How Do I Know I Am a Christian

Who’s Child Am I

1 John 5:13 “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.”

Assured in Faith: How Do You Know You Are a Christian?

Bible Passage: 1 John 5:13

Summary: 1 John 5:13 addresses the assurance of salvation, emphasizing that believers can know they have eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ.

“These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.”

A couple of Saturday’s ago I joined in the meeting of Castle Rocks “New Member’s Class March 8, 2025.  Having been called to the ministry at age 13, I’ve worn out a lot of shoe leather serving in different churches, California, NY and Chicago.  In that time, I sat in a quite a few New Member’s classes. Over time I wound up teaching quite a few.  But this time there was something different the Question “How do you Know you are a Christian” came up. I’m not sure it was brought up by someone in the meeting or by sister Leita who gave one of the more open testimonies I’ve heard in I can’t remember when.  As she talked about her walk with the Lord I found it very refreshing to hear a “Baptist Church’s First Lady” admit that when she received Christ that the Holy Spirit didn’t descend upon her like a Dove with a voice from heaven saying this is my beloved Daughter in whom I’m well pleased.  While the wardrobe of ten thousand dresses and outfits along with the entourage of attendants, armor bearers, secretaries, drivers and the list goes on, all descending from heaven after the weighty voice from heaven.  At times I have those who put on such display’s so you would know that they were/ are indeed the real deal, blessed by God Christian. Now if the First lady had a closet filled outfits of peacock feather laced outfits to chose from for her ascension to her 2nd in commands throne, you know the one right next to her husbands Pastor In Command Chair.  Everybody in the audience, I won’t say the congregation, but the audience knew they were in the presence of not only a real Christian but a Child of God.  After all, doesn’t the bible say “We Shall know them by the cloths they wear and the thrones they sit Upon” or something like that?     Yall forgive me I strayed a bit, I went too far, I have never seen or witnessed such events in church, sometimes close but not actual.  It was the contrast that caught my attention when she spoke in that southern Black Female language, something like Girl Please when I got saved, I was still a mess” or something like that.  You know even after soon to be forty-nine years of marriage I’m still trying to break the code language of sisters.

But on the real, real as First Lady Leita listed scripture from the “Assurance of Salvation” section: 1 John 5: 13, Eph 1: 13-14, Eph 4:30, John 10:28-29 and John 3:36 the Question really caught my attention.

Application: This passage encourages Christians to reflect on their relationship with Christ, leading to a deeper assurance of their salvation. It can comfort those struggling with doubts about their faith and help them recognize the importance of a personal belief in Jesus.

A. How do you know you are a Christian?

a. Are you, or are your traits aligned to scripture?

b. Scripture cannot be broken. You can’t be aligned with scripture in one part and that part does not align with the rest of scripture.

B. Does or do the non-tangible parts of you: your thoughts, desires, dreams your Spiritual desires seek after the Spirit of God “The Holy Spirt” His Fruit: Love, Peace, Joy, as taught in the Bible?

C. Do you pray or desire to Pray / communicate with, walk with God?

a. Do you struggle in or stray sometimes while you’re earnestly trying to pray?

b. Do you truly try to Walk in His ways to become a part of the body of Christ?

c. Growing and developing the part of the body Christ you were called to Be?

i. Becoming a Good Foot, I’m not talking about getting on the Good Foot Singer James Brown Sang about for those of you who were there or heard your parents singing his song.  But are you caring the load God has given you? A sometimey husband? A party all the time Wife while taking care of 2,3, 4, 5 or more children and being a good a supporting family member, to a wayward brother or sister, mother or father? The in-laws, a good neighbor to the nosey neighbor, for starters. 

ii. Are you working at being a good eye- bypassing what seems to be juicy gossip and seeing past the out of place or dirty smelly clothes a person is wearing when they come to church is telling a story of being born poor or of tragic downfall in life. You know the story told by Bishop in one of his recent Sermons?

d. Is your heart filled with the Mercy of God as demonstrated by Jesus?

D. Do you fellowship in and with the body of Christ as Christ fellowships in the triune God Head; God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit? If you have one You have all Three! If you don’t have Christ, you have none.

Questions Only You Have Answers To:

How Do I know I am a Christian? This first Question is Filled in by the answers to the following Questions!

Do you see Yourself in the mirror of the Bible?

When you reflect on where you have been Can you see places that only Christ could have taken you- Your Christian Walk.

In line with where you have been, Where are you Now? Was this how you planned Proverbs 19:21 “Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.”

