2 Corinthians 13:5
Now I want to give you a little test to
help you examine your faith. I'm convinced that many churches are filled with
people who have a kind of faith that doesn't save them. James called it a dead
faith. Our scripture says, "Examine yourself whether you be in the
faith." I would think we want to be sure our faith is real. As we look at ourselves we
ought to be asking - Am I really a Christian? Have I really appropriated this
gift that God gives or have I believed genuinely? What do you look at in your
life to discern whether your faith is real? What are the marks?
First of all, let me show you some things
that neither prove nor disprove saving faith, okay? I'm going to give you a
little list of things that don't prove anything. You could be a Christian, or you
could not be a Christian and still have these things. They don't prove or
disprove saving faith. But you need to know what they are so you are not
deceived.
Number one, visible morality. What do I mean by that? Well, some people are just
good people. Some of them are very religious, and on the outside appear very
moral. Some people are just good people. They're honest. They're forthright in
their dealings. They're grateful people. They're kind people. And they have an
external, visible kind of morality. By the way, the Pharisees certainly rested
on that for their hope. They're loving people, some of them are tender-hearted
people. But when it comes to really loving and serving God, they know nothing
and feel nothing. This person is honest in his dealings with everybody except
God. They won't rob anybody but God. They are thankful and loyal to everybody
but God. They have good relationships with everybody but God. They are very
much like the rich young ruler who says, "All these things have I kept,
what do I lack?" This is visible morality but it does not necessarily mean
they have a saving faith. People can clean up their act by reformation rather
than regeneration.
The second thing that doesn't prove or disprove saving
faith is intellectual knowledge. This
doesn't prove true faith. Knowledge of the truth is necessary for salvation,
and visible morality is the fruit of salvation, but neither one equal
salvation. You see, you can know all about God and you can know all about Jesus
and who He was, and He came into the world and He died on the cross and He rose
again and He's coming again, and you can even know more of the details of His
life, you can understand all of that and still turn your back on Christ. The
writer of Hebrews writes to those in chapter 6 who knowing all of that refused
Christ. In chapter 10 he says, "You're treading underfoot the blood of
Christ by not believing what you know is true." There are many people who
know the Scripture and who have knowledge but are bound for hell. You will never be saved without that knowledge
but having that knowledge doesn't necessarily save you. Thirdly, religious involvement is not necessarily a proof of true faith. There are people who have, according to Paul in writing to Timothy, a form of godliness but it’s powerless, an empty kind of religion. (2 Timothy 3:5) Remember the virgins in Matthew 25 who were waiting and waiting and waiting for the coming of the bridegroom who is Christ, but when He comes they don't go in. They had everything together except the oil in their lamps. That which was most necessary was missing. The oil probably symbolic of the new life, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, they weren't regenerate, they were religious but not regenerate. You can have external visible morality, intellectual knowledge and religious involvement and it may not indicate genuine faith.
Fourth, active ministry is not a proof of true faith.. Balaam was a prophet; Saul of Tarsus thought he was serving God by killing Christians; Judas was a public preacher; Judas was an apostle. Remember what Jesus said in Matthew 7, "Many will say to me, `Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name and done many wonderful works?... And He says to them, `Depart from Me, you workers of iniquity, I never knew you.'" Ministry activity is not necessarily a proof of saving faith. Salvation is not based on anything we DO.
Number five, conviction of sin...Lots of people feel bad about sin. Listen, this whole world is full of people that are just guilt-ridden to the core. Some may even confess their sins. Some may even abandon their sins and say “I don't like to live this way, I want to shape up, amend my ways, I want to change and become a better person.” That's reformation, not regeneration and no degree of conviction of sin is conclusive evidence of saving faith. God does not desire a “cleaned up” version of the old self…
Number six, assurance. Some people say, "Well I must be a Christian, I feel like one, I think I'm one." The whole point of Satan's deception is to make people think they're Christians who aren't. Many people feel sure they're saved, they're not. This is why Paul said to “test yourself”…
Number seven, the last one, a time of decision. I hear people say, "Well I know I'm a Christian because I remember when I signed the card...I remember when I prayed a prayer...I remember when I went forward in the church service...I remember right where I was." Listen, because you remember a moment doesn't mean that moment or that decision was valid. Nobody's salvation is verified by a past moment. People have prayed prayers and gone forward in church services and signed cards and gone into prayer rooms and been baptized and joined churches…and never had saving faith.
So those are some of the non-proofs. They don't really prove anything. You say, "Well then what does prove saving faith?" Tomorrow I will list the things that do show saving faith; things we can use to “test ourselves to see if we are in the faith.”