10/29/2024
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.
— 2 Corinthians 13:5 NKJV
Some people go to church and they've simply taken it for granted that they're a Christian. Indeed, they would be offended if anyone questioned whether they're a Christian or not. They know the lingo. They know the doctrines. They know what's expected of them morally. They've passed their Christian education classes. They've done better than most. Why would anyone, including themselves, have a question about the genuineness of their faith? Why would anyone, including themselves, want to go through an examination to see if they're in the faith or not? Maybe you feel like that.
On the other hand, maybe it's not such a bad idea. After all, the world is full of phonies. The world is full of people who claim to be one thing but are actually something quite different. Some are deceptive schemers who have an ulterior agenda that's not fit for public consumption. Consequently, they have to cloak it with a masquerade. Many, however, are self-deceived. They are people who simply do not know themselves. They went along with the traditions of their parents or peers without realizing that they never made them truly their own. Maybe you're one of them.
Maybe you've claimed to be a Christian, but Jesus doesn't live in you. It couldn't hurt to find out. You know what the stakes are from the Christian point of view. The stakes are very high. Heaven and hell lay in the balance. It couldn't hurt to take a hard look at your true motives and desires to see if they line up with what you've been saying about yourself all along. It couldn't hurt to deeply examine your inner life in order to find out what truly motivates you.
In fact, do more than examine yourself. Test yourself. Look back to when times were tough to see if your confession held up. What happened back then? What would happen now? When the moral test comes, or when persecution comes, what would happen?
If you examine and test yourself and discover that Jesus doesn't live in you, then now is the time. If you want, you know how to ask Him to come into your heart.
