37 The Pattern of Sanctification: Authenticity

(2 Corinthians 13:5–6)

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? But I trust that you will realize that we ourselves do not fail the test. (13:5–6)

In the closing section of his epistle (12:20–13:10) Paul focuses on several issues of great importance in the life of the church. Like all true men of God, he longed for his people to become mature in Christ. Thus, the preceding chapters of this volume have discussed the vitally important issues of repentance, discipline, and biblical authority.

But that discussion presupposes that the people concerned are authentic Christians. Unfortunately, that is not the case in the church. In any congregation there will be “false brethren” (11:26; Gal. 2:4), tares among the wheat (Matt. 13:25–30, 36–42). At the heart, therefore, of the pastor’s concern for the spiritual well-being of his people is that they be spiritually alive. If they are not, they obviously cannot truly repent, accept discipline, or submit to authority. Paul’s goal for the Corinthians, as it was for all believers, was that they live at the highest level of spiritual maturity. But for them to grow in Christ, they first had to be in Him. Therefore Paul called them to examine themselves and determine their true spiritual condition.

To do so is critically important, since those who misjudge their spiritual state face eternal tragedy. They will hear from the Lord Jesus Christ the most chilling, horrifying, terrible words imaginable: “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness” (Matt. 7:23). In one sense, the most dangerous place for an unconverted person to be is in the church. Hearing the truth but not responding to it brings greater accountability and severer judgment.

By way of challenging the Corinthians to do a spiritual inventory on their lives, Paul both called them to genuine faith and extolled its benefits.

THE CALL TO GENUINE FAITH

Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! (13:5a)

The Corinthians, prompted by the evil insinuations of the false apostles, had demanded proof of Paul’s apostleship. He reluctantly defended himself, not for his own sake, but for the Lord’s, and so the Corinthians would not be cut off from the truth he preached to them. But in this passage, he turned the tables on his accusers and challenged them to test and examine themselves. The Greek text places the pronouns before the verbs for emphasis and literally reads, “Yourselves test to see if you are in the faith; yourselves examine.” Instead of arrogantly and foolishly challenging the genuineness of Paul’s relationship to the Lord, the Corinthians needed to examine the genuineness of their own salvation. The familiar New Testament terms peiraz? (test) and dokimaz? (examine) are used here as synonyms. They convey the idea of putting something to the test to determine its genuineness. The test was to see if the Corinthians were in the faith. Pistis (faith) refers here not to the subjective element of belief but to the objective body of Christian truth —the Christian faith.

Paul’s call for self-examination was not a new concept. Job cried out to God, “How many are my iniquities and sins? Make known to me my rebellion and my sin” (Job 13:23; cf. 31:4–6). In Psalm 17:3 David declared, “You have tried my heart. … You have tested me and You find nothing.” “Examine me, O Lord, and try me;” he pleaded in Psalm 26:2. “Test my mind and my heart.” In perhaps the most familiar Old Testament example of self-examination David prayed, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my anxious thoughts; and see if there be any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way” (Ps. 139:23–24). In Lamentations 3:40 Jeremiah exhorted his fellow Israelites, “Let us examine and probe our ways, and let us return to the Lord,” while the Lord’s challenge to Israel was, “Consider your ways!” (Hag. 1:5, 7). Describing the self-examination that is a prerequisite for participating in the Lord’s Supper, Paul wrote, “A man must examine himself, and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of the cup. … But if we judged ourselves rightly, we would not be judged” (1 Cor. 11:28, 31).

Like Paul, the writer of Hebrews understood well the danger of self-deception. Some of the people he addressed in his epistle were intellectually convinced of the truth of the gospel but uncommitted to Christ. He called them to examine the danger of that position in a series of warning passages, which show clearly the great risk of being in the church, but not in Christ.

The first of those warnings is in Hebrews 2:1–3:

For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it. For if the word spoken through angels proved unalterable, and every transgression and disobedience received a just penalty, how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? After it was at the first spoken through the Lord, it was confirmed to us by those who heard.

