“Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!” (2 Corinthians 13:5, ESV)
I do not know of many students that enjoyed tests in school, especially the mid-terms and final exams. When I was in college, pursuing a degree in mechanical engineering, final exam week was one of the most stressful times of the semester. I remember as a freshman in my second semester fretting over my Calculus 2 final. The reason was that I had failed my mid-term and was on the verge of failing the course. I had previously met with the instructor while it was still possible to drop the course without a grade and she encouraged me to stick it out. So, this is what I did.
The week prior to the exam I did something that I should have been doing all the way along. I went through the entire textbook. I studied every possible calculation to make sure I knew how to do them. Then I went through the self-examination problems at the end of each chapter to make sure I knew how to do them correctly. Having done so, I was confident that I could pass the test.
The day of the final came and I was still a bit nervous. I opened the exam booklet up and began. I finished all the questions and looked up to the desk where we were supposed to place the finished exam. There were no exams on the desk. Everyone else was still busy working on theirs. I thought I must have done something wrong so I went back through each problem in the test booklet. I could not find anything wrong so I walked up, placed the book on the desk, and left the room.
The next week I saw the professor to see how I did. She said that she could not believe it. She even had another professor check the work. I had aced the exam. There was not one error. The key for me in this turnaround was doing the self-exam questions in the back of the book.
Here, Paul tells the Corinthians to take a spiritual self-examination to see if they are truly in the faith. From this, we must deduce that it is possible to have assurance of our salvation. John wrote a letter to believers so they might have this assurance. Look at his words, “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life” (1 John 5:13, KJV). In John’s treatise, he gives specific ways to examine our lives to know that we have eternal life. there are too many specifics to include in a short devotion but there are some generalities.
One key is a characteristic walk of faith and devotion to the Lord our God and the truth contained in His word. Paul alluded to this later in his letter stating that he and his team could “do nothing against the truth” (2 Corinthians 13:8, KJV). Those who are truly in the faith hold firmly with a love for the Lord and the word of God. It is not sinless perfection, but a life characterized by an abiding relationship with our Lord. The believer is no longer defined by a love for the world system but a love for God and His righteousness. It truly is an examination of the affections of the heart.
Therefore, let us all examine ourselves to see if we are in the faith. If we fail the test, let us seek the Lord for His saving grace by faith. The big final question is, “Am I truly trusting in Jesus Christ alone for my salvation?” We will have the assurance of having said yes when we see that the true desires of our heart are for God and His righteousness.
Renewing the Heart 