God is like a sports fan??? The sports analogy I drew was designed to illustrate that obedience requires specific intent as to a particular person or entity. A lost person is incapable of having specific intent to obey God, therefore, he cannot, no matter what he does. The saved person, however, IS enabled to obey God and does so with worship, prayer, good works, etc.
I do not know if God will accept me into Heaven; the Lord knows that I hope and that I am doing what I can. I don’t have indwelling knowledge, or a get out of hell free card. I don’t think that they exist.
I first want to associate myself with MHG's excellent comments in 6,364. The story of Nicodemus is a perfect example of how Jesus was trying to teach us that we may have assurance.
Second, I agree with you that there are no "get out of hell free" cards. What Christ did for us certainly was not free. He paid the ultimate price by becoming sin for us. What He went through has tremendous value. (I know we differ greatly on how valuable His sacrifice was.)
Third, I just wanted to note that your not having assurance in no way speaks to your actual salvation (in our eyes or God's). Here, not accepting what we would call a truth does not negate that truth. So, NONE of us Reformers and other Protestants around here (whom I've seen) would ever say that because we "know" we're in, but because you don't, you're out. That doesn't follow our theology at all. Assurance is available to all believers, but it is not required for entry into Heaven. We sort of "have" to say that because when many of us first became true believers (including me) we did not have true assurance.
If Christians can be sure of salvation, why did Paul pray for mercy on behalf of Onesiphorus?
If Paul hopes for his own salvation, it must mean that he wasn’t sure of it. Rom 8:24-25
He definitely wasn’t sure about his own salvation in Phil. 3:11-14
If Peter wasn’t, and Paul wasn’t, how is it that the Elect are sure?