I am 27 years old, I’ve gone to church all my life but never felt like a Christian. I made the decision to become one and live right. (I was baptized as well.) Does it take a while to become a true Christian? I don’t feel like one — like a true one — if that makes sense. I know I just really started. I almost feel lost. I pray about these things. I will keep praying and hoping I get better at this.<\/p>\n\t
“By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him: the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked<\/em>” (I John 2:3-6).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
We live in a time when people value feelings over reality. Yet, God is very clear that feelings are unreliable. The heart is considered to be the center of a person’s feelings. “He who trusts in his own heart is a fool, but he who walks wisely will be delivered<\/em>” (Proverbs 28:26). It is what you\u00a0do<\/strong> in accordance with what is wise that makes a difference.<\/p>\n
How do you know if you are following Christ? John tells us to look at what we are doing. If we are keeping the commands of Christ, then we have a close relationship with Christ. If you are uncertain about whether you keeping the commands of Christ, then you need to start studying the Scriptures more and applying what you learn to your life.<\/p>\n
This completely changes the problem from a subjective feeling to an objective examination of your life. There are far too many people who\u00a0feel<\/strong> that they are close to God and going to heaven, but they break God’s laws because they are inconvenient to them. These people are simply lying to themselves. You are able to\u00a0know<\/strong> that you are a true Christian but looking at the things you are\u00a0doing<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Question: I am 27 years old, I’ve gone to church all my life but never felt like a Christian. I made the decision to become one and live right. (I was baptized as well.) Does it take a while to become a true Christian? I don’t feel like one — like a true one —…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[20],"tags":[546],"class_list":["post-57055","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-answer","tag-feelings"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":44017,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/how-does-someone-know-if-they-have-the-holy-spirit\/","url_meta":{"origin":57055,"position":0},"title":"How does someone know if they have the Holy Spirit?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 20, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I always wondered this, but how does someone know if they have the Holy Spirit or they don't? Answer: \"Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, \"I know Him,\" and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":40970,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/i-was-baptized-but-i-seem-more-lost-than-i-was-before\/","url_meta":{"origin":57055,"position":1},"title":"I was baptized, but I seem more lost than I was before","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 18, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Hello I read a post that a young boy was sad about sinning and kept returning to the sin that he hates doing. I was baptized as an adult several years ago, but after that, it seems that I'm lost even more than before being baptized. I would like\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":49715,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/i-want-to-jump-and-lavish-in-gods-glory\/","url_meta":{"origin":57055,"position":2},"title":"I want to jump and lavish in God’s glory","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 5, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I'm a Roman Catholic and I finally fully accepted Jesus into my life after 15 years of me just saying I believe in him and still turning my back and obeying the world. I am continuously growing and deepening my relationship with him. I go to a Christian school\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":35409,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/sometimes-i-feel-jesus-when-i-pray-and-other-times-i-dont-am-i-going-in-the-right-direction\/","url_meta":{"origin":57055,"position":3},"title":"Sometimes I feel Jesus when I pray and other times I don’t. Am I going in the right direction?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 21, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Hello, I really need your help. Every day I go off and pray. Sometimes I feel Jesus and it feels great, but other times I don't feel Him and I become worried. I'm confused about whether I am going on the right path or not. When I don't feel\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":33434,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/should-i-see-a-prostitute\/","url_meta":{"origin":57055,"position":4},"title":"Should I see a prostitute?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 19, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I am 37. I live in a shared house where we can't have a partner. I live on a low pension fund and my social worker has suggested seeing a sex worker so I can experience it at least once. Being a Christian, I have mixed feelings as I\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":33795,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/why-dont-i-feel-guilty-after-committing-fornication-with-my-fiance\/","url_meta":{"origin":57055,"position":5},"title":"Why don’t I feel guilty after committing fornication with my fiance?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"July 13, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I became a true Christian about three years ago! I have Calvinist points of view, and I tried to be hyper-serious to keep a holy life. I've been raised in a Christian family, but I had committed fornication before Jesus touched my life. 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