Am I Really a Christian? (9marks)

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. Am I Really a Christian?By Mike McKinleyGood News PublishersCopyright © 2011 Mike McKinleyAll rights reserved.ISBN: 978-1-4335-2576-6ContentsForeword by Kirk Cameron, 11, Introduction: Is This Book Mean Spirited?, 13, 1 You Are Not a Christian Just Because You Say That You Are, 17, 2 You Are Not a Christian If You Haven't Been Born Again, 29, 3 You Are Not a Christian Just Because You Like Jesus, 43, 4 You Are Not a Christian If You Enjoy Sin, 59, 5 You Are Not a Christian If You Do Not Endure to the End, 75, 6 You Are Not a Christian If You Don't Love Other People, 91, 7 You Are Not a Christian If You Love Your Stuff, 105, 8 Can I Ever Really Know If I Am a Christian?, 121, 9 A Little Help from Your Friends, 135, Acknowledgments, 149, Notes, 150, General Index, 152, Scripture Index, 154, CHAPTER 1You Are Not a Christian Just Because You Say That You AreMY E-MAIL IN-BOX is clogged with opportunities to "become something." Just this month, I have received messages from friends and spambots both offering me the chance to become:• someone's friend on Facebook,• a member of Netflix,• a member of the Democratic Party,• part of a fantasy football league,• an ESPN.com "insider,"• part of an organization's board of trustees,• the recipient of an ATM card from the Central Bank of Nigeria (preprogramed with $10 million on it!).I probably will not take advantage of any of these opportunities. I am already an ESPN.com "insider," and I don't have time to play fantasy football or be a trustee (though come to think of it, maybe I should follow up on the $10 million).Still, consider what would happen if I were to avail myself of these kinds of offers: my relationship with those groups would become redefined, and I would clearly be a member. Not a lot of ambiguity here. Such group membership is a matter of self-selection: you either opt "in" or you opt "out." Right now, both Netflix and I have a good grasp on the status of our relationship (or nonrelationship) because I have never opted in. But here's the kicker: being a Christian is not exactly like that.God Knows His OwnTo be sure, there is great clarity on God's side of the equation. He is not confused about who does and does not belong to him. In the Bible, we read that God has a definite record of those who will receive eternal life through Christ. When the seventy-two disciples return to Jesus, giddy from their recent ministry success, Jesus tells them, "Do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven" (Luke 10:20). Elsewhere, Jesus tells the disciples, "I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me" (John 10:14). God knows who is truly a Christian and who is not.That's why the apostle Paul can speak of "Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life" (Phil. 4:3). So, too, the apostle John, in his vision of the final judgment before the great white throne, refers to a "book of life" which contains all the names of those who are truly God's people. Everyone whose name is not listed in this book will be thrown into the lake of fire, while everyone whose name does appear will gain entrance into the New Jerusalem (Rev. 20:15; 21:27). So God knows who belongs to him and who doesn't. He's not short on clarity.Your Spiritual Shirt Is Inside OutHowever, the same cannot be said about us. We don't see ourselves that clearly. In fact, our self-awareness is often comically limited.Have you ever realized that you have been walking around with toilet paper stuck to your shoe? Or with your shirt on backward? Or with a blob of ketchup on your cheek? I've done each of these at one time or another. When someone finally had mercy on me and pointed out the problem ("Hey, moron, your shirt is on backward!") I felt a small-to-moderate sense of embarrassment. I had been walking around assuming certain things about myself (suave, devastatingly ha