The phrase, “for this reason” points the reader back to the majesty and glory of Jesus Christ in expressed in chapter 1. He is revealed as the “heir of all things” (v. 2), the One who “made the world” (v. 2), “the radiance of [God’s] glory and the exact representation of His nature” (v. 3), and the One who “upholds all things by the word of His power” (v. 3). After making “purification of sins” on the cross, Christ rose from the dead and ascended to “the right hand of the Majesty on high” (v. 3). Jesus Christ is superior to the angels (vv. 4–7), since He is God (v. 8), the supreme Ruler of the universe (v. 13), and will judge those who fail to come all the way to faith in Him.

The writer also noted a second reason not to reject the gospel, reminding his readers, “If the word spoken through angels [the Old Testament; cf. Acts 7:53; Gal. 3:19] proved unalterable, and every transgression and disobedience received a just penalty, how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?” (Heb. 2:2–3). The Law was given through Moses, but the gospel through Jesus Christ (John 1:17). If those who rejected the Old Testament Law did not escape punishment, how will those who reject the gospel?

Finally, the writer warned his readers that they were accountable because the gospel they had heard “was at the first spoken through the Lord,” then “confirmed to [them] by those who heard [the apostles], God also testifying with them, both by signs and wonders and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will” (Heb. 2:3–4). They could not plead ignorance, having seen the gospel verified by supernatural signs.

Because of the majesty of Christ, the example of what happened to those who rejected the Old Testament Law, and the powerful, miracle-attested preaching of the apostles, those who reject the gospel are without excuse.

A second warning passage comes in Hebrews 3:6–4:2, 6–12:

Christ was faithful as a Son over His house—whose house we are, if we hold fast our confidence and the boast of our hope firm until the end. Therefore, just as the Holy Spirit says, “Today if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as when they provoked Me, as in the day of trial in the wilderness, where your fathers tried Me by testing Me, and saw My works for forty years. Therefore I was angry with this generation, and said, ‘They always go astray in their heart, and they did not know My ways’; as I swore in My wrath, ‘They shall not enter My rest.’” Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God. But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called “Today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end, while it is said, “Today if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts, as when they provoked Me.” For who provoked Him when they had heard? Indeed, did not all those who came out of Egypt led by Moses? And with whom was He angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who were disobedient? So we see that they were not able to enter because of unbelief. Therefore, let us fear if, while a promise remains of entering His rest, any one of you may seem to have come short of it. For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also; but the word they heard did not profit them, because it was not united by faith in those who heard. … Therefore, since it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly had good news preached to them failed to enter because of disobedience, He again fixes a certain day, “Today,” saying through David after so long a time just as has been said before, “Today if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts.” For if Joshua had given them rest, He would not have spoken of another day after that. So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His. Therefore let us be diligent to enter that rest, so that no one will fall, through following the same example of disobedience. For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

The writer reminded his largely Jewish audience of one of the most tragic events in their history. He quoted from Psalm 95, which describes Israel’s unbelief and rebellion in the wilderness after God delivered them from Egypt. Even though they saw His miraculous works on their behalf, many still refused to believe. As a result, God sentenced the unbelieving rebels, who “always [went] astray in their heart, and … did not know [His] ways,” to die in the wilderness and never enter the Promised Land (cf. 1 Cor. 10:1–5). They symbolize those who come near but, because of their sin and unbelief, never enter into the final rest of salvation.

Based on their sobering example, the writer of Hebrews warned his readers, “Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God. But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called ‘Today,’ so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin” (Heb. 3:12–13), and “Today if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts, as when they provoked Me” (v. 15). His great “fear” was that “while a promise remains of entering His rest, any one of [his readers] may seem to have come short of it” (4:1). Those in the church “have had good news preached to [them], just as [the Israelites in the wilderness] also; but the word they heard did not profit them, because it was not united by faith in those who heard” (v. 2). Hearing the gospel but not coming to faith merely increases a person’s condemnation. Those who are outwardly involved in the church but who through disobedience, love of sin, and unbelief fail to embrace Christ will not enter the eternal rest of heaven. The longer they are exposed to the gospel without committing themselves to it, the harder their hearts will become. “Therefore,” the writer of Hebrews urged his readers, “let us be diligent to enter that rest, so that no one will fall, through following the same example of disobedience” (v. 11).

