How often do we evaluate our faith? To effectively do this we have to be clear on what faith is and how we properly evaluate it. Paul says at the end of 2 Corinthians in chapter 13 verse 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!”

In John’s first epistle, he was writing as a spiritual father to a group of churches he shepherded.   He was concerned about the influence culture was having on the faith of these churches and wrote to encourage them to honestly evaluate the state of their faith.

Today, we all are struggling to experience healthy regular fellowship and to be involved in deep discussion with others about the state of our faith. Here are four questions that come from 1 John that hopefully can help us evaluate the state of our faith. We will be exploring these as we move through 1 John together on Sunday mornings.

1.) Has faith to be a Christian replaced faith for the power of the Gospel to transform life?

Jesus calls all of us to be witnesses. That means we are to testify to others or give testimony of what Jesus has done for us and is doing for us. We should be wrestling regularly with the reality of who we used to be and who we are now. Do we have people in our lives that are challenging us, encouraging us, and exhorting us to testify and press in with the power of the Gospel to transform our lives in practical ways?

2.) Has emotion-based moralism replaced devotion to God’s Word, Will, Works and Ways?

Emotion-based moralism is when we get more focused on our feelings and just sin-management than on surrendering our feelings to God’s Word so we can learn His Will for our lives. When we experience our lives lining up with His Word and Will, we are ready to partner with Him in His Works. Do you have a discipleship group where you are being challenged to seek first the Kingdom of God and surrender your feelings to His Word? This kind of transformation is meant to happen in the context of discipleship.

3.) Has therapy replaced the power of fellowship with one another?

Do not misunderstand, there is a place for therapy. However, today many have put a higher priority on individual therapy than on regular fellowship with believers. The apostle John encouraged the children of God not to forsake the power of fellowship to transform and heal and strengthen the individual as they were integrated into the fellowship. In this letter He focused on the power of loving one another to bring about incredible transformation. If you do not feel you are experiencing this kind of fellowship, begin by asking the Lord to provide a way and engage the leadership of the church to help.

4.) Has a distant god replaced intimacy with the Trinity?

I think we all can relate to how easy it is to drift – for us to feel like God is distant. John wrote to His churches to encourage them and call them back into fellowship with one another, which is fellowship with the living God; Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Do you have anyone you can be brutally honest with about your relationship with God? It is normal in the course of following Jesus to feel distant from God at different times. What is critical is how we journey through that time. We are either going to press in and draw near or grow more distant. If you don’t have someone to engage this question with, pray that God would provide and take the first step by being with God’s people regularly in worship and study.