Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine. Test yourselves. Surely you know that Jesus Christ is among you; if not, you have failed the test of genuine faith. 2 Corinthians 13:5 (NLT)
Paul exhorted the church in Corinth to take test to see if they were true followers of Christ. Wouldn’t it be great if it were as simple as answering a couple of questions? Unfortunately, people are adept at saying what they think others want to hear and putting on a false front for others to see. Churchgoers learn all the right answers, even if they do not come from the heart, and cover up struggles by putting on a smile when around other Christians. King David wrote that God seeks truth on the inside (Psalm 51:6), where he alone sees with perfect clarity.
O LORD, You have searched me and known me. 2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You understand my thought from afar. 3 You scrutinize my path and my lying down, And are intimately acquainted with all my ways. 4 Even before there is a word on my tongue, Behold, O LORD, You know it all. Psalm 139:1-4 (NASB)
So, is there any way to know for sure if we are really a Christian or a self-deceived counterfeit?
Repentance and Baptism
When people come to Christ God may points out specific sins to us, which he wants us to stop committing; but, the larger and more important aspect of repentance is turning away from a self-directed lifestyle. Water baptism is a very huge step Jesus directs all his followers to take. The believer who submits to water baptism signals his or her allegiance to Christ, death to sin, and a leaving behind of the self-directed life.
We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. Romans 6:4 (ESV)
Going down into the water is a picture of our being united with Christ in his death. The coming up out of the water symbolizes the spiritual reality that we are identified with and participate in Christ’s resurrection. The remainder of our lives is to be lived in the power of Christ’s resurrection to the glory of God. This cannot happen unless we learn obedience, which is one of the most significant goals of the gospel.
Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages 26 but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith— Romans 16:25-26 (ESV)
Lordship and Obedience
The “gospel” of personal salvation does not emphasize obedience. Instead it focuses on forgiveness, so much so that many people think they can continue to live a sinful lifestyle because God will be sure to forgive them. This is a sin of presumption: we presume on God’s mercy while being casual towards sin. While it is true that God is merciful and we are all sinners, the gospel does not give us a license to continue deliberately in a sinful lifestyle without making any attempt at cooperating with the Holy Spirit in the work of transformation. The fear of the Lord seems to be missing. People who do such things are either not saved at all or have in their future a somewhat scary encounter with the living God, who will discipline them as he sees fit in order to help them change.
For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.” 7 It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? Hebrews 12:6-7 (ESV)
The true gospel, however, emphasizes the Lordship of Christ. People who grasp that Jesus is Lord over all things, especially over the lives of those who come to him for salvation, understand that obedience to him (loyalty) defines the relationship.
Truthfulness on the inside will produce loyalty in our behavior. Falsehood in the inside will produce a sinful lifestyle. What we are inside always comes to the surface eventually.
If Jesus is Lord, then we will say “yes” to him in every area of life. When we say “yes,” the Holy Spirit comes alongside us to help us live it out. If we only see Jesus as a savior, we may feel comfortable saying “no” to him. There is something extremely disingenuous and paradoxical when a follower of Christ says, “No, Lord.” Those two words do not ever properly go together.
Grace and Transformation
The true gospel of God’s grace transforms us from the inside out. It sets us apart to fulfill God’s purposes through the activity and power of the Holy Spirit in our lives. This always results in obedience to the Great Commission and in all the little details of life. Followers of Christ no longer belong to themselves. We have been bought and paid for by God through the death and resurrection of his Son.
Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, 20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (ESV)
Grace and Obedience
Grace is sometimes misunderstood and equated with mercy. Mercy is when God does not punish us according to what our sins deserve. Because Christ already took the punishment for our sins upon himself, God no longer must pay us back in kind for our sins. His justice has already been served. Instead he works on an entirely different plane. He deals with his children in order to transform them into Christ’s image, bring glory to himself, and validate the gospel’s claims. A side benefit to us is that we experience great joy and fulfillment in the process. Sometimes he is extremely kind and patient with us. At other times, we may encounter the severity of God. God’s “woodshed” is not a place we want to visit.