Perhaps the most familiar of the warning passages in Hebrews is found in 6:4–9:

For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame. For ground that drinks the rain which often falls on it and brings forth vegetation useful to those for whose sake it is also tilled, receives a blessing from God; but if it yields thorns and thistles, it is worthless and close to being cursed, and it ends up being burned. But, beloved, we are convinced of better things concerning you, and things that accompany salvation, though we are speaking in this way.

In 6:1 the writer addressed those who were sitting on the fence, who had becoming superficially involved in the church but had not come to faith in Christ. He exhorted them, “Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press on to maturity [salvation], not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God.” They needed to move beyond the incomplete Old Testament teaching about the coming Messiah, repentance, and faith in God to embrace the fullness of the New Testament gospel of Jesus Christ.

Though they were not saved, they had experienced significant spiritual opportunity. They had been “enlightened” (understood the gospel intellectually), had “tasted of the heavenly gift” (experienced some of the nonsalvation benefits Christ brought; i.e., healing, deliverance from demons), been “made partakers of the Holy Spirit” (either through seeing His miraculous gifts operating in the church or experiencing His convicting of sin, which can be resisted; cf. Acts 7:51), and “tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come” (the miraculous gifts referred to in Heb. 2:4). It should be noted that none of those terms refer anywhere in Scripture to salvation.

These uncommitted people were in a disastrous position. If, after experiencing all of those spiritual benefits, they were to “[fall] away, it [would be] impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame.” Because they reject the gospel despite having a full understanding of it, such apostates are unredeemable; there is no further revelation to give them. They have rejected with full light.

Using a simple agricultural illustration in verses 7 and 8, the writer pointed out that there are ultimately only two kinds of people in the church. Similar to Jesus’ parable of the sower (Matt. 13:18–23), they are represented by two different types of soil. When the rain, symbolizing the gospel, falls on the good soil (representing true believers), it “brings forth vegetation useful to those for whose sake it is also tilled, [and] receives a blessing from God” (Heb. 6:7). On the other hand, the worthless ground (representing those who hear and understand the gospel but reject it) “yields thorns and thistles, it is worthless and close to being cursed, and it ends up being burned” (v. 8).

Hebrews 10:26–31 reiterates the danger facing those who understand the gospel but remain uncommitted to Christ as Lord:

For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries. Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge His people.” It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Those who refuse to repent and confess Jesus as Lord will die in their sins despite their knowledge of the gospel. There is no other Savior than Jesus Christ and no other sacrifice for sins. “There is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

Those who reject Christ face “a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries.” The reference, taken from Isaiah 26:11, is to God’s eternal destruction of His enemies in hell (cf. Matt. 5:22; 18:9; Mark 9:43; Rev. 19:20; 20:14–15; 21:8). If those who broke the Mosaic Law were put to death without mercy, the writer asks, “How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace?” The sobering reality is that the greater people’s exposure to the gospel, the more severe their punishment will be if they reject it. To allow them to continue unchallenged in their rejection of the gospel only increases their condemnation. The church, knowing “it is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God,” must call them to repentance. It should be remembered by unbelievers that sitting under the preaching of the gospel is high-risk behavior, because rejection intensifies eternal punishment.

A final warning from the writer of Hebrews comes in 10:38–39: “But My righteous one shall live by faith; and if he shrinks back, My soul has no pleasure in him. But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul.” The righteous, who “live by faith,” are the opposite of apostates, who are de void of faith. Those who associate themselves outwardly with the church, give intellectual assent to the gospel, yet “shrink back” from a full commitment to Jesus Christ face the terrifying reality of “destruction”— eternal punishment in hell. But the righteous will experience the “preserving of [their] soul” for eternal bliss in heaven (cf. Col. 1:5; 1 Peter 1:4).

