The Character of Genuine Saving Faith

The Character of Genuine Saving Faith


2 Corinthians 13:5

Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!

I. Evidences that neither prove nor disprove one’s faith
a. Visible morality: Matt 19:16-21
b. Intellectual knowledge: Romans 2:17ff
c. Religious involvement: Matt. 25:1-10
d. Active Ministry : Mark 7:21-24
e. Conviction of sin: Acts 24:25
f. Assurance: Matt 23
g. Time of decision: Luke 8:13-14



II. The fruit /proofs of authentic / true Christianity
a. Love for God: Luke 10:27, Romans 8:7
b. Repentance from sin: Psalm 32:5, II Cor 7:10, I John 1:8-10
c. Genuine Humility: Psalm 51:17, Matt 5:1-12, James 4:6-9
d. Devotion to God’s Glory: Psalm 105:3, Isaiah 43:7, I Cor 10:31
e. Continual Prayer: Luke 18:1, Eph. 6:18, James 5:16-18
f. Selfless love: I John 2:9ff, 3:14, 4:7ff
g. Separation from the world: I Cor. 2:12, James 4:4ff, I John 2:15-17
h. Spiritual Growth: Luke 8:15, John 15:1-6, Eph 4:12-16
i. Obedient Living: Matt 7:21, I Peter 1:2,22….I John 2:3-5
If list I is true of a person and list II is false or non-evident, then there could be cause to question the validity of one’s profession of faith. If list II is true of a person, then list I will be true as well.
From: Dr John MacArthur Study Bible Index Notes, 1997.

Silent Idol

Often when having conversations with family members, friends or even strangers I often find a common thread or sin among them all. It is not shocking and not surprising when I hear it because I was guilty of this same sin and totally oblivious to it. In fact this sin is the most deceptive sin I am aware of. It is deceptive because its cloaked in some form of "spirituality". It eases the conscience of daily struggles, hardship, conviction and judgment. I am convinced that this sin takes more people to hell then any other. This sin is even prevalent among many church attendees. Whole churches have been built on this sin. The sin as laid out in

Exodus 20:3-4,
"You shall not make for yourself a carved image".

Making a graven or "carved" image. In the Old Testament the foreign nations at that time were acustom to making false God's out of gold or wood. Bowing down to those false images and worshiping them. Here God is commanding His chosen people, the Jew's, not to commit the same sin of idolatry. They are commanded to worship the one true God. Just a basic observation would reveal that even God's people (after miracle upon miracle) have a human tendency to create a false God and worship it. To place there trust in it and to have faith in it. We even see later in the same book chapter 32 that when Moses "delayed" coming down to them they gathered to make a false god. They made a golden calf and worshiped it. When Moses became aware of this and ground there idol to powder Aaron responded by saying to Moses, "You know the people, that they are set on evil" (Exodus 32:23).So it is that we are all "set" to evil. We are apt to go the natural way of things. We want to go the easy way. We want to go the way that can quickly ease our own conscience. That is what we see in these passages and what we see continuing several thousand year's later. Therefor we commit this same sin.

So the question is how do we commit this sin? After all I am sure you do not have many family members making little idol's to place on there mantle and bow down to. So how do we see this in today's context. It's simple, when we create a god in our own making that is defined by self. A god who is ok with sin's committed by self but not ok with really bad people's sin's. A god who will overlook lying, stealing (but I was just a kid excuse), lust, etc. But who must hate rape and murder. It's always a god who will have justice on the sin's the individual did not commit but they turn around in a self righteous manner and point the finger to others to say God must punish them. They have made a god in there own mind. It's not made out of brick's, wood or gold but one out of the mind. It can even have a name like jesus but it's not the Jesus as revealed in the Bible. It's one they made up. As one begins to define the God of the Bible the more they will see that there god is not like that. And that is true because there god does not even exist. It is a figment of one's imagination. It cannot save them on judgment day. They often will have a emotional connection with this god and say they pray every day. This is true also but the person they are praying to is self. It is self worship. Often those in this sin will consider themselves "spiritual" not religious. They have an over attraction with angel's. The more they are aware that there god is not the same God of the Bible they will seek to destroy the true God. They will set out to look for evidence to disprove the Bible, to run to every conspiracy theory under the sun. They will never have a urge to study the Bible for the sake of truth but to disprove it. They will never pick up a book to prove it's accuracy but quick to purchase the next "top seller" proving the "truth" of the Bible. Why? Because much like the Jew's of Moses' day "they are set on evil". I was once that very person. I was a self professing "Christian" but I had no love for the Bible, Worshiping God with other believers, serving a local church, obeying any of God's command's, or trusting Jesus alone. My god had a name, it was jesus but in reality it was Gary.

We must be aware that the devil transform's himself as an angel of light(2 Corinthians 11:14). This road of self worship will be wide and easy (Matthew 6:13-14)and even say, "This way to heaven" but it is a lie. It boil's down to this, we do not define God starting with self. I dont define God starting with me, we must go to an authoritative book, The Bible. In that Book God has defined Himself in many ways. He has revealed Himself to us. He show's us He is a God of justice, holiness and forgiveness. But it's not some passive kind of forgiveness. It was purchased with blood. The blood of God's own Son, Jesus Christ.

He Run's for the Rebel.