Can you see how you line up with God’s Plan for your life-His Plan of Salvation?

Who’s child do you think you are?

Who’s child does the World say you?

Personal Story

I continued thinking about this throughout the days that followed and then God brought to mind an extremely personal illustration.

My earliest recollections of the word father involved a man I was told the name of the father who raised me was my stepfather and I was also so told that a man I would see infrequently, the one who would pick me and my brother up and buy us a hamburger from time to time was my father. Somewhere along the way I was told my mother and natural father divorced before I was born.  As I grew older me and my older brother would see him less and less maybe once in two or three years. Until finally I lost track of time and couldn’t remember the last time I’d seen him.  Now fast forward many years, I remembered my Aunt His sister, who had always been in my life as a second mother, called me over to her house to see my Father/ Dad who was in town.  She wanted him to see me, she was so excited she wanted to reintroduce me to him as Reverend Curry.  After five or so years of running I gave in to my calling to the ministry and had somewhat recently been licensed, in my first vestment a handmade purple robe she had made, as a Minister of the Gospel. His reaction and statement to me at that time is the subject of another Sermon.  However, to get to the reason for my bringing it up in the first place I have to fast forward again about twenty or so years to a time when I flew to Texas to officiate the homegoing service of an uncle, My mother’s sister’s Husband.  I stayed at her house.  The night before the service she informed me that. My natural father denied that I was his child.  Everyone knew that my brother, who was 6 years older than me, was his but I was not. Now since I was born in California, and all of his family and my mother’s family were still in Texas they had nothing to go on but his word.  She went on to tell me that it wasn’t until I was a year old that anyone got to see me.  After the family got a look at me, especially my forehead, she said, there was a family backlash that lasts to this day.  He had seen me, but they had not, but when they saw me in the flesh, they knew whose child I was.

I heard an entertainment commentator on a local television station within the last year.  I think he was presenting a commentary on an LGBTQ+ movie, which he rated very highly.  So much So he added his personal testimony “I WAS BORN THIS WAY”.  Because of his Vigors  tones and fervor I took his statement as not only as a reaffirmation to the world who and what he was but as some sort of validation as to why he is what he is. Possibly to refute Christians who believe Bible scripture denounces that behavior as sinful.  Sort of How could it be sinful since I was born this way? How do you refute that, Christian.  I think I could say as a Christian is “The Bible tells us We were all born in Sin! Not Necessarily your particular Sin but Sin no doubt! The real crux of the argument is not weather you were born in Sin or even if you are living in Sin, but is do you Really Want to Die in Sin?  

Now I have told you my story let me ask you When People see you do they know Whose child you are?  Do they recognize your father as Jesus Christ Part of the triune God Head God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit?

There is so much more I could say about how God’s word written in 1 John 5:13 can help you answer the Question How do I know I’m a Christian is Christ living in You. But that will have to wait for another day.  In the meantime, ask yourself is Does God Know you are in him and He’s in You?

God has shown us that the Genes we are born with are the Genes we die with, psychology, religion, surgery or anything else can change that.  So to with the Spirit of God if we are Reborn in the Spirit of God Nothing can change that, and we are born into life everlasting.  As it says in the King James version Psalm 23:4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

Teaching: The scripture can teach that assurance of salvation is rooted in faith, the testimony of God, and the presence of the Holy Spirit in a believer's life, making it clear that our confidence comes not from feelings but from God's promises.

How this passage could point to Christ: In the context of the Bible, Jesus is the fulfillment of God's promise of eternal life. He is the one who guarantees our salvation, as affirmed in John 10:28, where He promises that no one will snatch His sheep out of His hand.

Big Idea: You can know you are a Christian by resting in the promises of God and the assurance that comes through faith in Jesus Christ, giving you confidence in your eternal life.

Recommended Study: As you prepare this sermon, consider diving into the original Greek text of 1 John 5:13 to understand the nuances of 'know' and 'life.' Use Logos to review various commentaries that discuss the historical context of John's epistle and its audience. You might also explore additional passages that discuss assurance, such as Romans 8:16-17 for comparative insights.

1. Confidence in Christ's Promises

1 John 5:13

You could explore how 1 John 5:13 helps believers find confidence in their faith despite struggles and doubts. The verse reassures us that knowing we have eternal life is based on the testimony of God, as affirmed in Jesus Christ. Highlight that real assurance is not about emotional certainty but grounded in the truth of God's promises. Encourage the congregation to turn to the Word and trust in the Spirit's witness to find peace and assurance in their faith journey.