Before the storm of divine judgment bursts upon them, people need to examine the foundation of their spiritual life. Only what is built on the bedrock of true saving faith in Jesus Christ will survive (cf. Matt. 7:24–27).

THE BENEFITS OF GENUINE FAITH

Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test? But I trust that you will realize that we ourselves do not fail the test. (13:5b–6)

Paul confidently expected that when the Corinthians examined themselves they would recognize that Jesus Christ was in them. “Christ in you” (Col. 1:27) is the great truth of the gospel. “I have been crucified with Christ,” wrote Paul to the Galatians, “and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me” (Gal. 2:20). He dwells in the hearts of the redeemed (Eph. 3:17; cf. John 6:56; 14:20; 15:4–5; 17:23, 26; Col. 3:11; 1 John 3:24), and that reality is their hope of eternal glory (Col. 1:27; cf. Rom. 8:9–11). The transformed life that results (2 Cor. 5:17) offers recognizable proof of true salvation.

The New Testament affirmation that people can know that they have been saved directly contradicts the teaching of the Roman Catholic Church. Rome officially holds that “no one can know with the certainty of faith, which cannot be subject to error, that he has obtained the grace of God” (chapter IX of the Decree Concerning Justification promulgated by the Council of Trent; as cited in John C. Olin, ed., A Reformation Debate: John Calvin and Jacopo Sadoleto [Reprint; Grand Rapids: Baker, 1976), 122). Canon 16 of the Canons Concerning Justification promulgated by the Council of Trent adds, “If anyone says that he will for certain, with an absolute and infallible certainty, have that great gift of perseverance even to the end, unless he shall have learned this by a special revelation, let him be anathema” (as cited in Olin, A Reformation Debate, 133). That denial of the assurance of salvation flies in the face not only of Paul’s teaching in this passage, but also of the rest of the New Testament as well. Romans 8:16 declares, “The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God,” and the apostle John repeatedly assured his readers that they could know that they had eternal life:

By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. … We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death. … These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life. (1 John 2:3; 3:14; 5:13).

Paul’s call for the Corinthians to examine themselves to see if they were truly saved would have been pointless if such knowledge were impossible to obtain. The apostle was confident that the majority of the Corinthians would find their faith genuine and experience the blessings of assurance discussed above. Those who did fail the test could also experience those blessings if they repented and exercised genuine faith in Christ.

But Paul, too, would benefit when the majority examined themselves and discovered their faith to be real. In fact, since they were the fruit of his ministry, it would prove that he was a genuine apostle. The Corinthians were caught on the horns of a dilemma, as D. A. Carson points out:

If the Corinthians declare they have failed the test, then doubtless Paul will be humiliated (cf. 2 Cor. 12:21); but in that case the Corinthians are in no position to point the finger at anyone. If on the other hand, they feel they have passed the test, then since Paul did all the initial evangelization among them he is the last person they are in a position to condemn. (From Triumphalism to Maturity [Grand Rapids: Baker, 1984], 179)

If they doubted Paul’s apostleship, they would have to doubt his message. But if they doubted his message, they would also have to doubt their own conversion. The most convincing proof of Paul’s apostleship was the Corinthians’ own transformed lives; if they were truly saved, then he had to be a true apostle. Paul knew the majority of the Corinthians were genuine believers and would therefore realize that he did not fail the test.

What are people to look for when they examine themselves? What are the marks of genuine saving faith? Popular answers might include praying a prayer, walking an aisle, having an emotional experience, being baptized, attending church, leading an outwardly moral life, feeling conviction for sin, or knowing the facts about Jesus. None of those, however, are authentic marks of saving faith. Scripture nowhere teaches that a mere profession of faith (Luke 8:13–14), baptism (Eph. 2:8–9), being part of the visible church (Matt. 13:25–30, 36–42), feeling conviction for sin (Matt. 27:3–5), or merely believing the facts of the gospel (John 8:31; James 2:19) saves anyone.

