One of the most uncomfortable questions every Christian must answer is "am I really a Christian?" Surprisingly, even many pastors might be forced to answer "no". One excellent example is Elias Keach, a preacher who was ironically converted while preaching a sermon.
Prior to this sermon, Keach was no Christian. He arrived in America in 1686, when he posed as a minister in order to support himself. His con began quite successfully, no doubt piggybacking on his father's (Benjamin Keach) reputation. He began a very convincing sermon, and got quite far into it. However, as he preached, he reportedly appeared "seized by a sudden disorder". He was asked what was wrong, and confessed to being an impostor. Keach was converted by his own fake sermon, after which he was baptised by Thomas Dungan at Coldspring in Bucks County, and did some very impressive ministry work in Pensylvania.
Keach's story has a lot to teach us. First, it reiterates what Paul warns us of in 2 Corinthians 11: "Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness". Keach, as a slave to sin, posed as a minister of righteousness, and did so very convincingly. Praise God, this man was saved, but how many other pastors may be playing the same game?
Second, Keach's story should motivate us to obey Paul's warning to the Corinthians: Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. From Keach's confession, it seems he never truly believed, as did others around him, that he was truly saved. However, many people do believe in their hearts that they are true Christians. Yet, should they continue on their current path, they will hear those dreaded words from our Lord: "I never knew you: Depart from me, you workers of lawlessness".
No one wants to hear those words, but many self-professed Christians certainly will. As Keach spoke empty words, many "Christians", when they sit in the pews, hear just as little. Even many who followed Jesus in person cared more for what He could give them in this life, such as bread and fish, than for the words of eternal life He gave them. The question we must ask is, are we among them?
As Jesus is the sole and sufficient path to Heaven, keeping within His faith is essential to salvation. If we do not know Him, if our faith is in any other, we are not saved. Even "another Jesus" (2 Corinthians 11:4) may steal the truth from us. That is why the devil has erected so many false churches.
It's scary to think how many people in the world today think they are Christians, but in reality, they are not. There may even be someone reading this post right now who thinks they are a Christian, yet they are relying on their own goodness to get them to Heaven. That is a good place to start. Ask yourself why you are going to Heaven. The only legitimate answer that begins with "because I..." ends with "believe in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself as a sacrifice for me, atoning for my sins, and rising from the dead". "Because I'm a good person" is wrong. "Because I'm a member of this denomination" is wrong. "Because I tithe" is wrong. The Christian faith is less about the believer and more about the one we believe in. Yet, we live in an era in which one can live identical lives to an atheist, only to spend a few hours singing Bible songs on Sunday, and we still call ourselves Christians.
CHRIST-ianity, as I said, is all about Christ. If you think you're a Christian, yet know either a false Jesus, or no Jesus at all, you're no better off than Keach. But the good news is, you're no worse off than Keach either. As Keach was converted, so also can any living false convert. Once we have examined ourselves, there are two possible outcomes. Either we examine ourselves and find we are of the faith, or we examine ourselves, find out we're not, and then, repent. Get saved for real, get baptised for real, be of the faith for real. Jesus has made it surprisingly easy to be of the faith.