The “How Do I Know I’m A Christian?” Test
Mark 8:27-38
There are a lot of people who think they’re Christians and really aren’t. Then there are some Christians who have no assurance that they are Christians and are afraid they’re not Christians. Then there are a lot of people who think that by going to church you’re a Christian. Some people think that by being good you’re a Christian. Others believe that if you pray and read the Bible you’re a Christian. Others think if you were baptized you’re a Christian. Mark 8:27-38 contains a six question test to determine if you’re a Christian.
Question #1 is the identity question.
Mark records in verse 27, “Now Jesus and his disciples went out to the towns of Caesarea Philippi and on the road He asked his disciples saying to them, “Who do men say that I am?” That’s an interesting question for Jesus to ask. That’s a marketing question. It’s designed to ascertain the word on the street. What are the polls saying? And the disciples answer that some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, some say one of the prophets. It’s interesting that 2000 years later, that’s still the word on the street about Jesus. That’s still who people say Jesus is. Most people today think Jesus was a prophet, or a good man. Then Jesus asks, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter says, “You are the Christ.” The Messiah. The Anointed One. Matthew adds that Peter said, “You are the Christ. The Son of the living God.” And Matthew records Jesus saying, “Blessed are you Simon bar Jonah, flesh and blood has not revealed this to you but My Father in heaven.” In other words, “You got that right.”
Here the first test question. Do I believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of God, God who became man?
1 John 4:2 says, “By this you know the Spirit of God. Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God.”
1 John 4:15 says, “Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him and he in God.”
1 John 5:1 says, “Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God.”
John 5:24 says “He who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment. But has passed from death to life.”
So, the first question, again, is this: Do you believe in Jesus Christ?
Question #2 is the gospel question.
In Mark 8:30, right after Peter declares “You are the Christ,” Jesus says something amazing. He says, “Don’t tell anybody.”
Why would He say that? The answer is in the next verse. “He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer and be killed and rise again.” That’s why Jesus tells them to be quiet. Because the cross and His death and resurrection haven’t happened yet. The cross and the resurrection are the gospel. In 1 Corinthians 15:3, Paul says, “I declare to you the gospel… that Christ died for our sins, that He was buried, and that He rose the third day.” That’s the gospel.
And before Jesus died and resurrected, the gospel wasn’t complete. But after the resurrection, that’s a whole different story. Jesus said after the resurrection “Go into all the world and make disciples of all nations. Baptizing them in the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit…”
So here’s the question. Do I believe the gospel? Do I believe Jesus suffered and was rejected and was killed on a cross and rose from the dead. Do I believe that I was helpless and spiritually dead because of my sins, that I need Jesus to be my Savior. And that I needed Him to pay the penalty for my sins, and that He promises me reconciliation with God the Father and a home in heaven forever.
Question #3 is the love question. In v34, Mark records that, “When He had called the people to himself with his disciples also, He said to them, ‘Whoever desires to come after Me let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.’” That’s quite the invitation, isn’t it? That’s a commitment to love. “Deny self,” means to love. “Take up his cross” meant death. Jesus’ listeners that day knew exactly what a cross was. It was a Roman instrument of death. Jesus was talking about dying to self. That’s love. Jesus said, “Greater love has no man that this, that one lay down his life for his friends.” Then this phrase, “Follow me.” That means “Obey me,” and that’s love. Jesus said, in John 14:21, “He who obeys My commandments, he is the one who loves Me.”
So here’s the test question. Do we love the Lord and others? Jesus said the greatest commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and, mind. Do we love His presence? Do we love worship? Do we love to pray? Do we love to read the Scriptures? Do we love to listen to His voice, and receive His will for us? Do we love to linger in his presence every day? Jesus is the Vine, we are the branches. Do we abide in Him daily? Do we depend on him? Do we feed on him? He is the Bread of Life. Do I want to obey him, and please him? Does my heart break if I grieve him?
Then, do I also love people? Phil 2:3,4 “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests but also for the interests of others.”
1 John 4:7 says, “Beloved, let us love one another. For love is of God and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.”
Do I deal with people with redemptive motives, wanting to help, and wanting their best? Am I kind, tender and forgiving? That’s the love test. By the way, none of us are perfect. We won’t achieve any of these test questions perfectly. What you’re testing for is progress. We all are a work in progress. Philippians 1:6 says, “He who began a good work in you, will carry it on to completion.” He’s not finished with us yet. The question is, “Am I more in love with Him today than I was a year ago. Am I more patient, gracious, forgiving today than I was when I first met Him?
Question # 4 is the contentment question. Verse 35 says, “For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it.”
That’s an interesting phrase. “He who desires to save his life...” That’s describing anyone who tries to find contentment and satisfaction in any pursuit other than God. King Solomon, in the Book of Ecclesiastes, chased money, power, possessions and women. That’s what “desiring to save your life” means. It’s looking for satisfaction and contentment in all the wrong places. And, as king, he had the resources and time to pursue all those things. Yet Solomon discovered that none of those things satisfy at a soul level. His conclusion was “all is vanity.” In fact, that’s the theme of his book. All is vanity. All is empty. Nothing satisfies. He comes to the end of his book and concludes that only a relationship with God could satisfy. He said, ”Fear God and keep His commandments” (12:13).
