Many people who assume they are Christians may be surprised to find that the writers of Scripture never took for granted that those in the visible church were actually members of the true church, the assembly of all who truly belong to God. 

     Even Jesus Himself warned that the church would contain false brethren in the midst of the true: He spoke of tares among the wheat, leaven in the dough, bad fish among the good in the dragnet, and seed sown on poor soil that produced no fruit.  Paul warned of wolves among the sheep (Acts 20:29), and told the readers of his letters (who were people in the churches) to examine themselves to be sure they were in the faith (2 Cor. 13:5).  Peter, likewise, warned his readers to make their “calling and election sure” (2 Peter 1:10); John wrote his entire first letter (1 John) to put his readers to the test of true faith, suggesting that those who did not keep His commandments were “liars” with no truth in them (1 John 2:4). 

     The false confidence many people have is usually based on a “conversion experience” they may have had:  walking an aisle, becoming a believer in God, becoming a baptized, serving, faithful churchgoer, praying a prayer or knowing a Bible verse.  (In fact, several great evangelists of the past witnessed large numbers of “conversions,” only to eventually acknowledge that many of those people were never truly saved.)  No place in Scripture presents the above things, or even serving faithfully in the church, as evidences of salvation.  The main scriptural evidence for salvation is spiritual fruit, for “by their fruits you shall know them” (Mt. 7:16-20). 

     At the risk of offending those who may profess salvation but not actually possess it, the following is a Biblical test of genuine salvation, given, first of all, so that the truly saved will be confident in their faith (for the Bible is clear that one can know where one stands before God), and so that those who have false assurance will not be deceived about their eternal destiny.  Keep in mind that this is a self-test, and if you think you might be failing, you owe it to yourself and God to sincerely seek God’s answer to these questions.

 

1. Does the Holy Spirit dwell within you?  (1 John 4:13-14) Do you consistently experience the reality of the Bible’s promise that the Holy Spirit “bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God” (Rom. 8:16)?  Does the indwelling Spirit help you to understand God’s Word (1 John 2:10-12), be convicted and changed by it, and rejoice in it (1 John 2:27; 1 Cor. 2:12)?  Does your spirit cry out “Abba, Father!” (Gal. 4:6), which is a sign of your intimacy with God?

 

2. Do you have an abiding love and desire for God and His Word? (1 John 1:2-3, 5:1)  Do you hunger and thirst after righteousness, and does your soul seek him “as the deer pants for the water brooks” (Ps. 42:1)? Do you find in David a kindred spirit when he says, “My soul breaks with longing For Your judgments at all times” (Ps. 119:20)? Or is your true passion for the things of the world? “If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him” (1 John 2:15).

 

3. Is it natural for you to love other Christians? (1 John 2:9-11; 3:10, 14-21)  Do you look forward to being with and sharing God with other godly believers?  Who do you spend most of your time with?  Are you comfortable “speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord” (Eph. 5:19)?  Do you habitually focus on yourself, or do you honestly care for people in the church by meeting their needs?

 

4. Are you obedient to Christ’s commandments? (1 John 2:3-5)  Do you mourn all known disobedience in yourself and in others? (1 John 1:6)  (This does not mean sinless, for the one who believes he is, is a liar -- 1 John 1:8.)  As you yield to the indwelling Spirit of God, do you find sin becoming increasingly crowded out by the fruit of the Spirit, which is “love, joy,  peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Gal. 5:22-23)?