Am I Really a Christian?

McKinley on the role of the church in assurance of salvation:

“As you look at what Scripture says, you see that the church has been given a few jobs to do. For example, the church is called to preach the gospel to all nations (Matt 28:19-20; Acts 1:8). The church is also Jesus’ appointed means for making it clear both to the world and to itself who is a Christian and who isn’t.

…many people are confused about their spiritual state.  Many are genuine believers, but they struggle with fearing they are not.  More frighteningly, many sincerely believe they are Christians, but they are sincerely wrong.  Meanwhile, the world looks at the church and sees no real difference between professing believers and the world. But if local churches were doing their job, it would not be so…

Churches should be made up of people who are genuinely converted.  In that sense, one function of church membership is to give assurance of salvation.  Being a church member means the church believes that your profession of faith is credible.”

Mike McKinley, Am I Really a Christian?