Am I really a Christian?

Am I Really a Christian?
Mike McKinley
Crossway, Wheaton, 2011. 160 pp.

From the title of this book you may be expecting something for those struggling with assurance in the Christian faith.¹ That is not the book Mike McKinley has written, rather:

This is a book aimed at convincing you that you may not be a Christian. I want you to ask the question, “Am I really a Christian?” because I’m convinced there are a lot of people in this world who think they are Christians but are not. (p. 13)

Beginning with Jesus’ warning in Matthew 25 that just because you say you are a Christian doesn’t mean you are, McKinley reasons that if there are such warnings in Scripture then it is appropriate to examine ourselves. Now, in encouraging people to examine themselves there is a danger that they become unhealthily introspective—people may be led to think being a Christian is all about how they act, and so their actions become the final arbitrators of whether they really are Christians. McKinley addresses this danger in two ways. Firstly in his chapter ‘Can I ever really know if I am a Christian?’ he says:

So even as we look at our own lives to see if the evidences of true faith are there, we must not imagine for a moment that our confidence can rest in what we have done. (p. 126)

McKinley directs the believer to trust in Christ rather than their actions. Secondly, he encourages the book to be read with a mature Christian friend or church leader. After each chapter there are questions to think about individually, and then one further question to speak to a friend or church leader about. This encouragement is a great strength of the book, as it gives an outside perspective on Christian growth.

McKinley begins by outlining what a Christian actually is. He deliberately defines a Christian as someone who has been born again and regenerated (rather than looking at ideas of justification or adoption). This sets him up for the main thrust of the book—his contention that because a Christian has been born again there will be evidence. Subsequent chapters outline five things that “the Bible says will always accompany true conversion” (p. 39):

• A belief in true doctrine: you’re not a Christian just because you like Jesus.
• Hatred of sin in your life: you’re not a Christian if you enjoy sin.
• Perseverance over time: you’re not a Christian if you don’t persist in faith.
• Love for other people: you’re not a Christian if you don’t have care and concern for other people.
• Freedom from love of the world: you’re not a Christian if the things of this world are more valuable to you than God.

The arguments that McKinley makes in these chapters are clearly and openly based in the text of the Bible. He uses many practical examples, although coming from the UK I found these often required some knowledge of American culture to be fully understood. He manages to strike a tone that doesn’t make the reader feel as if a finger is being pointed in a judgemental way.² Rather, you feel the concern of a pastor, of someone who wants you to trust in Christ, all the while giving full weight to the arguments that he builds up.

One difficulty with this approach, however, is that it is difficult to quantify regeneration. At times the book can give the impression that to be regenerate means meeting a standard. For example, chapter 3 outlines certain things we must believe (we are sinners; Jesus is fully God and man; Jesus the God-man saves through his death; Jesus rose from the dead; that Jesus is Lord). There seems to be no acknowledgement, however, that a true Christian will continue to grow in understanding. So they will come to believe the Trinity when they are taught. It is not that McKinley is unaware of this difficulty: he stresses at the end of the book that a true Christian will trust Christ today and have a trajectory of growth. Perhaps a better question to ask earlier on might therefore be whether there is a willingness and eagerness to continually grow in knowledge of God.

This book is not the book to give to a person who is struggling with doubts over their faith. Yet for another group of people, for those who think they are Christian, or those who might be prompted to consider the question, this book may be just the stimulus they need to seek out where salvation can be found.