strong words

Examine yourselves to see if your faith is really genuine (2 Corinthians 13:5, NLT).
Dear friends: One day I was talking to a young man who was somewhat of a prodigal. I said to him, "Do you believe in Jesus? "Yes." "Do you believe He died for your sins?" "Yes." He had grown up in the church and even gone to Christian schools, but he had turned his back on the Lord. I replied, "What is gong to happen to you when you die?" He said, "I'll go to heaven." I said, "Are you sure?" "Absolutely sure." And I said, "Are you willing to do God's will and surrender your own will to His will?" Quite bluntly, he answered, "No." I had to be totally honest with him, and replied, "Then you are not a Christian." He said, "That's your opinion against mine." I said, "No, that is what God's word says." I explained to him that if anyone is not willing to do God's will, he had better take inventory because the Scripture clearly teaches: "And how can we be sure that we belong to him? By looking within ourselves: are we really trying to do what he wants us to? Someone may say, 'I am a Christian; I am on my way to heaven; I belong to Christ.' But if he doesn't do what Christ tells him to, he is a liar. But those who do what Christ tells them to will learn to love God more and more. That is the way to know whether or not you are a Christian. Anyone who says he is a Christian should live as Christ did" (1John 2:3-6, TLB). That was strong language, but that is the holy, inspired word of God. If you are not able to make the Bible the basis of your standards, what are the alternatives? Don't get me wrong. I believe more strongly than most people that salvation is a free gift of God by grace through faith alone, not a result of works, so that no one can boast (Ephesians 2:8-9). And only God truly knows who are His and who are not. But the Scriptures give us strong words that we can use for self-examination. "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? And I trust that you will discover that we have not failed the test" (2 Corinthians 13:5-6, NIV). This does not mean that every time we fail God, we lose our salvation. Far from it. But it does mean we should stay on our spiritual toes to please, obey and serve God. Our good works confirm our salvation but do not contribute to our salvation. Yours for helping to fulfill the Great Commission each year until our Lord returns, Bill Bright