationship. It’s real, and sins don’t invalidate my connection to Jesus. If they did, I’d have to ask the ludicrous questions:

1. Are my sins more powerful than what Jesus accomplished on the cross and His resurrection?
2. Which sin?
3. How many sins would it take to mean I am no longer saved?
4. Is there a combination? Two minor sins and 14 big ones?
5. Are some sins really more potent than others?

I’m either a Christian or I’m not.

It’s exhilarating to know Jesus. How about you?

Pastors love to use this line: “Do you know that you know that you know that you know that you’re saved?”

What they’re asking, in part, is: “Are you at peace with the question of whether you’re a Christian?”

Only God knows whether I’m a Christian. It’s the same for you. Knowing that, I take enormous comfort in the fact that I’m not the man I used to be — self-centered and not worried at all with God’s kingdom. I took Him for granted. I was really good at that.

Today, despite all of my failings, I long to know Him better and to serve Him. I don’t help people on His behalf to earn my way into heaven — because you can’t. I pray, share the gospel and come along side others as a reflection of my faith.

Here are some questions to consider as you weigh whether you’re a Christian. Maybe you’re not one yet, but you could become one today.

If you fall short in some area, that might be something to pray about. It doesn’t mean you’re not a Christian. However, the more you don’t connect with Christian behavior, you should reflect on whether you’re part of God’s family.

When were you saved?
You might not know the day. It’s OK — many people don’t. Maybe you became a Christian over the last year without knowing the exact day. Or maybe you were saved a Vacation Bible School outreach 30 years ago when you were 10 years old.

Can you say your life has never been the same?

Being in a family with Christians doesn’t get you saved. Reciting a prayer with a church leader doesn’t get you saved. Getting baptized doesn’t get you saved. Simply loving God doesn’t get you saved.

If you’re not saved and need to be, you must yield control of your life to Jesus. Like me, you’ll do a horrible job of it. You’ll know He’s your Lord, but you won’t always honor Him for being your King.

Have you been broken before Him? He doesn’t ask for perfection. He knows you’ll mess up. He’s looking at the condition of your heart. Have you asked Him to take over your life?

Repent for your sins (turn away from them in all sincerity) even if you repeat them later. They should bother you. If you’re not aware of your sins, ask the Holy Spirit to help you own up to them.

Jesus, as you know, died in your place for your sins. What a gift! All we need to do, all you need to do, is accept the gift. It’s not as simple as saying you believe He was crucified, came back to life and conquered sin. He’s more than a history lesson, right?

Jesus wants you.

When you become His follower, you gain freedom from sins. They won’t have the power to keep you from God. You won’t need to spend eternity in hell for rebelling against God.

Getting saved is essential. It’s a one-time decision. But do you make it a habit to acknowledge your sins and hate them? Repentance is a pattern for Christians. How do you address your sins? When do you reflect on them? What do the following verses mean to you?

“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.”
— Romans 10:9

“Then Jesus told his disciples, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.’ ”
— Matthew 16-24

Taking up your cross means dying to yourself, to your own self interests.

Jesus wants your devotion. What obstacles are you facing? You can still be a Christian if you struggle with self-reliance, pride, anxiety, drugs, pornography, etc. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you.

We’re all works in progress. Jesus is aware of that. He’s patient and compassionate. He also knows what’s best for us. And He wants us to accept that we’ll be better off the more we plug into Him.

Some people may not be saved who think they are Christians. People argue about the following verse, citing it while debating whether someone can lose his or her salvation. I think it speaks more about how someone never really became a Christian in the first place:

“For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt. For land that has drunk the rain that often falls on it, and produces a crop useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God. But if it bears thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to being cursed, and its end is to be burned.”
— Hebrews 6:4-8