“You’re becoming such a curmudgeon!” one of m
y co-workers said to me a couple weeks ago. I had to admit I didn’t know what he was talking about. He grinned widely and said it means “a cranky old man.” It’s a comment meant to be a joke but it has got me thinking. Because the things we say we believe we don’t often live like we do. Craig Groeschel wrote “The Christian Atheist”, a book which premise is that Christians today declare that God exists and is involved in their lives, and then live like He isn’t.
We live in a society which says that they are Christian. For many it is because they go to church, at least at Christmas and Easter. For others it is cultural, and while we are getting further and further away from a Christian culture many still see themselves as Christians. And there are others who believe in the Christian message. But it isn’t what we say we believe that matters. In fact our lives declare more about what we believe than anything we may say. And for many of us our lives are not declaring what we hope they may. It is a fact I have been looking into in my own life.
It is not a bad thing to evaluate your walk with God from time to time. If you don’t you will quickly become complacent and coast through life. Paul wrote “Test yourselves to make sure you are solid in the faith. Don’t drift along taking everything for granted. Give yourselves regular checkups. You need firsthand evidence, not mere hearsay, that Jesus Christ is in you. Test it out. If you fail the test, do something about it.” 2 Corinthians 13:5 MSG
Everyone of us needs to look at what our life is saying about our beliefs. Are we following Jesus or are we saying we are Christian and living like He doesn’t exist? Craig Groeschel wrote “Who do we believe in more? Ourselves or God? Our actions and decisions will reflect that.” Our actions declare what we believe. John Calvin wrote “the doer is he who from the heart embraces God’s word and testifies by his life that he really believes.” Rick Warren said something similar when he said “You only believe the part of the Bible you do.”
Paul said three times in scripture “Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ.” Philippians 1:27 NLT, Colossians 1:10, Ephesians 4:1. Our conduct says a lot about us and about what we believe, and the world around us is watching. Are we declaring the majesty of Christ, or the selfish whims of our own hearts. What is your life saying about what you believe? Is it agreeing with the words you say? It is a tough question to ask, but a very important one to answer.
The Blog of Tom Sanders 
so just what is the test that is spoken of?
The test is one you give yourself. We are not to simply coast taking for granted our relationship with God. So Paul is saying to examine your life to see if your life is in line with what God desires for you. Does your life have evidence of God’s life in you. If it isn’t then change it.
You need firsthand evidence, not mere hearsay, that Jesus Christ is in you. Test it out. If you fail the test, do something about it. so my question is whats the test specifically? how are you to test that he is in you as it says?
There is no specific test. Another version says to examine yourself. Paul is saying to have a look at your life and see is there evidence of God’s life in you. Another way to look at it would be to ask yourself the question “If you were arrested for being a Christian, will there be enough evidence to convict you?” If there is not then we need to make some changes in our lives.
ok so what would be the evidence that would prove you are a christian? The attributelisted by Both Paul and Peter, one’s confession of Christ as Lord and savior, doing all that he has commanded? i do believe that Paul is stating that there is specifics That will show you are of the faith, thus what are they?
First we need to remember that Christianity is not about doing everything right, but allowing Christ to live in and through us and receiving forgiveness when we fail. Jesus did say that if we stuck close to Him we would bear fruit (John 15) and others would know us by the fruit we bear (Matthew 7:15-20). 1John gives a number of ways we can tell if we are in the faith.
1. Do you enjoy having fellowship with Christ and His redeemed people? (1 John 1:3)
2. Would people say you walk in the light, or walk in the darkness? (1 John 1:6-7)
3. Do you admit and confess your sin? (1 John 1:8)
4. Are you obedient to God’s Word? (1 John 2:3-5)
5. Does your life indicate you love God rather than the world? (1 John 2:15)
6. Is your life characterized by “doing what is right”? (1 John 2:29)
7. Do you seek to maintain a pure life? (1 John 3:3)
8. Do you see a decreasing pattern of sin in your life? (1 John 3:5-6) [Note: this refers to not continuing in sin as a way of life, not a total absence of sin.]
9. Do you demonstrate love for other Christians? (1 John 3:14)
10. Do you “walk the walk,” versus just “talking the talk”? (1 John 3:18-19)
11. Do you maintain a clear conscience? (1 John 3:21)
12. Do you experience victory in your Christian walk? (1 John 5:4)
Remember it isn’t about being perfect but an ever increasing relationship with Christ where as John the Baptist said “I must decrease so He can increase.”.