Do you have to know when you became a Christian?

Whether Christians Must Know the Exact Moment of Conversion

Do you have to know the date and time when you became a Christian? Frequently preachers claim that you must know a time and a place when you accepted the Lord as your Savior or became a Christian. The average hearer who hears this sometimes thinks, if I do not know this time or place when I accepted Jesus as my Savior, then I must not be a Christian.

However, such a conclusion is actually false. You really do not have to know the time and the place. It is definitely advisable to know when and where you trusted Christ as your Savior for personal testimony reasons.

Salvation by Faith in Christ, Not by Knowing a Conversion Date

However, the main point of the Gospel message is that we believe in Christ, as Acts 16 .31 says, and not trust our works. That's found in Romans 4 .5 and Ephesians 2 .8 and 9. The Bible does not say, except you know the time and place of your conversion, you cannot enter the kingdom of God.

Rather, it says that except a man be born again, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That's found in John 3 .3 -5. And also the same concept is held in John 1 .12 -13. Interestingly, John 1 .12 -13 says that you are born not of the will of the flesh, not of the will of man, but you are born of God.

That references to those who received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believed on His name. So you are born again in verses 12 -13 by believing, by receiving Jesus as your Savior.

Sealed by the Holy Spirit After Believing

So we are not to trust a date, a time, a method, or anything else, but Christ alone. Whenever we believe, we are sealed with the Holy Spirit. This is what it says in Ephesians 1 .13, In Him you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation, having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise.

If a person does not know the time or date of when he or she became a Christian, it is irrelevant. The key question is, are you trusting in Christ alone for your salvation now? Whenever this trust in Christ alone began, you became a Christian.