How to Know You Are a Follower of Christ

Entering a new year, the call is to settle the most important question: Do you truly know Christ, and is your salvation secure? The foundation is Jesus Christ—laid perfectly and once for all—on which every life is built. From 1 Corinthians 3, the contrast is clear: faithful works (gold, silver, precious stones) endure and are rewarded; fleshly, self-centered efforts (wood, hay, straw) are burned. Yet even if someone’s works are largely useless, the person who is truly Christ’s is saved—though with nothing to show but grace. Eternal security rests not in personal performance, but in Christ’s finished work and the keeping power of God.

1 Peter 1 anchors assurance: salvation is an imperishable inheritance, kept by God’s power. No spiritual “hacking,” no demonic assault, no internal failure can break through God’s impenetrable keeping. Apparent problem texts must be read carefully. Hebrews 6 describes those who taste but never truly swallow—illumination without regeneration, proximity without union. Galatians 5 warns that those seeking justification by law step away from grace as a principle; whether unbeliever or misguided believer, the point is not the loss of salvation but the abandonment of grace as the operative way of life. Scripture never contradicts the Father’s mercy, the Son’s sufficiency, or the Spirit’s sealing.

Assurance grows where relationship deepens. Seven markers help discern authentic faith: abiding intimacy with Christ; encountering God in Scripture; ongoing, real prayer; worship and praise as a lifestyle; joyful generosity; union with believers in meaningful community; and sharing the good news with others. These are not performance boxes to check; they are relational fruits that rise and fall with closeness to Christ. Drifting comes when worldly noise drowns out the Spirit—assurance withers when the heart chases substitutes. But when the Word fills the mind, prayer brings real power, worship keeps the heart tender, generosity loosens the grip of self, love for the church awakens, and witness becomes natural. The invitation is simple and urgent: if conviction is stirring, confess and repent, believe and commit; if fellowship has cooled, return. Assurance belongs to those Christ knows—and He keeps His own.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Salvation kept by God’s power True assurance flows from God’s mercy and His impenetrable keeping, not from human consistency. 1 Peter 1 calls our inheritance imperishable and guarded by divine power, not by our fluctuating efforts. This frees the soul from fear, so obedience becomes love-driven rather than anxiety-driven. Grace doesn’t make carelessness safe; it makes holiness possible. [45:50]
• 2. Useless works burned, soul secure Believers’ works will be tested; some endure, others are burned. The loss is real—reward forfeited, opportunities wasted—but the person in Christ still stands by grace. Let that sober reality turn you from a “barely made it” mindset to an earnest pursuit of what lasts. Eternity remembers what was done in love. [40:59]
• 3. Hard texts don’t undo grace Hebrews 6 portrays proximity to the gospel without union with Christ—tasting but not swallowing. Galatians 5 warns that relying on law severs the experience of grace, not the salvation God secures. Difficult passages demand careful reading in the light of clearer promises. Scripture harmonizes around the sufficiency of Christ and the Spirit’s sealing. [48:21]
• 4. Assurance grows through abiding intimacy Confidence increases as communion deepens: remaining in Christ clarifies identity and quiets doubt. When the heart drifts, assurance erodes because the soul starts measuring by performance again. Return to the vine in prayer, Word, and obedience; relationship, not rule-keeping, restores joy. Proximity to Jesus steadies the heart. [54:30]
• 5. Love for believers marks new life A new love for the family of God is a sign of crossing from death to life. Desire to gather, serve, and be accountable is not natural; it is Spirit-born. If love is absent, ask whether you’ve truly met Christ—or whether your heart has cooled and needs renewing. Gospel assurance grows where gospel love thrives. [72:16]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [37:59] - How salvation begins and what changes
• [40:59] - Works tested by fire (1 Corinthians 3)
• [43:31] - The danger of carnal complacency
• [45:50] - Kept by God’s power (1 Peter 1)
• [48:21] - Reading Hebrews 6 rightly
• [51:17] - What “falling from grace” means
• [53:12] - Seven ways to know you’re His
• [54:30] - Abiding intimacy vs drifting
• [59:13] - Meeting God in Scripture
• [61:48] - Real prayer in a loud world
• [68:18] - Cheerful generosity that costs
• [72:16] - Loving the church as assurance
• [72:48] - Sharing your story with others
• [74:29] - Invitation to assurance and salvation

Bible reading

- 1 Corinthians 3:10-15

By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames.

- 1 Peter 1:3-5

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.

- John 15:5

I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

Observation questions

1. In 1 Corinthians 3, what is the one foundation every life must be built on? What two kinds of materials are used as pictures of our works, and what happens to each on “the day”?
2. In 1 Peter 1:3-5, what words describe our inheritance in Christ? Who guards it, and how is it guarded?
3. In John 15:5, what condition leads to “bearing much fruit,” and what does “apart from me you can do nothing” actually claim?
4. What everyday picture was used to explain “kept by the power of God,” and what did that say about the security of salvation? ([45:50])

Interpretation questions

1. If someone’s works are mostly “wood, hay, straw,” what does “he will suffer loss, but he himself will be saved” suggest about rewards, regret, and how we’re building right now? How does the image of “barely getting there…smelling like smoke” sober our priorities? ([43:31])
2. If salvation is “reserved in heaven” and “protected by the power of God,” how might that move obedience from fear-driven to love-driven? What changes when a believer really trusts God’s keeping? ([45:50])
3. What does “abide in me…apart from me you can do nothing” say about where assurance comes from—relationship or performance? How does closeness to Jesus actually quiet doubt? ([54:30])
4. How does “tasted but not swallowed” help make sense of Hebrews 6? What signs might reveal proximity to the gospel without union with Christ? ([48:21])

Application questions

1. Where do you see drift in your life right now—places where the volume of the world is up and God’s voice feels like static? What one simple step could “turn it down” this week? ([01:03:05])
2. Which way of being in the Word will you practice this week—casual reading, deeper study, or praying Scripture? When and where will you do it, and what will you read first? ([59:13])
3. What would “real prayer” look like for you tomorrow? Try ACTS or CATTS: what do you need to confess first, and what specific need will you ask God’s power to meet? ([01:04:41])
4. If Jesus returned tonight, what from last month would look like “gold, silver, precious stones,” and what would burn off as “wood, hay, straw”? What will you change this week so more of your work lasts? ([40:59])
5. What gift of time, money, or skill would be “cheerful” yet costly for you to give in January? Name it, plan it, and share how you’ll follow through. ([01:08:18])
6. Who in the church family will you intentionally connect with this week for encouragement or accountability? How will you show practical love to a brother or sister? ([01:12:16])
7. What’s your two‑minute story of how Jesus changed you? Who is one person you will pray for and be ready to share with as the Spirit leads? When will you practice your story? ([01:12:48])