Even the demons believe (James 2:19), but that will not save them. Their knowledge of spiritual realities far surpasses that of any human. They are completely convinced of the truth of what they know. They are terrified of God’s judgment (cf. Matt. 8:29) because of their overwhelming sense of guilt (cf. Luke 8:31; they know they deserve to be sent to the Abyss). They are deeply involved in the religious activities of the world (Deut. 32:17; 1 Cor. 10:20–21). They also acknowledge the total superiority of Jesus Christ (Mark 1:24). Yet despite all of that knowledge, the demons are utterly and eternally lost.

In the same way, people can have knowledge of spiritual things (Rom. 1:21), believe the truth (John 2:23–25), fear God’s judgment (cf. Rev. 6:15–17 with 9:20–21), feel guilt (Acts 24:25; Felix’s guilt made him afraid), desire to have eternal life (the rich young ruler desired salvation but did not get it; Matt. 19:16, 22), be outwardly religious (like the scribes and Pharisees; Matt. 5:20), and affirm the superiority of Jesus Christ (the same crowd that hailed Him as the Messiah on Sunday of Passion Week [Matt. 21:9] screamed for His blood on Friday [Matt. 27:22–25]), yet die in their sins.

The following are some of the key marks of the faith that does save. (For a more complete discussion of the marks of true faith, see John MacArthur, Saved Without a Doubt [Wheaton, Ill: Victor, 1992]; Gardiner Spring, The Distinguishing Marks of Christian Character [Phillipsburg, N.J., Presb. & Ref., n.d.]; Matthew Mead, The Almost Christian Discovered [Reprint; Beaver Falls, Pa.; Soli Deo Gloria, n.d.]

First, genuine faith is marked by penitence. Jesus said in the Beatitudes, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 5:3). True faith produces an overwhelming sense of sinfulness, which causes believers to mourn over their sin (v. 4), be humble (v. 5), and acknowledge and confess their transgressions. In one of his penitential psalms David wrote, “I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I did not hide; I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord’; and You forgave the guilt of my sin” (Ps. 32:5). It is those who confess their sins who obtain mercy and forgiveness (Prov. 28:13; cf. 2 Sam. 12:13; 24:10). The apostle John wrote,

If we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us. (1 John 1:7–10)

Those who refuse to turn from their sin give evidence that they have not experienced the transformation that takes place at salvation. After his conversion, Paul expressed the saints’ normal attitude toward their sins: “Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?” (Rom. 7:24). True believers desire what is right and pure, while recognizing the powerful force of sin in their nature that is still at work because they are not yet glorified. They know that what is wrong in them is not lack of self-esteem, mistreatment by other people, or childhood trauma, but sin. They hate their fallenness, because it dishonors the God whom they love and serve. Arthur Pink notes,

One of the surest tests to apply to the professed conversion is the heart’s attitude towards sin. Where the principle of holiness has been planted, there will necessarily be a loathing of all that is unholy. If our hatred of evil be genuine, we are thankful when the Word reproves even the evil which we suspected not. (Profiting from the Word [Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 1977], 13)

Second, genuine faith is marked by desire for righteousness. In Matthew 5:6 Jesus said that the redeemed are “those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.” True believers are marked not only by an aversion to sin but also by an attraction to righteousness. Their righteousness is internal, not external like that of the scribes and Pharisees (cf. Matt. 5:20). External righteousness does not murder; internal righteousness does not hate (vv. 21–22). External righteousness does not commit sexual sin; internal righteousness does not lust (vv. 27–28). External righteousness cleverly avoids false vows while still deceiving others; internal righteousness does not lie (vv. 33–37). External righteousness limits its vengeance to that prescribed by the Law; internal righteousness does not retaliate at all (vv. 38–42). External righteousness loves its friends and hates its enemies; internal righteousness loves its friends and its enemies (vv. 43–47). External righteousness parades itself before men (Matt. 6:1); internal righteousness longs to be perfect like its heavenly Father is (5:48).

