What should happen if Christ has
really entered my life?
Once you have sincerely asked Christ
into your life, several areas in your life will begin to change or develop. The
rate of change will vary for each individual, but after some days/weeks/months
if there is no change in heart attitude and behavior, a person should re-assess
if they have actually become a Christian. True repentance is not just an
attitude, but rather a transformational process.
If a person demonstrates no clear change
in their lifestyle, habits, thoughts and words over a period of time, then
little assurance can be given to them regarding their salvation. The Apostle
Paul exhorted people to "Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith.
Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Jesus Christ is in you? – unless indeed you are disqualified " (2
Corinthians 13:5).
Some areas that you might expect to see change are the
following:
- A
growing desire to read the Bible (Psalms 119:10), understanding of what
you are reading, and a desire to apply what you are learning to your life.
- A
growing sense of God’s presence (Romans 5: 1-5), and gentle voice
whispering to you to obey the Scriptures as they should apply to your life
- A
greater awareness of God’s holiness, one’s sin + motivation for doing
things, plus a growing sorrow over anything which displeases God, leading
to a quiet humility. (Psalms 51:1-17)
- A growing sense that you are forgiven as you confess and repent (stop doing it!) from specific sins. (Psalms 32:1,2) Increasing
manifestation of the ‘fruit of the Spirit which is love, joy, peace,
patience, kindness, faithfulness, goodness and self-control, as you rely
on God’s Spirit to fill you more each day, moment-by-moment. (Galatians
5:22,23)
- A
growing desire to pray and talk with your Father in heaven about
everything, all the time. (I Thessalonians 5:17,18)
- A
growing desire to fellowship with like-minded believers in Bible study and
churches (Hebrews 10:25), as well as to help those in need, especially other believers,
but also non-believers.
- A growing desire to share your faith in Christ with others as you
depend moment by moment on the empowering of
God’s Spirit. (1 John 4:2,3, Acts 1:8)
- A
growing strengthening of your faith; perseverance in the midst of suffering
or persecution for your faith, and a desire to honor Him in all areas.
(Acts 4:1-35)
- A
growing desire to give of your time, talents and resources to promote the kingdom of God.
(Acts 2:44-47)
- A
growing desire to integrate one’s faith with all elements of one’s life,
seeking to please God in all areas (2 Corinthians 5:9). For example, if
the Bible clearly speaks about one issue, how will it affect your personal
life and ethics? Your family life? Your business? The way and people you
vote for? Think about it.
Again, a person who claims to be a
Christian, but who does not demonstrate a deepening love for God manifested by
allowing Christ to increasingly be Lord of their life may not be a true
believer. For example, there are many terrible, hateful things done by
religious people, including so-called Christians. The Apostle John stated that
a person who is not growing in love, but remains hateful, is not a believer (1
John 3:15).
In that case, if those people were to
die this moment, they would go to hell rather than heaven, having chosen to
live a false life, pretending to be a Christian. They gave themselves the
‘label’ Christian, but it was not true of their actual relationship with Christ
Himself. God is love, and true Christians demonstrate more of this over time.