Day Twelve

“Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith;
test yourselves.” (2 Cor. 13:5)

Scripture Reading: 2 Corinthians 13:1–10

Many believers struggle with assurance of their salvation. Because we’ve been called to lives of faith, Satan seizes every opportunity to sow doubt. Inspired by the Spirit, Paul exhorts us to “examine” and “test” ourselves to see whether we are in the faith. His next statement holds the key: “Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?” (2 Cor. 13:5). Romans 8:9 tells us, “If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.” We should “examine” ourselves for earmarks of Christ’s presence. His Spirit is so totally alien to ours, we can quickly observe the difference if we’re willing to put ourselves to the test.

Look back at Paul’s question once more: “Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you?” We can paraphrase his question: “Do you not see realities that Christ Jesus is in you?” Christ’s presence within us creates realities completely foreign to us. His inner dwelling is obvious in several remarkable ways. Let’s note just a few:

1. Conviction of sin.Without Christ, we lack a supernatural sorrow over sin. We may feel guilty, but human guilt differs from the conviction experienced by the redeemed. Guilt centers on ourselves and others. Conviction is the realization that our sin personally offends God. When convicted, our wrongdoing is a God issue rather than merely a people issue. Remember, Christ’s Spirit is “holy,” so He reacts to anything unholy. The Spirit is the One causing us to squirm. In our humanity, we are not innately “good” enough to squirm over sin.

2. A war with our old natures. The Holy Spirit’s task is to make us more like Christ. He takes up residence with a primary job: conformation. We may resist change—but when we do, we will sense the war within. In our natural selves we are not compelled to change, but our inner selves have compulsions to change.

3.A strange sense of peace. Even when we don’t necessarily like God’s choices for us, we experience a supernatural sense of inner peace when we submit and trust.

4. An alien ability to respond like Christ. When yielded to God’s control, at times we will respond with feelings, words, or actions totally distinct from our own natures. We may sometimes think, That couldn’t have been me. If we do not possess the Spirit of Christ, no matter how hard we attempt to “yield” to God’s control, we will not experience that alien ability in our feelings and responses. We will be capable of “good works” but not “God works.” Only a believer perceives the difference.

Remember, God doesn’t think, speak, or act like us. Sudden displays of His character coming from within us are proof of our salvation. If we can examine ourselves and discover Christ, beloved, we are “in the faith!” Rest “assured.”