Those whose faith is genuine seek to abstain from wickedness (2 Tim. 2:19), while those with false faith “profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him, being detestable and disobedient and worthless for any good deed” (Titus 1:16). The apostle John declared that “everyone also who practices righteousness is born of Him” (1 John 2:29; cf. 3:5–7, 10). Genuine saving faith produces a deep longing to obey God from the heart.

Third, genuine faith is marked by submission to divine authority. Sinners are rebels against God; saints are His willing servants. Jesus made it clear that those who would be His disciples must submit un -reservedly to Him no matter what the cost:

Now large crowds were going along with Him; and He turned and said to them, “If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who observe it begin to ridicule him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ Or what king, when he sets out to meet another king in battle, will not first sit down and consider whether he is strong enough with ten thousand men to encounter the one coming against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. So then, none of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions. Therefore, salt is good; but if even salt has become tasteless, with what will it be seasoned? It is useless either for the soil or for the manure pile; it is thrown out. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” (Luke 14:25–35)

The rich young ruler refused to submit to Christ’s authority and turned his back on Him (Matt. 19:16–22). Though no one, of course, understands at salvation all that submission to God entails, those who desire forgiveness and heaven at any cost gladly submit to His will whatever that may unfold for them.

Fourth, genuine saving faith is marked by obedience. Jesus pointedly asked, “Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?” (Luke 6:46). “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven,” He declared, “but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter” (Matt. 7:21; cf. vv. 22–27). To those who professed faith in Him Jesus said, “If you abide in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine” (John 8:31). In the Upper Room Discourse Jesus taught His disciples,

If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. … If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father’s who sent Me. (John 14:15, 23–24; cf. 15:10)

John echoed his Master’s words many decades later when he wrote,

By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. … The one who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. We know by this that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us. … By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and observe His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome. (1 John 2:3–5; 3:24; 5:2–3)

Those whose faith is real will “prove [themselves] doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves” (James 1:22).

Finally, genuine saving faith is marked by love, both for God and for other people. It is a mark of the elect that they love God (Rom. 8:28). According to James 2:5, God has promised His kingdom to those who love Him (cf. 1 Cor. 2:9). Believers prove themselves to be children of God by their love for Him (1 John 5:2). In contrast, those with false faith “do not have the love of God in [themselves]” (John 5:42; cf. 8:42). Instead, they are in love with the world (James 4:4; 1 John 2:15–16).

Love for other believers also characterizes those whose faith is genuine. They have “passed out of death into life, because [they] love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death” (1 John 3:14). False faith, on the other hand, is marked by a lack of love:

The one who says he is in the Light and yet hates his brother is in the darkness until now. The one who loves his brother abides in the Light and there is no cause for stumbling in him. But the one who hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes. (1 John 2:9–11)

A true spiritual inventory does not focus on external behavior or religious activities but on the internal attitudes of the heart. Jesus’ words to the church at Sardis, “I know your deeds, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead” (Rev. 3:1), stand as a sobering warning to all who profess a faith they do not possess. No amount of resolve or outward religious involvement can transform the heart; it is only in Christ that people become new creatures (2 Cor. 5:17). In the words of the great hymn writer Isaac Watts,

How helpless guilty nature lies, unconscious of its load;
The heart unchanged can never rise to happiness and God.
The will perverse, the passions blind in paths of ruin stray,
Reason debased can never find the safe, the narrow way.

Can aught beneath a power Divine the stubborn will subdue,
‘Tis Thine, Almighty Savior, Thine, to form the heart anew.
O change these wretched hearts of ours and give them life divine,
Then shall our passions and our powers, Almighty Lord, be Thine.