Do I Pass The Test?

By Warren Mueller

Thirty years ago I prayed to receive Jesus Christ as my personal Savior and Lord. Soon afterwards, I heard a nagging voice in my head tell me “It isn’t that easy to get to heaven” and “You are fooling yourself if you think God can readily and easily forgive you for all the wrongs you have done.” I have also seen those who struggle with this question and go forward many times in church to accept Christ or try to prove by their good works that there has been a genuine change. So how can a person know for sure that a spiritual birth has occurred, that sins have been forgiven, and that they are a new creation indwelt by the Holy Spirit?

The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 13:5 that we are to “examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you unless, of course, you fail the test?” From this we see that each person must examine themselves about whether they have been transformed into a child of God by faith in Jesus. Nobody can do this for you or assure you that it has happened within you. Only you can answer this question. What are the questions we should be asking to evaluate this important change? I recently taught a Sunday School class on this subject and we compiled a list of questions to do this self examination. These questions are not listed in any order of importance.

Do I have a hunger or spiritual craving for the Word of God?

The words of the Bible are inspired by the Holy Spirit and thus are God’s words (1 Tim 3:16). Therefore, this is a way to be connected with God and results in spiritual growth in knowledge, transformation, and equipping for doing good works. There should be a need or hunger to read, meditate, and memorize the Bible. This is more than a regular discipline of reading. It is a driving desire that should result in reading the Bible very often. How often do you eat? Reading the Bible should be nourishment to the soul as food is to the body. 

Do you pray regularly?

Prayer is conversation with God. For those who are born again, this happens both consciously and unconsciously. The latter occurs continuously because born again believers have been transformed into temples where the presence Holy Spirit dwells (1 Cor 6:19). The Holy Spirit constantly prays for us (Rom 6:26). On the conscious level, prayers may be private or communal but should be more than a routine or discipline. Prayer for the genuine believer is conversation, worship, and praise for the most precious being in life. Therefore, do you pray only when you need something or as part of a routine such as meals, church or bedtime? There is nothing wrong with these types of prayers but even those of other religions do these things. For the child of God prayer can include these things but is much more. Prayer is an ever increasing preoccupation with God that transforms the mind resulting in a heightened awareness of His presence, purpose, and power. (1 Thes 5:17)  

Do you desire to spend time with other believers and love them?

“Birds of a feather flock together” is a good analogy. If you are born again, you will desire to associate with those of like mind and spirit. The presence of the Holy Spirit in others is a powerful attracting force that draws believers together and unifies them despite personality, cultural, racial, and ethnic or any other differences. The person of the Holy Spirit is the life of God in us and is a foundation upon which believers are transformed. (2 Cor 3:18)  Above all else, it is the love of God in us and the love we have for other believers that is a characteristic of born again believers. (Jn 13:14-15) 

Do you have spiritual fruit and is it increasing in your life?

The indwelling Holy Spirit transforms our minds resulting in character and life style changes. The presence of the Holy Spirit causes permanent, irreversible, and progressive changes in each believer making the following qualities grow: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and self control. (Gal 5:22-23)

These are some of the questions that each person should use to see if there has been a spiritual birth into the kingdom of God. In my next article, the remaining tests will be explored. Jesus said that no man can enter the kingdom of God unless the Holy Spirit causes him to be born in a spiritual sense as a new creation. (Jn 3:3).  Do you pass these tests?