David J Knight
David Knight is the founder of the Bible teaching ministry Exposit The Word. Based in the United Kingdom, he is a regular preacher and Bible teacher who hosts a daily Bible study focused on teaching Scripture verse by verse, book by book.
If we were to stand on a busy high street and ask people where they believe they will go after they die, most who are willing to answer and who believe in an afterlife would probably say that they are confident they are going to heaven.
A much smaller number would say that they expect to go to hell.
When those who believe they are heaven-bound are asked why, they often produce a list of good deeds, kind actions, or moral achievements. Those who believe they are destined for hell often assume that they have done something so terrible that forgiveness is no longer possible.
At first glance, these answers appear very different. Underneath them, however, lies the same fundamental problem.
In both cases, the focus is on self.
A Misplaced Confidence
The Bible is clear that we are all guilty sinners even the kindest, most generous, and outwardly moral person we know. Scripture is equally clear that, on the day of judgment, God will not simply weigh our good deeds against our bad deeds to determine our eternal destiny.
It does not work that way.
One sin against a holy God is not a small matter. R. C. Sproul famously described sin as cosmic treason against the Creator of the universe. That may sound severe, but it rightly captures the seriousness of what sin is.
Who We Sin Against Matters
We understand this principle instinctively in everyday life.
If someone were to shove their neighbour, the consequences might be relatively minor. If that same act were directed towards a police officer, the response would be far more serious. If it were directed towards a head of state, the consequences could escalate further still.
The act is the same.
The person against whom it is committed is not.
When we sin, we sin against God—the holy Creator and rightful Ruler of all things. Yet we live in a culture that routinely minimises sin, excuses it, or redefines it altogether.
Why Confusion Is So Common
This confusion has been compounded by the way God is often portrayed today—not as the holy and righteous Judge revealed in Scripture, but as a gentle and indulgent figure who exists primarily to affirm us, bless us, and make us feel better about ourselves.
At the same time, parts of the visible church have contributed to this confusion. In an effort to appear attractive and relevant, uncomfortable truths have been softened or quietly set aside. Sin is avoided. Judgment is downplayed. Repentance is neglected. The cross is pushed to the margins.
What remains is often a hollowed-out message that sounds less like the good news of Jesus Christ and more like a form of self-help—a distorted version of Christianity centred on personal fulfilment rather than forgiveness, and blessing rather than repentance.
Scripture warns that people will gather teachers who will “tickle their ears,” telling them what they desire to hear rather than faithfully proclaiming the truth (2 Tim. 4:3–4).
The result is a generation of people who are deeply confused about what Christianity actually teaches.
There are several reasons why people may assume that they are Christians without ever seriously examining their faith. One of the most common is being born or raised in a country with a historically Christian culture.
“This Is a Christian Country”
I once spoke with a man who was confident that he was a Christian. As our conversation developed, he told me that everyone in England was a Christian.
“This is a Christian country,” he said.
As we talked further, it became clear that he had never seriously considered what it meant to be a Christian. Christianity had always been something around him, not something to which he had personally responded.
His confidence was sincere, but it was unexamined. That may be the most dangerous kind of confidence of all.
For many people, Christianity feels like part of their culture rather than a reality that has personally transformed their lives.
They live in a country with a Christian history. Christian values have influenced its laws, traditions, holidays, and social customs. Churches are familiar buildings. The name of Jesus is widely known. Because of this, it can feel natural to assume that Christianity is simply part of who they are.
But familiarity is not the same as faith.
Cultural Influence Cannot Save
It is possible to live in a so-called Christian country without being a Christian, just as it is possible to swim in the sea without becoming a fish.
Christianity does not pass down through geography, history, or nationality. It is not inherited through birth, absorbed through culture, or gained by association.
You do not become a Christian because your parents were Christians. You are not saved because you attended a church school, were baptised as a child, celebrate Christmas and Easter, or try to live according to Christian values.
The Bible never describes salvation as something that comes from where we live or what surrounds us. It describes salvation as a work of God within a person—a spiritual transformation brought about by the Holy Spirit.
The Bible’s Pattern Is Personal
Throughout Scripture, God makes it clear that belonging to a particular nation, family, or religious community cannot save an individual. Each person must personally repent, believe, and be reconciled to God.
Jesus said:
“You must be born again” (Jn. 3:7).
He spoke these words to Nicodemus, a deeply religious man who belonged to God’s covenant people. Nicodemus knew the Scriptures, respected God’s Law, and occupied a position of religious authority. Yet even he was told that his religious background and national identity were not enough (Jn. 3:1–21).
He needed to be born again.
Being near Christianity is not the same as belonging to Christ.
The Bible repeatedly warns that it is possible to be close to the truth without ever embracing it. A person may attend church, listen to sermons, read Christian books, understand Christian language, and still remain spiritually dead.
Christian by Culture or Christian by Conversion?
The question is not whether Christianity has influenced your country, your family, or your moral values.
The question is whether you have personally come to Jesus Christ in repentance and faith.
A Christian is not merely someone who believes that God exists, respects Jesus, attends church, or tries to live a good life. A Christian is someone who has been born again by the Spirit of God and is trusting entirely in Jesus Christ for forgiveness and salvation.
Our good works cannot erase our guilt.
Our nationality cannot reconcile us to God.
Our religious upbringing cannot give us a new heart.
Salvation is found in Christ alone.
Jesus lived the righteous life that we have failed to live. He willingly bore the judgment that guilty sinners deserve, died upon the cross, and rose again from the dead. Everyone who repents and places their faith in Him will be forgiven, declared righteous, and reconciled to God.
It is possible to be surrounded by Christianity and yet remain far from Christ.
It is possible to know Christian language, celebrate Christian festivals, admire Christian morality, and still never have been born again.
Therefore, do not rest in the fact that you were raised in a Christian home, baptised as a child, educated in a church school, or born in a country with a Christian history.
Do not assume that familiarity with Christianity means that you belong to Christ.
Examine yourself honestly.
Has Christianity merely shaped the culture around you, or has Christ transformed the heart within you?
Has this article encouraged or helped you?
Exposit the Word is a reader-supported ministry dedicated to proclaiming God’s Word faithfully and freely. If you have been blessed by this ministry and would like to help us continue producing biblical resources, please consider supporting us here.
Paul Washer also had the same instruction/warning that was helpful to me:
People should not evaluate their spiritual standing by comparing themselves to other churchgoers. Instead, they must compare their “secret life”—who they are when no one is watching—directly to the Word of God.