Are you in the faith?

Are you in the faith?

Yes or no? How do you know?

In 2 Corinthians 13:5, the Apostle Paul admonished the Church of Corinth to “examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? –Unless indeed you are disqualified.”

The Apostle Paul found out that members of the Church of Corinth had fallen into sin (impurity, sexual immorality, and sensuality) and were unrepentant.

The Apostle Paul told them to scrutinize themselves to find out if they were in the faith. Was Jesus Christ in them? If so, they would have the Holy Spirit indwelling and empowering them to live righteous and holy lives–devoid of making a practice of sin. The Holy Spirit would convict them of their sin–leading them to repent and turn away from it.

If not, they would fail the test and know that Jesus wasn’t in them, they didn’t have the Holy Spirit, and weren’t in the faith.

One of the ways we can test ourselves is by examining our works. Our works testify to who our true master is. Is Jesus our Master? Are we indwelled by the Holy Spirit?

If yes, the evidence will be the fruit of the Holy Spirit made manifest in our lives: (1) love, (2) joy, (3) peace, (4) long-suffering, (5) kindness, (6) goodness, (7) faithfulness, (8) gentleness, and (9) self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).

The Holy Spirit sanctifies and conforms us to the image of Jesus Christ. Therefore, you cannot be a believer and follower of Jesus Christ and not have the outworking of the Holy Spirit in your life.

So ask yourself, are you living a righteous and holy life before the Lord–devoid of making a practice of sin? This is not about being religious, but adhering to the biblical standard for our lives.

If we say that we abide in Him, then we ought to walk as He walked (1 John 2:6). If we say that we know Him or love Him, then we must keep His commandments (1John 2).

Be encouraged! You are loved! ❤