Examining the Evidence: Is Your Faith Genuine?

Colossians 3 calls those raised to new life with Christ to set their sights on the realities of heaven, not on all the stuff happening below. The call is to fix the mind and eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of faith, because He is present through every part of life.

The question before every believer is simple but uncomfortable: if a life were examined, what evidence would show that it truly belongs to Jesus? Evidence is not perfection. Nobody is perfect, and the point is not to inspect a spouse, children, or the people sitting across the church. Second Corinthians 13:5 says, “Test yourselves,” because claims alone cannot establish genuine faith.

The contrast between profession and possession is serious. Titus warns about people who profess to know God but deny Him by their deeds. Matthew 7 warns that calling Jesus “Lord, Lord” is not the same thing as allowing Jesus to be Lord. A verbal confession matters, but a life that continually refuses His authority contradicts that confession. Church attendance, Bible knowledge, family history, ministry involvement, giving, and an emotional moment from years ago can accompany faith, but none of them can replace active trust and surrender.

The test is personal. Psalm 139 gives the right prayer: “Search me, God, and know my heart.” God must be invited into the places no one else sees, beyond the carefully managed Sunday version of a person. The Holy Spirit reveals anxious thoughts, hurtful ways, hidden sin, and anything that does not agree with Jesus.

Christ’s presence produces evidence. A relationship with Jesus changes desires, changes the attitude toward sin, grows love for God’s Word, changes the treatment of people, and makes conviction alive. Good trees bear good fruit because fruit reveals the life already in the tree. Works do not give the tree life, and good works do not save anybody. The blood of Jesus is enough, and grace is the foundation of salvation.

Grace also refuses to leave a believer unchanged. The evidence of genuine faith is not a sinless record but a real response when sin is exposed. Sin must be confessed, brought into the light, and turned from, not excused or settled into. Transformation may be gradual, like moving the piano an inch at a time, but there should be movement. The old things have passed away, new things have come, and nobody should be comfortable staying everything they used to be.

Jesus calls for more than a label. Faith responds when Jesus calls. The altar becomes a place to say, “Search me,” “Save me,” “Cleanse me,” and “Change me,” trusting that Christ’s grace both forgives and remakes.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Claims need the evidence of surrender. A person can know the right words, attend church, and carry a Christian family name without yielding control to Jesus. Calling Him Lord becomes real when His authority reaches private choices, relationships, responses under pressure, and the direction of a life. Genuine faith does not merely speak His name but submits to His mastery. [28:48]
• 2. The test begins with self-examination. Scripture does not first command believers to diagnose everybody else’s spiritual condition. God calls each person to invite His searching light into the heart, especially in places hidden behind a well-managed public image. Honest examination is not self-condemnation but an opening for God to lead a life in the everlasting way. [38:05]
• 3. Christ’s presence always affects a life. Jesus does not enter a life without changing its desires, convictions, loves, and conduct. Fruit does not create life in the tree, but it reveals the life already there. The visible evidence of faith comes from Christ working inwardly, not from religious effort trying to impress others. [44:26]
• 4. Grace forgives and transforms the fallen. Grace is not permission to stay down, settle into sin, or call sin something prettier than it is. Christ provides forgiveness when sin is confessed, but His mercy also gives power for real change. Gradual growth still matters because movement toward Jesus is evidence that His grace is at work. [49:53]
• 5. Faith responds when Jesus calls. Religious labels cannot give the confidence that comes from a present, active relationship with Christ. Conviction is not proof that God has abandoned a believer but proof that He still loves enough to correct and restore. The right response is an honest heart before God: search me, save me, cleanse me, and change me.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [14:37] - Setting Sights on Heaven
• [21:48] - Examining the Evidence
• [23:04] - Claims Must Have Evidence
• [25:49] - Is There Evidence of Following Jesus?
• [30:33] - Calling Jesus Lord
• [35:00] - Test Yourselves
• [37:18] - The Log in Your Own Eye
• [40:09] - Christ in You Produces Change
• [44:26] - Good Trees Bear Good Fruit
• [47:25] - What Happens When Sin Is Exposed?
• [49:53] - Gradual Transformation and Grace
• [52:50] - Saved by Grace for Good Works
• [57:22] - Responding to Conviction
• [60:10] - Come to the Altar

Bible Reading

Colossians 3:1–2
“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” [14:37]

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!” [25:49] [35:00]

Matthew 7:21
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” [30:33]

Psalm 139:23–24
“Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!” [37:18]

Titus 1:16
“They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work.” [28:48]

Observation questions

1. In Colossians 3:1–2, what two places does Paul contrast, and what does he tell believers to seek and set their minds on? [15:35]
2. According to 2 Corinthians 13:5, who is supposed to be examined, and what is the purpose of that examination? [35:00]
3. What difference is shown in Matthew 7:21 between saying, “Lord, Lord,” and doing the will of the Father? [30:42]
4. In Psalm 139:23–24, what specific areas does David ask God to search, test, reveal, and lead? [37:49]

Interpretation questions

1. Why is self-examination different from trying to decide whether someone else is truly following Jesus? How can focusing on another person’s failures keep a person from seeing their own need for God’s work? [36:08]
2. Titus 1:16 says that deeds can deny a profession of knowing God. What kinds of repeated actions, private choices, or responses under pressure could contradict a person’s words about faith? [25:55]
3. If salvation is by grace and not by works, why should Christ’s presence still produce visible fruit in a believer’s life? How does the picture of a tree and its fruit help explain that? [44:38]
4. When sin is exposed, why is confession and repentance a better sign of spiritual life than hiding, excusing, or settling into sin? [47:28]

Application questions

1. Colossians calls believers to set their minds on things above. What earthly concern, pressure, distraction, or fear has been taking up too much space in your mind lately? What would it look like to deliberately turn your attention toward Jesus this week? [16:10]
2. If your life were examined—not for perfection, but for evidence of surrender to Jesus—what areas would show that you belong to Him? Think about your words, relationships, private choices, use of time, and response when life gets stressful. [26:11]
3. Is there an area where you may be relying more on church attendance, family history, Bible knowledge, serving, giving, or an old emotional experience than on a present and active relationship with Jesus? What step could help make your faith more personal and active? [31:45]
4. Psalm 139 gives the prayer, “Search me.” Is there a part of your life you tend to keep carefully managed or hidden from others—such as a thought pattern, habit, resentment, fear, or private sin? What would honest openness before God look like there? [39:16]
5. What evidence of Christ’s work can you see growing in your life: a changed desire, greater love for God’s Word, conviction over sin, more obedience, or a change in how you treat people? Where do you want to see further growth? [43:18]
6. When the Holy Spirit brings sin or a harmful attitude to your attention, what is your usual response: confession, excuses, hiding, blame, or giving up? What would repentance look like in one specific situation this week? [48:04]
7. Growth can be gradual, but there should be movement. Where can you see even a small “inch at a time” change in your walk with Christ, and what is one next step that would keep you moving toward Him? [51:07]