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 actual test to see if our faith is genuine?
It is whether or not our lives look like Jesus. Period.
Do we need to rehearse here what Jesus' life looked like?
Jesus prayed. Jesus called for repentance. Jesus preached the Good News of forgiveness. Jesus healed the infirmed. Jesus miraculously fed thousands. Jesus walked on water. Jesus commanded storms to stop and demons to flee. Jesus raised the dead. Jesus counted His own life as nothing for the sake of the world so that they might be saved.
Surely, as Paul said, we see all these 'Jesus things' in our lives, right?
No? Then, on the authority of God's Holy Word as spoken through the Apostle Paul, we have failed the test of genuine faith.
Suddenly, just going to church on Sunday seems to be a facade. All our attempts to be "modern" in our worship matter for nothing. Preaching messages meant to be non-offensive are pointless. All the education and understanding of ancient languages and cultures is worthless.
If our lives do not look like Jesus' life, then we have failed the test of genuine faith - we are NOT Christians.
"Genuine faith" means our lives are indistinguishable from the life of Jesus.
I did not come up with this... the Holy Spirit did through the Apostle Paul in his second letter to the Church in Corinth.
Father, forgive me that my life has not, and does not, look like Jesus. Forgive me for declaring myself a Christian, but looking and acting nothing like Christ. Oh, forgive me Lord - show me how to transcend the faithless, godless, and selfish culture that I and the Church have 'bought into.'
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