How to test & examine ourselves like 2 Cor.13v5 says?

2 Corinthians 13:5 says, “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?”

When Paul wrote these words, those who had not accepted Paul’s godly authority had demanded he prove it. But Paul turns the table on his accusers and challenges them to test and examine themselves to see if they are in “the faith.” He is referring to the objective body of truth that a Christian must believe. At the heart of this truth is the gospel, which encompasses who Christ is, that he is the eternal son of God, and what he did, being born of a virgin, living a sinless life, dying a sacrificial death, and rising again victoriously over sin and death.  He delegated his apostles to preach this gospel of grace, that all who trust in him, are saved from sin’s penalty, and sealed with the Holy Spirit, and baptized into the body of Christ, the church. Trusting in the gospel brings a person into “the faith”, as they are indwelt by Christ.  The proof that a person is saved is that Christ indwells them by the presence of the Holy Spirit. 

What tests can a person apply to themselves to be certain their faith is genuine?  

Let me mention three tests we see in the New Testament. 

TEST 1: The Lordship test

1 John 2:3 – We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands.

Notice that this verse doesn’t say that we come to know him by keeping his commands.  It says that we know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands. The proof that we know him is we obey him as Lord. Does this mean if we disobey him that we aren’t saved? No, I am not saying that.  All of us have disobeyed God, even after coming into “the faith”.   The main thing though is that we want to keep those commands. We may struggle to do so, but if we are saved there is a new nature in us, from Christ, that wants to follow God and keep his Word.  An analogy that comes to mind is steering a ship. In days gone by, sailors would steer a ship using the stars.  The stars could be compared to the commands of God.  That is what we steer our life by.  A sailor at sea might get distracted or fall asleep and get off course, or he might go through a storm and get blown off course.  But when he realizes it, he fixes the problem because his primary desire is to stay on track.  So it is with the child of God.  Sometimes we get blown off course by difficulties or by our own neglect and by foolishness and sin.  Sometimes we just take our eyes off those commands.  But when the overarching desire of our heart is to keep God’s commands and obey Jesus as Lord, then that is evidence that Christ is in us. This is the Lordship test.

TEST 2 – The Fellowship Test

1 John 3:14 – We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love each other.

We can be sure that Christ is in us when we love the other people in God’s church.  Some people say, “I can worship God all by myself and don’t need the church.”  Then why are there over 50 occurrences of the phrase ‘one another’ or ‘each other’. Some examples are: “Encourage … (Heb.10:25); Teach … Admonish … Forgive … (Col.3:16); Be Devoted to… (Rom.12:10); Pray for… (James 5:13-16); Accept… (Rom.15:7); and Serve one another… (Gal.5:13).”  We can’t do this unless we are in fellowship. Why is fellowship a test of our salvation? If we are saved, the proof is we will love what Christ loves, which is his bride, his church, his children. If you want to show your love to me, one way you can do so is to show your love and care for my family (my bride and children).  In a similar way, when we show our love and care for the church, the bride of Christ, and the children of God, we are showing our love and care for Christ. This is the fellowship test.

Test 3: The Relationship Test

John 17:3 – Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.

Salvation/eternal life is about having a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.

1 John 5:12 – I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.

Notice this verse doesn’t say “you who believed”, past tense. It says, “you who believe”, present tense. The Bible never tells us to look back to a past experience for proof of our salvation. If we’re not believing in Jesus in the present, then something is wrong.  This verse emphasizes present belief. A present relationship with Jesus. This is the relationship test.

So, if you hold to the body of gospel truths, and you can examine yourself and say that you pass the relationship test, fellowship test, and Lordship test, then it all points to a genuine growing faith.