The Test
3rd and final message of the ‘Heavenly Certainty’ series
Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test! (II Corinthians 13:5)
That’s plain enough, right? Examine yourselves to see if you’re in the faith—whether you’re a real follower of Jesus or a false convert. Paul here only gives one criteria for the test, whether or not Jesus is ‘in you’ and if He is not, you fail the test. It’s completely consistent with what we have already established under ‘What salvation is’. We said it is ‘knowing’ Jesus—being in real, two way relationship with him.
Paul makes this statement in his letter to the Corinthian church while he’s addressing some controversies so he doesn’t address here how one might go about determining whether or not ‘Jesus Christ is in you’. However, it wouldn’t be reasonable to assume you could undergo the miraculous rebirth we’ve described without it resulting in significant, even dramatic differences in your life. Remember:
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” (II Corinthians 5:17)
The Bible describes many of the differences that should begin to become apparent. Of course no one can give you a test with a score that says if you score under this number, you’re not a Christian but if you score above it you are. Remember, it is a self examination between you and God.
As you embark upon this examination, also keep in mind, as we referenced earlier, after one’s initial repentance, it’s only the beginning of a life-long process of repentance. When I encounter a person that identifies as a Christian and their life-style doesn’t seem to line up with that claim, I consider two possibilities. Either they are a false convert or they simply have a false belief in their life that’s resulting in a negative behavior (sin) that they’ve not yet discovered or dealt with. The Bible even mentions that Christians can be so deceived that they fall into ‘the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.’ (II Timothy 2:26)
If God is real, the devil (Satan, Lucifer and a few other names) is real as well and he’s alive and well on this earth, even referred to as the ‘god of this world’. He hates God, therefore hates all of God’s creation, especially you, who God treasures. Satan will do anything to keep you from being reborn which is also being rescued from his dominion into God’s. If you are born again, He knows he has lost you but then he will do anything he can to harm you, hinder your relationship with God and keep you from being effective in leading others to God.
Only you, with God’s guidance, can determine which category you fall into. It honestly really does not matter, as long as you choose to believe and repent going forward. Some Christians say, “I’ve rededicated my life to the Lord.” I suspect that many who make this claim have really been born again for the first time. However, they may have truly fallen as a Christian into the ‘trap of the devil’. Whether it’s your initial repentance or a step forward in your growth as a genuine believer, the decision is the same one—turn from sinful, selfish ways to follow Jesus. So take comfort in this, be encouraged and come take this test to aid you in coming to a place of complete assurance and confidence—a rock solid faith in Jesus, so joyful that you can’t contain it.
Here we begin a list of things that someone who has been born again will begin to experience as they grow in their faith in Jesus:
Fruit of the Spirit - Someone who is born of the Spirit will begin to yield and increase in the fruits of the Holy Spirit as they grow in their relationship with Jesus.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. (Galatians 5:22-24)
‘The flesh’ here in some translations, is rendered ‘the sinful nature’. It is contrasting what the Holy Spirit produces in our lives to what we produce on our own—in our bodies or ‘flesh’ without the Holy Spirit. The ‘acts of the flesh’ are also listed just before this passage. I suggest you look it up and read the whole chapter of Galatians 5. Have you been growing in these character traits? If you’ve considered yourself a Christian for any length of time and have not been, you should be concerned.Burden for those not yet reborn - Just as someone who has been rescued from drowning would naturally try to likewise rescue those still in the water, one who has been genuinely born again will have a strong desire for their friends and family to come to know Jesus.
Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John replied, “Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges! As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.” (Acts 4:18-20)
The apostle Paul speaking of his own burden for his Jewish kinsmen:
I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my people, those of my own race, (Romans 9:2-3)
Have you been rescued by Jesus, yet are so unconcerned about those who have not been that you’re doing nothing to proclaim God’s truth of the gospel to them? Either, you’ve not been born of God’s Spirit and cannot perceive their imminent danger or you have a false belief that is hindering this natural, appropriate response.Hunger for God’s word - One genuinely born again will naturally have a desire to grow in their knowledge of God so that they can please Him out of a thankful heart for His great love demonstrated by Jesus.
Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. (I Peter 2:2-3)
If your newborn baby was not hungry and exhibiting the natural sucking reflex required for it to take in nourishment, you would be alarmed. You should likewise be alarmed if you have not experienced a hunger to grow in your knowledge of God.Wisdom and understanding from the Holy Spirit
We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. No, we declare God’s wisdom, a mystery that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. However, as it is written:
”What no eye has seen,
what no ear has heard
and what no human mind has conceived”—
the things God has prepared for those who love him—
these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words. The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit. The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments, for,
“Who has known the mind of the Lord
so as to instruct him?”
But we have the mind of Christ. (I Corinthians 2:6-16)
If you’ve considered yourself a Christian for any significant length of time and have not experienced times when your eyes have been opened to new truths, often opposite to what you previously believed and what is generally accepted in our culture, you should be concerned.Hear the voice of Jesus - I recall a celebrity who made fun of someone for claiming they heard from Jesus. Their comment implied it was ok to pray but when you start hearing answers, you could have a mental illness. They only demonstrated their ignorance of the teachings of Jesus. It’s not an audible voice (possible, but not the norm). The rebirth brings new spiritual senses. We hear His ‘still small voice’ in the quietness of spending time with Him in prayer, through reading the Bible and through other believers.
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: (Jesus from John 10:27)
If ‘hearing the voice of Jesus’ sounds kind of crazy to you, you should probably think carefully about whether or not you’re in a real two-way relationship with Him.Does not continue in sin - We covered this under the ‘Repentance’ section but it fits in this list as well. Someone who has been born again will experience a pattern of reduction in sinfulness or to state it another way, will grow in holiness.
No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him. (I John 3:6)
No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God. (I John 3:9)
We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the One who was born of God keeps them safe, and the evil one cannot harm them. (I John 5:18)
In context with the following passage, we understand that the above passages do not mean that you will never commit another sin. It refers to a ‘deliberate’ lifestyle of sin with no intention of repentance.
If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. (Hebrews 10:26-27)
Have you heard the good news of Jesus and his call to repentance but continued to deliberately do things that you know are sinful?Receives discipline from God
Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live! They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. (Hebrews 12:7-11)
The key phrase for our list here is, “If you are not disciplined… then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all.” Someone who is not receiving any discipline from God is a false convert and not genuinely born again. The opening phrase, ‘Endure hardship as discipline’ reminds me of the preparation of a soldier. He undergoes difficult training so that he will be ready for battle. In the same way, God also uses hardships in our lives to prepare us for battle—the one against the forces of evil for the souls of men. The part about ‘human fathers who disciplined us’ is reminiscent of being punished for wrongdoing but for our good. God will most definitely bring punishing circumstances into the lives of His true children when they return to sinful ways in rebellion against Him. He does so in love, just as you might discipline your toddler who runs into the street. You want to protect them from harm. However, it’s not really your place to discipline a child that’s not yours, is it?
Can you recall any times you’ve been corrected by God for wrongdoing? Can you think of hardships you’ve gone through that you can see now as the hand of God strengthening you, growing your character or preparing you for work He has for you?Good works - Doing good works cannot take your sins away, nor can they earn you passage into heaven. Yet, when you have been born again, have the Holy Spirit within you and begin to grow in the ‘fruit of the Spirit’, compassion resulting in a natural flow of acts of kindness cannot be contained. As I once heard an outstanding preacher named Bailey Smith put it, “Works are not the root of salvation, they are the fruit of salvation.”
What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. (James 2:14-17)
Do you have a compassionate heart that regularly compels you to help others?Loving one another
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (Jesus from John 13:34-35)
Be honest. Are your relationships with other believers characterized by genuine love or is there really more strife, discord and jealousy?Decreasing love for the things of this world - In John 3, Jesus uses the phrase, “For God so loved the world…” meaning the people of the world. The passage below is referring to the ‘things’ of the world or the realm of sin and the ‘god of this world’ (Satan) who is organized against and opposed to God.
Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever. (I John 2:15-17)
Where are your priorities? Are your main pursuits the things of this world—financial success, material things, sexualy immorality, pornography, position and recognition or do you pursue the things of God and endeavor to advance His kingdom?Keeping the commands of Jesus
“If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.” (Jesus from John 14:15-21)
Are you diligently seeking to know, understand and follow the teachings of Jesus?Acknowledging Jesus before others
So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 10:32-33)
No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also. (I John 2:23)
If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. (I John 4:15)
Do your friends, family and coworkers clearly know that you are a follower of Jesus?Remaining in Jesus
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.” (Jesus from John 15:5-6)
They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us. (I John 2:19)
The final test is the test of longevity. As I write this, there is a series of articles by a Christian publication about people who have left the faith, some were well known authors or ministers. In light of the passage we began with where Jesus warns there will be many false converts exposed on the day of judgement (Matthew 7:21-23), this is not at all surprising.
Thinking of ‘false converts’ may conjure thoughts of charlatan televangelists deliberately deceiving people just for financial gain. However, that’s not the case at all. I doubt such deliberate deceivers will be really surprised to hear ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ from Jesus.
No, many within the church are very sincere, even quite zealous for a time. However, if they did not come into a genuine relationship with the savior through the rebirth, they will inevitably become discouraged, burned out, apathetic, disillusioned or deeply offended somehow. This is very telling, demonstrating that their faith was misplaced—often placed in church leaders, their own performance or something else. This is a doomed, futile pursuit, destined for failure. However, those who’ve been genuinely born again will abide in Jesus, receiving their sustenance from the true vine. If you’ve been born again, you know that you, yourself continue in a struggle against sin. Seeing others in the same struggle, even within the church or its leadership is not the least bit surprising.
Be honest. Have you been ‘remaining’ in Jesus and in fellowship with other believers? If you ‘went out from us’, you have to seriously ascertain whether or not you truly ‘belonged to us’ to begin with.
Call for response
Do you remember the scripture that inspired our test?
Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test! (II Corinthians 13:5)
How did you do? Can you proclaim a resounding, “Yes! Jesus Christ is in me! I know without a doubt that I was born again and am in a real two-way relationship with Him!” If so, that’s wonderful. My hope is that you’ve gained understanding and confidence that will inspire you to proclaim the life-changing message of the gospel to everyone that you can.
Some of you though failed the test without a doubt and you feel pierced to your very soul. You realize now that you stand as a guilty sinner before a righteous and holy God. Friend, if you’re convinced that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God who is risen from the dead, if you believe he died on the cross to offer you forgiveness for your sins, all you need to do is call upon His name. Don’t hesitate! Get down on your knees now. Confess your sins, every selfish behavior that comes to mind, and ask Jesus to forgive you. If it’s truly the desire of your heart to turn from your own self-directed path and become His follower, just express this to Him in your very own words. I can promise by the testimony of holy scripture—the words of Jesus Himself—you will be born again, coming into a genuine relationship with Him and beginning the spiritual adventure of truly following Him.
Others of you are just torn. You feel turmoil right now. Maybe you remember praying a prayer in your youth similar to the one I’ve just described. But on the test part, you just didn’t do so hot. Don’t despair, just listen because the solution is very simple. There are only two possibilities. Either you were not genuinely born again or you’ve strayed away from Jesus and been deceived by false beliefs that have hindered your relationship with Him. But you don’t even need to determine right now which one of these is the case because the required response is the same—to believe with all your heart and turn from your own selfish ways to surrender fully to following Jesus and His teachings.
You also need to get down on your knees. Tell God exactly what you’re feeling. He loves you. Know one cares more about you than He does. Confess to Him every area that comes to mind where you know you’ve been failing Him. Express your desire to follow Him from now on with all of your heart. I can promise you as well, that if this is the sincere desire of your heart and you are not genuinely born again, you will be. If you are His child, you will most likely come to understand at some point that today’s decision will mark an important milestone in your walk with Jesus.
This is the third and final message, concluding our series entitled ‘Heavenly certainty’.