Week 10 - Saturday

Test Yourselves

Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you-- unless indeed you fail the test? (2 Corinthians 13:5)

The Bible says that only those who have received Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior can be sure they are saved.. Approximately 80% of the people who live in the United States say they are Christians. However many who think they are Christians, really are not. The Bible gives us several ways to test ourselves to see if our faith in Christ is real. The ten questions that follow are designed to give you an opportunity to test yourself to see if you truly have received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior? Are you really a Christian? If you want to find out, test yourself.

1) Do you believe that Jesus Christ is God?

1 John 4:15; John 10:30; John 14:9; Titus 2:13

2) Do you believe that Jesus died to save you from your sins and that He was raised from the dead?

1 John 2:2; 1 Cor. 15:1-4; Rom. 10:9

3) Do you love God more than anything in the world?

1 John 2:15; 1 Pet. 2:7; Matt. 10:37-39

4) Do you have a deep desire to obey God?

1 John 2:3-5; John 14:15; Rom. 6:17

5) Are you confessing your sins, truly sorry that you have offended God?

1 John 1:8-10; Luke 18:13-14; 2 Cor. 7:10-11

6) Are you turning away from your sins?

1 John 3:7-8; Heb. 10:26-27; 2 Tim. 2:19

7) Do you love your fellow man?

1 John 2:9; 1 John 3:10; John 13: 35

8) Are you sharing what you have, to help meet the needs of others?

1 John 3:16-17; James 2:14-17; Luke 6:32-35

9) Do you sense the presence of God's Holy Spirit in your life?

1 John 3:24; Gal. 5:22-24; Rom. 8:14

10) Have you suffered persecution because you are sharing the gospel with others?

1 John 3:13; 2 Tim. 3:12; Rom. 8:16-17; Matt. 10:32-33

Did you take the test? If so, how did you do? If you are a Christian, your answer to the first two questions would have been yes. In fact your answer to all the questions should have been yes. If you are like most people though, you probably noticed some things you need to become more obedient in. If that's the case, how do you feel about it? Do you want to confess those things to God and try to become more obedient in those areas? Or, doesn't it bother you? These are important questions to ask yourself. If you want to know if you are really saved, you need to examine your heart. No one obeys God perfectly. Because we are human there are times when all of us fail. However those who have been saved, desire to follow Jesus and want to obey Him. The reason they want to obey is because God changed their heart when they were saved. That is the main difference between someone who is a Christian and someone who is not. A true Christian has had their heart changed by God. They love Jesus Christ, hate their sin and want to obey God. An unbeliever could never honestly say that was true about them.

Well, what about you? Are you really saved? If you asked yourself the questions, examined your heart and still believe that you are a Christian, thank God for saving you and continue to follow Jesus Christ. On the other hand, if you examined your heart and found you are not a Christian or if you don't know for sure, you can be saved too. But not by your own efforts. Nothing you could ever do can pay the price for your sins. Jesus already did that for you when He died on the cross. The things listed in the ten questions above are not what you need to do to become a Christian. They are not the steps to getting saved. They are the signs that salvation has already occurred. If these things are true about you, they give you proof that you are saved. If not, most likely you aren't saved.

If you desire to receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and be saved from your sins, this is what you need to do. Tell God you are sorry for your sins. Ask Him to forgive you. Tell Him you want to turn away from your sins and begin to follow Jesus Christ as your Lord. If you are willing to do that, God's Holy Spirit will come and live in you. God will change your heart so that you will want to follow Jesus Christ and obey Him.

You can know for sure that you are a true Christian when you feel God's Spirit working in you, changing your heart and making you more like Jesus Christ. This presence of God's Holy Spirit in you, is an absolute guarantee that you have been saved and have received eternal life. (Eph.1: 13-14), (2 Cor. 3:16-18)