Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine. Test yourselves. Surely you know that Jesus Christ is among you; if not, you have failed the test of genuine faith. [2 Corinthians 13.5]
What is the test of genuine faith?
It would seem that genuine faith has this tell-tale sign: that one knows Jesus is with him.
Worthy of consideration however is something that might be easily overlooked. Paul's sentence is plural in its subject - not singular ("Test yourselves"). Trivial as this may seem, what if it is not?
Consider this: the Gospel is not really singular, is it? "For God so loved the WORLD..." must remain central to our understanding of God's intentions.
If Paul's message here is really intended to be plural, then what are we to make of it? Could it be that it is simply not enough to say, "I am good with Jesus and that is all that matters..." ? Could it be that the genuine test of faith is whether Christ is found in our plurality (and not just our individuality)?
We seem to make "faith" a very personal, individual thing. Perhaps it is time we consider the possibilties of making our faith more corporate... 120 people did so in an upper room not long after Jesus ascended back to heaven and the Church was born!
Father help me - help us - to see that our faith may not be as personal and private as we have thought. Help us to examine ourselves corporately to see if Jesus is among us!
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