Many people struggle with the question of whether their profession of faith in Christ is genuine or not. This is a serious matter because none of us wants to be like the people Jesus described in Matthew 7:22-23. They thought they were right with God, but in the end, they heard those incredibly painful words: “I never knew you, Depart from me…” God’s Word tells us to “examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith” (2 Corinthians 13:5). And the resource He provide to help us do this is His word.
This examination of our faith is not meant to replace the gospel ,create a fear, or to show us if were perfect or not. It’s here to help us examine our faith biblically. To help us see if our lives are showing the evidence of a genuine faith in Christ. It’s to help you make sure that your hope is built on a solid Biblical foundation. As you look through the passages, questions and explanations below, take a moment to honestly ask yourself if these describe you and the reality of your faith.
Do I trust in Christ alone for salvation? True salvation begins with genuine faith in Christ, not in works, morality, or religion. A person who is truly saved rests their hope entirely in the finished work of Christ. (Ephesians 2:8–9)
Am I enjoying fellowship with Christ and the Father?
There are many scriptural references which describe believers as loving God and Christ. Some of the things a believer experiences in their fellowship with God and Christ include: His comfort (2 Cor. 1:3), His grace (1 Pet. 5:10), how He supplies our needs according to His will (Phil. 4:19) and how we’re a child of God who cries out to Him as our Father in times of trouble. (Rom. 8:15; Heb. 4:16; 1 John 1:2-3; 1 Cor. 1:9)
Am I sensitive to sin?
Do I recognize my sin? Am I sensitive to the sin in my life. Do I feel bad when I sin and does this cause me to confess it to the Lord? True believers are not comfortable living in sin. When they sin, the Holy Spirit convicts them and produces repentance. (1 John 1:8-9; Rom. 7:14-25)
Am I obeying God’s word?
A changed heart begins to produce a desire to follow God’s commands. This obedience is not perfect, but it becomes the direction of a believer’s life. (1 John 2:3-4, 29; Matt. 28:20; John 8:31; Luke 8:15; James 2:17, 2:26)
Am I rejecting or loving the evil in the world?
After you became a Christian does the evil in the world repel or attract you? Yes, there is the reality of Christians being lured into the evil of the world. But do you love it or hate it. Do you love God and His truth and reject the false religions and godless living? Do you love spiritual darkness or light? Do you desire to do the devil’s will or God’s will? (1 John 2:15-17, 3:19-20; John 17:14-16; John 8:44)
Am I eagerly waiting for Christ to return and looking forward to being like Him?
Are you desiring for Christ to come back? Are you longing to be with Him? (1 Jn 3:2-3; Rom. 8; Phil. 3:20-21; 1 Cor. 15:49; Titus 2:11-13)
Do I have a growing desire for God’s word?
When someone is spiritually born again, they begin to hunger for Scripture because it feeds their new spiritual life.( 1 Peter 2:2 )
Am I seeing a decreasing pattern of sin in my life?
Is my overall lifestyle characterized by practicing sin or righteousness? Am I seeing a decrease of the sin in my life as I pursue a godly living? Is my life moving in a new direction? Salvation produces transformation over time. A believer’s life begins to turn away from sin and toward righteousness. This is not saying that a Christian cannot sin frequently. It’s saying that we will sin less. We went from being a slave to sin to being a slave to righteousness. All born again believers habitually practice righteousness rather than habitually practicing sin. Because of this there will be a pattern of sin decreasing and righteousness increasing. (1 Jn 3:4-10 ; 2 Cor. 5:17)
Do I love or hate other Christians? One of the clearest evidences of salvation is a growing love for God’s people. A person who has been changed by Christ begins to desire fellowship with other believers. Do you look forward to spending time with other believers? Do you look forward to talking with them? Do you look forward to talking with them about God, studying God’s word together, and praying with them? Do you love them in word and deed? Do you honestly care about other Christians or are you indifferent toward them? Do you love other believers by making sacrifices for them? Do you love other believers by meeting their needs if you have the resources? Are you sacrificially loving them by giving them your time, a prayer, a sympathetic ear to listen to them, your finances, or talents to help meet their needs? (1 Jn 2:9-11; 3:10,14-18; 1 Thess. 4:9-10; John 13:35, 21:17; 1 Pet. 1:22; Gal. 6:10)
Are you experiencing answered prayers?
Answered prayers gives evidence that God is hearing us and that we are abiding in Him and Him in us. Have you prayed to God for forgiveness and received the peace that came from genuinely going to Him in prayer about it? Have you prayed to God to enable you to share the truth with others and see Him answer this prayer? Have you prayed to God about wisdom for a situation and Him answer this by providing the wisdom from His word? (1 John 3:22,24; 5:13-15)
Am I experiencing the ministry of the Holy Spirit in my life?
The Holy Spirit convicts us of our sin He helps us to believe that Jesus is the Son of God, the Savior of the World. He causes us to commit to following Christ. The Holy Spirit helps us to understand God’s word. He brings conviction when we’re being sinful. He causes us to rejoice when worshiping God. The Spirit causes us to praise and adore God and to sing unto the Lord. The Spirit causes us to produce spiritual fruit like “love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, and self-control” Fruit does not save us, but it reveals that genuine faith is present. The Holy Spirit bears witness by providing evidence of His presence in our life by helping us to understand scripture and by bringing us into fellowship with God through prayer and worship. The Spirit enables us to minister to others. (1 Jn 2:27; 4:13-14; 1 Cor. 2:10; Eph. 5:19; Gal. 5:22-23; Rom. 8:16; 1 John 4:13; Matt. 7:16-20)
Are you able to discern between spiritual truth and error?
Do you understand who Jesus is and what He did to provide salvation? Do you understand and believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. Do you understand and believe that He suffered and died on the cross and rose again from the dead? Do you know what was accomplished through Christ’s death and resurrection? Do you understand and believe that salvation does not come by our good works? (1 John 4:1-6; 5:1; 1 Thess. 5:21)
Have you experienced rejection because of your faith?
Have you suffered in any way because of your faith in Christ? 1 John 3:13; 2 Tim. 3:12; 1 Pet. 2:21; Phil. 1:28)
Do I persevere in faith?
Genuine salvation produces endurance. Those who truly belong to Christ continue in the faith rather than permanently walking away. Do I continue following Christ over time?True faith endures. Those who permanently abandon Christ demonstrate that their faith was never genuine to begin with.(1 John 2:19; Colossians 1:22–23; Luke 8:12-15)