In the Faith

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

None of us likes to have our faith questioned. Christians today, especially we who live in the West, have been so indoctrinated with sola fide (by faith alone) and sola gratia (by grace alone) that we instantly get defensive when anyone questions whether we are truly followers of Christ. After all, the only thing we need do to be accepted by Christ is believe, right?

But when we actually read the Bible, we are challenged over and over again to examine whether or not we are authentic followers of Jesus. The question is never whether we hold to a Christian ideology. An ideology is something we posses–it is something we own. Whether a person is a Christian or not, one’s ideology is unique to that person and belongs to no one else. One’s faith belongs to that one alone.

That’s why Paul urges us to examine ourselves. If we are not in a constant state of self-examination we are at constant risk of self-deception. Self-examination prevents us from falling into the spiritual apathy that tells us, “I’m doing alright.” But notice Paul doesn’t tell us to examine whether we “have faith.” Again, whatever faith we have is something we posses. Instead, he wants us to determine if we are “in the faith.”

As long as it is a matter of having faith, I am allowed to determine what that faith looks like. Therefore, I get to determine by what my faith is to be measured. But if we take what Paul says seriously, we are confronted with the fact that it isn’t our faith, but God’s. The question switches from “Do I have faith inside me,” to “Am I in the faith of God?” It changes our perspective of belonging. No longer is faith something that we possess but something that possesses us.

How are we to know if we possess our faith or our faith possesses us? The simplest way to find out is to have our faith challenged. If you are relying on the faith you possess, any challenge to your faith will offend you and make you defensive. If, on the other hand, you are possessed by your faith, you will welcome challenges to it, because in the testing you are brought face-to-face with the areas of your life that do not measure up to the faith you profess. It is in that moment, if you make the correction and align yourself with God, you have passed the test and know that you are owned by faith.

Socrates once said, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” In the same way, the unexamined faith is not worth having.