Who is a Christian? How do you become a Christian? And how do you know for sure that you are a Christian?
If one is really a Christian, that person is really saved!
But how would you know for sure that you really are a Christian and that you really are saved?
In other words, where do you look for assurance that you are a Christian, that you are saved from eternal death?
Kevin DeYoung wrote an article for The Gospel Coalition entitled, "How Do I Know That I'm A Christian?" He gave three signs that a person can use to have confidence that he or she is saved:
1. The first sign is theological. You should have confidence if you believe in Jesus Christ the Son of God.
2. The second sign is moral. You should have confidence if you live a righteous life.
3. The third sign is social. You should have confidence if you love other Christians.
Andy, George, and Wes discuss these three signs that DeYoung offers using verses from 1 John that should serve to give us confidence and not condemnation.
All three of us disagree with DeYoung on the moral and social sign. We say that using such signs will only lead us to despair and utter lack of assurance of salvation. Turning inwards to our own morality and not outwards to the work of Christ for assurance of salvation can dangerously strip Christians of cetainty that they are saved, lead to a distortion of the Gospel, and lead many into Christian legalism. This is a dangerous road and we do our best to explain why we should not use these as signs that we are saved by looking at the Scripture verses DeYoung cites in his article.
http://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/kevindeyoung/2015/05/12/how-do-i-know-im-a-christian/