Think about it. God is not glorified by disobedient Christians. When we disobey God, we fail to reflect Christ to a watching world. Our disobedience often gives unbelievers an excuse to reject the gospel. They may reason that the gospel is a hoax because we who profess to believe are behaving badly. Grace is God’s power working within the believer to enable him or her to obey. It really is that simple. The Holy Spirit is God’s Agent of grace to us. He indwells every child of God, empowering us to live the Christ life. This is an amazing secret to being God’s proper representatives in the world. Paul called it the “law of the Spirit of life.”
So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. 2 And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. 3 The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. 4 He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit. Romans 8:1-4 (NLT)
Testing the Genuineness of Our Faith
Many believers have never been taught that God’s Spirit can and will enable them to live a life of transformational obedience. The “gospel” of personal salvation sets us up to believe that God does not expect much from us on this side of the grave. He forgives us for our continuing failures and absolves us from taking his commands seriously. The true grace of God, however, encourages us to realize that after being released from the just condemnation our sins deserved, God empowers us by his Spirit to live a God-glorifying life of obedience.
For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, 12 training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, 13 waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works. Titus 2:11-14 (ESV)
Which gospel did we receive? We can easily tell by checking our attitude toward obedience.
- Do we realize that our lives no longer belong to us, or do we think we still have the right to direct our own affairs without reference to God?
- Do we routinely excuse our sinful behavior because we do not believe God really cares that much whether we obey or not?
- Are we aware of God’s working in our lives to set us free from sin in specific areas? If so, are we cooperating with God’s grace and living in the fear of the Lord?
- Have we embraced God’s mission as our mission? Are we Great Co-Missionaries?
If we feel no need to surrender our lives and personal affairs to Christ, we may not be a true follower of Christ. If we feel no desire or conviction to repent from a self-directed life and from specific sins, we may not be a true child of God. If we feel fine about never sharing our faith, perhaps we do not have the Great Witness, the Holy Spirit, living inside us.
These are very real considerations. Perhaps examining our lives in this way makes us feel uncomfortable; nevertheless, it is a good thing for us to do so.
Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine. Test yourselves. Surely you know that Jesus Christ is among you; if not, you have failed the test of genuine faith. 2 Corinthians 13:5 (NLT)
We do not earn our salvation through good works, but, if we are truly saved, good works will surely follow. This is because the Holy Spirit will inspire us to do these things and give us the inner power to accomplish them. That is what the law of the spirit of life does. As James put it: faith without works is dead. We demonstrate the reality of our faith through our good works done in love and faith via the power of God’s Spirit.
So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless. 18 Now someone may argue, “Some people have faith; others have good deeds.” But I say, “How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds.” James 2:17-18 (NLT)
Sadly, the modern church has many people who have never been truly born again. They have never had their spiritual eyes opened to the revelation of Christ, who is both Savior and glorious Lord. They have never been filled with God’s Holy Spirit. They do not know personally what it means to be in relationship with God.
Three things help us to know if our faith is real.
- Have we believed the gospel in our hearts, rather than simply mentally agreeing with it?
- Do we have an inner “witness” from God’s Spirit that we belong to him?
- Do our lives give evidence of transformation and obedience to Christ?
If we cannot say yes to these three things, it is time for us to earnestly seek God until we have a breakthrough.
Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. Matthew 7:7-8 (NLT)
Prayer
Lord Jesus, the Bible says that we can know that we have eternal life. You said that your sheep hear your voice. I want to know you in the deepest way possible. Holy Spirit please open my spiritual eyes, unstop my spiritual ears, and heal my hardened heart so that I may see Jesus for who he really is. Come, Lord Jesus, into my life as both Lord and Savior. Holy Spirit, transform me on the inside to make me an obedient child of God. I surrender every aspect of my life to you. I trust you to do in me what I cannot do for myself. Amen.
