Examine yourself
“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?” 2 Corinthians 13:5
When God comes into a life He changes it, and there is always evidence to be found! There are five foundational evidences we can see it from 1 John.
John says in 1 John 5:13, “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that you may know that you have eternal life.” The logical question is, “what things?” The immediate reference is clearly to the preceding text of the book of 1 John. In his epistle, John offers five positive foundational tests, or evidences of a changed life, a life changed by Jesus Christ.
*1. A Hatred for Sin (1 John 1:8-2:1)*
Many will quote 1 John 1.9, from memory, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” What does it mean?. The word “confess” means to “agree with.” It implies that we will agree with God about our sin and feel the same way about it as He does. We will come to see sin as through His holy eyes. It clearly means more than just verbally admitting that we have sinned. It means that we will hate our sin, and forsake it.
When we have a sight of our sin, as viewed in the mirror of God’s Word, we will develop of sorrow for our sin. We will say, as David said Psalm 51:4, “Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight.” Proverbs 8:13 says “To fear the Lord is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech.”
*2. Obedience of God’s Law (1 John 2: 3-4).*
Verse 3 says, “Hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.”
The word “keep” means to watch or guard, or to carefully observe. 1 John 5:3 states that the commandments of God are “not grievous.” The Lord places in us a desire to obey Him. This truth sheds light on the meaning of 1 John 3: 9, “Whoever is born of God does not commit sin; for his seed remains in him and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.” It is not that the believer does not have the ability to sin, as we all do, but that he cannot abide or tolerate sin. The “seed of God” remaining in him will not allow him to continue in sin. He just cannot keep on living the same old way.
*3. A Love for the Brethren (1 John 2: 9-11, 3: 10, 14-15).*
It is natural for believers to love other believers. In fact, it is natural for believers to grow closer to each other than even their immediate family members who are unsaved. Why? Because as believers we have the Holy Spirit of God in us. If we love God, and another believer has God dwelling in him, we will naturally love him, for the sake of Jesus Christ and the Spirit which dwells in him.
Along with this basic truth is the reality that we will treat others with grace as we have been shown grace. We will forgive as we have been forgiven. We will hate sin in other believers, not because we feel ourselves to be better than them, but because it is offensive to our God and detrimental to them and their relationship with Him. We will be motivated by care for them and their spiritual well-being.
*4. A Love for, and a persistent following after Holiness (2:29, 3: 3-9).*
John declares that in 1 John 3:3 “everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.” Now John is in no way implying that Christians never commit any sins. The verb tenses in these verses indicate that true believers do not go on sinning as their main pattern of conduct, but rather, in the main, they seek after holiness. 1 John 3:9 states that “those who have been born of God “cannot sin.” Again, this does not mean that the believer does not have the ability to stumble, and commit isolated sins, but that he cannot tolerate the ongoing practice and presence of sin in his life, because it is simply incompatible with the “seed” of God that remains in him.
The Apostle Paul wrote of his own personal struggle with sin in Romans 7:13-25. And at the end of his life he wrote in Philippians 3:12-14, “he had not yet “arrived,” or “attained perfection,” but that he kept on “pressing on” so as to attain “the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” The mark of the true believer is the constant and persistent following after holiness, and an absolute refusal to tolerate the presence of any known sin in our lives.
We might ask, at this point, a series of soul- searching questions. What is the chief object of my affection? What are my highest priorities? Is holiness a priority in my life? What am I pursuing? Am I hungering and thirsting for righteousness?. Am I loving and seeking God with my whole heart? If so, do I understand that I must pursue holiness, because without holiness it is impossible to see God?.
*5. The Internal witness of the Holy Spirit, that we belong to Jesus Christ (1 John 4:13, 5: 10-11).*
Romans 8:16 states that “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.” God has given us His Spirit to seal us until the day of redemption as we read in Ephesians 4:30, and to testify with our spirits that we belong to Him. Every believer has this internal witness which is why he cannot engage in sinful behavior with impunity.
Faith that is real will endure testing, examination, and questioning. The true believer will happily hold up his profession to the light of the Word of God. He wants to know that his faith is genuine, and if his life and experience bear it out. If his faith is found to be flawed or lacking, he will run to the Savior, and seek His mercy and grace.
Let us not let pride keep us from genuinely seeking the Savior, and examining our hearts. Again, hear the warning of the Lord: 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?