Jesus goes on to say, “Whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.” Here’s what that means. Whoever puts me in first place will find satisfaction. In John 7:37, Jesus said, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.” In other words, if you’re thirsty at a soul level, when you experience the presence of Jesus Christ, you’ll get your thirst quenched and you’ll be satisfied. He quenches thirsty souls like a glass of cold water on an unbearably hot, humid day.
God is the water for a dry and thirsty soul. He’s the gas in the tank. He’s the oil in the lamp. He’s the water in the well. He’s the ink in the fountain pen. He’ll give you love in your heart and joy in your spirit and inner peace in your mind, a purpose and meaning for your life, and hope and confidence, for the future, and strength for the day. He’s all you need, but sometimes we don’t realise He’s all we need until He’s all we’ve got. Jesus said, “I am the vine you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in Him bears much fruit... If you abide in Me… ask whatever you wish and it will be given…As the Father loved me, I also have loved you, abide in my love… These things I have spoken to you that My joy may remain in you and that your joy may be full” (John 15:5,11). Here’s what happens when you put Jesus first. You bear fruit, your prayers get answered, you experience love, and you experience abundant joy. That’s contentment. But the key is abiding in the Vine. That’s communion with Jesus.
You see this clearly in the story of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15. One son wants something from the father. “Give me my inheritance,” the younger son says. Then you have another son, who spends his life doing things for the father. “Lo, these many years I have been serving you,” the older son says.
Yet, what the father wanted first was that his boys would simply want to be with the father. That’s communion. The father came out to the field and pleaded with the older boy to come inside the house and join the party, for “your brother… was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.”
So many people seem to believe that satisfaction comes from getting something from the Heavenly Father, or doing something for the Heavenly Father, when God wants is for us to enjoy intimate communion with the Father.”
One writer said it this way. “Reversing the rebellion of Eden and restoring what was lost can only be accomplished when we learn that at the centre of God’s heart is having his children with him.”
This is the source of contentment. He is all you need. But sometimes we don’t realise He’s all we need till He’s all we’ve got. So here’s the fourth question. Are we satisfied at a soul level? Are we content? Are we at peace? Do we have joy and hope? Are we happy?
Question #5 is the assurance question.
In verse 36, Jesus says, “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his soul? Or what will a man get in exchange for his soul?”
This is describing a man who accumulates it all, and has no soul security. Put another way, he gains the world, but has no inner peace about his soul’s eternity. This is very common. You hear of celebrities all the time who have everything, but confess that they are very lonely, or very empty, or very afraid. One millionaire was asked, “If money could buy anything, what would you wish for?” He answered, “The certainty that I have eternal life.” But money can’t buy that kind of assurance. Amy Winehouse was a wonderfully talented young woman. Her breakout hit song, which turned out to be her only hit song, was called “Rehab.” Supposedly it told the story of her own life. Amy was a train wreck, careening from drugs to alcohol. She died on July 23, 2011, at 27 years old. One journalist said, “Those who know her were surprised at the news, but not shocked.” This was the inevitable end for a young woman whose life was so reckless. Amy had the world at her feet. Young, talented, bright, money, and yet she could find no peace. There’s a lot of rich, miserable people. Yet, some of the most contented people I know, are people with the simplest of material goods. Jim Elliot was a missionary in the 1950s to the Auca Indians in Ecuador, where he and four other missionaries were speared to death by those they had come to serve. He had previously written in his journal, “He is no fool to give what he cannot keep, to gain what he cannot lose.”
Jim Elliot and Jesus make the same point. What value is there in possessions, if you have no inner peace about your eternal security?
There are two sources of assurance regarding your eternal safety. Romans 8:16 says, “The Spirit testifies with our spirit that we are children of God.” The Spirit of God gives you assurance that your eternity is secure.
Then, 1 John 5:13 says, “These things are written that you may know that you have eternal life.” The Scriptures give you assurance that your eternity is secure. Someone said to a well known Bible teacher one day. “I would give the world to know the Scriptures the way you do.” And he answered, “That’s exactly what you must do. Give the world.” What will it profit a man if he gains the world and loses his soul? There is nothing wrong with using your gifts and abilities and skill to accumulate possessions, so long as your possessions do not possess you. Possessions don’t promise peace, and they can’t give assurance that your soul is secure. Only the Spirit and the Scriptures can give you assurance that your soul is safe.
So, question 5 is this. Do I have a quiet assurance that when that time comes I will be ready for eternity?
Question #6 is the profession question
Mark records in verse 38, “For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” What would you think of a guy who walks down the street with his girlfriend, and he sees his buddies coming up the street towards him, and because he’s so embarrassed by his girlfriend he sticks a brown paper bag over her head? Well, that’s silly, isn’t it? Yet, why are so many Christians embarrassed to be associated with Jesus of Nazareth. Muslims aren’t ashamed to name the name of Mohammad. How much more courageous ought we to be to name the lovely, majestic, powerful name above all names, the name of Christ, before a dying world? Paul said, “I am not ashamed of the gospel” (Romans 1;16). Jesus says, in Matthew 10:32, “Whoever confesses me before men him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.”
So, the profession question goes like this. Are we courageous enough to take a stand in a godless culture and say, “I am unapologetically a follower of my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ?
So, there are the six questions on this little “How do I know I’m a Christian?” test. How did you do? Friend, know this. He loves you. He made you in His image. He wants to satisfy your soul. He wants to quench a thirsty heart. He promises to produce the fruit of the Spirit in your life, of which the first three are love, joy and peace. What wonderful gifts God promises to anyone who will believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. I trust that if you haven’t already trusted Him, you will do that today.
