Hour of Decision | Christianity Today | A Magazine of Evangelical Conviction

Free Newsletters:

RSS Feeds |

Audio |

Twitter

Home > 2007 > December

Christianity Today, December, 2007 |

GOOD QUESTION

Hour of Decision

"How can I know I'm a Christian if I can't remember when I first responded to the gospel?"

Erik Thoennes | posted 12/26/2007 08:56AM

2 of 2

We must allow for the varied experiences God uses to bring people to himself. As C. H. Spurgeon said, "The Spirit calls men to Jesus in diverse ways. Some are drawn so gently that they scarcely know when the drawing began, and others are so suddenly affected that their conversion stands out with noonday clearness."

For those who question their salvation, the best evidence is not the memory of having raised a hand or prayed a prayer. Nor is it having been baptized or christened. The true test of the authentic work of God in one's life is growth in Christ-like character, increased love for God and other people, and the fruit of the Spirit (; ). A memorable conversion experience may serve as an important referent to God's saving work in one's life. But the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit in making a person more like Jesus is the clearest indicator that one has been made a new creation in Christ.

Erik Thoennes is associate professor of theology at Talbot School of Theology, Biola University.

Related Elsewhere:

Previous Good Questions are available on our site.

Erik Thoennes also answered a Good Question about whether "some people are lost just a little bit in the same way that others are saved only as through fire."

first page |

2 of 2

share this page

December 2007, Vol. 51, No. 12

E-mail this page

Write CT

Print this article

Post a comment

Reader Reviews are below

Subscribe to Christianity Today and get 3 free trial issues. No credit card required.

Please allow 4-6 weeks for delivery. Offer valid in U.S. only.

If you decide you want to keep Christianity Today coming, honor your invoice for just $19.95 and receive nine more issues, a full year in all. If not, simply write "cancel" across the invoice and return it. The three trial issues are yours to keep, regardless.

Click here for international orders

2-for-1 Gifts!

[Reader Reviews]

Average User Rating:

Displaying 1 - 3 of 43 comments.

See all comments

Lutheran Chick

Posted: January 03, 2008 12:32 PM

It's a good thing God saves us - through Jesus Christ - and not our own doing or the doing of the church. Otherwise, a whole bunch of people (including most of the people in this blog) would not know what their final destination is! God saved me on the cross. God claimed me at my infant baptism. God continues to lead me throughout my life and every week I stand in church and confess my sins and, once again hear the good news: Through Jesus Christ my sins are forgiven. Thank God for his grace!

Russell Phillips

Posted: January 02, 2008 11:24 PM

"The true test of the authentic work of God in one's life is growth in Christ-like character, increased love for God and other people, and the fruit of the Spirit... the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit in making a person more like Jesus is the clearest indicator that one has been made a new creation in Christ." While I think this article makes some helpful points and identifies weaknesses in some traditional approaches to the issue of assurance ("How do I know that I am in Christ?"), for me it fails to provide a plausible answer to the question posed. I cannot see how self-appraisal along the lines of how much the Holy Spirit has produced fruit in my life could be a source of confidence or assurance, even in the most saintly of Christians. Surely it is the nature of faith to look away from oneself and to God in Christ. And the particular focus of faith is on the specific and objective promises of God given in his Word preached ("your sins are forgiven").

GeneMBridges

Posted: December 31, 2007 5:10 PM

Cabbybear, the reason that many folks can't remember when they were converted is simply because it was a seamless transition. Ruth Graham is a classic example. The Bible contains no "sinner's prayer," and it provides no model qua model for a conversion experience. What is does do is command persons to repent of their sins and trust in Christ alone. If a person has done that their life will show it. Regeneration is not brought about by a decision. Rather, Scripture says we believe because we are born again (I John 5:1). The point of John 3:3-8 is that the new birth is a result of the mysterious work of the Spirit moving, the way the rustling of leaves is the result of the wind's motion. It is a miracle wrought by God not the will of man and via the instrument of the word of God. Conversion is the inevitable and quick result. Saving faith is in Christ alone but never unaccompanied by fruit of the Spirit, etc., and that is where the Bible tells us to look to examine our calling.

The allotted time for commenting has ended.