“Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?” 2 Corinthians 13:5 (NIV)
So—what if you examine
yourself and find that you are safely saved?
You are saved from hell and going to heaven, and that (and your sporadic
church attendance) seems to be the only difference between you and your
neighbor who is lost. You own a Bible,
but don’t read it. You know you should
pray, but you’d rather watch TV or spend hours on the computer. You work hard for your money and all that you
own, and you jealously guard it. Your
free time belongs to you and is for your enjoyment. Church is a place where you
go to drink coffee, eat donuts, joke with your friends, sleep through the
sermon and then go home and take a nap.
Or—are you radically
forgiven? You can’t understand how a
holy God could sacrifice His only Son so that you could call Him Father. You love God’s Word because it is a way to
get to know your Father better. It is
living and active in your life—it changes the way your see yourself and the
world God created. When you think about
the salvation God has provided for you, you want to share it with others. Prayer is time spent with your Father, and
you want to keep that appointment with God every day, no matter how busy you
may be. You realize that everything you
have--your money, your time, and your special gifts, came from God and belong
to God. You want to serve Him out of a
thankful heart, and glorify Him in all you do and say. You are no longer the master—you are the
servant.
You see, the gospel message
is not just about being saved from hell. It’s about Christ coming to live His
life in and through you—your body is now the temple of the Holy Spirit. You have the power that raised Christ from
the dead, living inside you. You are no longer a slave to sin but have victory
over it. It changes you and everything
about you!
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