Are you in 'The Faith'?

Most Believers would say, "Yes!" from their own perspective. But the Scriptures give us a measuring rod that we can use to measure ourselves, and determine whether or not we are truly in 'The Faith,' from Yahuweh's point of view.

Let's notice the following passage:

"Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves..."  (2Corinthians 13:5a)

The phrase "the faith" appears in 42 verses of Scripture, with the above passage being the 13th appearance of the phrase. Thus we already have a clue as to what "The Faith" is, against which to test ourselves.

As we saw in Contending for the Faith, we must understand that 'The Faith' is not a general quality of faith and trust that we are to have, of which faith we are all given a certain measure. Instead, this phrase speaks of a particular system of Truth that is described throughout Scripture. One is either 'in' or 'out' of this system of Truth — for there is no middle ground. Thus the phrase "in the faith" is used in the above passage to describe its nature.

The Test

The test of whether we are "in" the faith or not, is 'hidden in plain view' in this passage.

Now, let's notice the last half of the verse:

" ...Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?"  (2Corinthians 13:5b)

Here we see there are only two choices: Either 1) Yahushua is in you, or 2) you are reprobate ("unfit, not approved, not accepted"). The test thus far has a yes-or-no answer. Either Yahushua is in us, or He is not. There are no gray areas. But let's notice what the test is!

Our first clue seen is the phrase itself — "the faith." This phrase appears in 42 verses, and we know the number 42 speaks of the appearing of Yahushua, and in particular, His appearing in us. Thus we have an additional confirmation that the passage above tells us that our test for being 'in The Faith' is to see or discern for ourselves whether Messiah is in us, or not.

But how do we know whether He is in us? The passage above tells us we are reprobate, if we "know not how Messiah is in us." Thus the test to see if we are "in the Faith" becomes a test of whether we are able to know (discern) whether Messiah is appearing in us. Based on this, let's look at a few of the test questions that will show us the answer.

Messiah-In-You

If Messiah is in us, then He abides in us, and we in Him. But notice the following:

He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked. (1John 2:6)

If Yahushua is abiding in us, John tells us how we would know this — we will walk even as He walked. As we saw in WWYD - What Would Yahushua Do?, if Yahushua is abiding in us, then we will be doing what He did, and avoiding what He avoided. But what did Yahushua do?

Here is a short list by which we might examine ourselves:
The above list is a clear (though brief) account from the study of Scriptures, of things Yahushua actually did. These things are possible for us to observe as well, as we are seeking to 'walk as he walked.' Do we see in this list any of Yahushua's activities that we are not doing?

We must also ask ourselves, "Are there some things to avoid, in our walking with Yahuweh?" We are surrounded daily by religious activities and customs that would 'press' on us to observe, that take the place of things Father would have us do. Thus our test includes avoiding things that Yahushua avoided, as we see from Scripture. Let's list some of these.
This list is also a clear observation from the study of Scriptures. Do we see in this list anything Yahushua avoided, that we have not yet begun to avoid? We are 'believing' in Yahushua when we become "DO-ers" of Yahushua's Word. Let's look at this.

Believing in Yahushua

Someone might say, "Well, I believe in Yahushua!"

Fair enough. Let's look at Yahushua's reply:

But if ye believe not his(Moses') writings, how shall ye believe my words? (John 5:47)

Here, Yahushua is telling us that if we do not believe (become a "Do-er" of) Moses' words, how can we believe (become a "Do-er" of) Yahushua's words? The answer is, we can't — because Moses' Words and Yahushua's Words are one and the same. Yahushua gave the words to Moses. What irony! This is the reason why we see the words of the Disciple whom Yahushua loved, saying this:

He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. (1John 2:4)

It is important to note that John is writing to those who have already been justified freely by His Grace, through the Redemption that is in Messiah Yahushua (Romans 3:23). The above passage in 1John is expressly written to those who have (already) been justified by Faith, outside of the deeds of the Law (the Torah') (Romans 3:28). It is likewise written to those who, by their on-going Faith, have established the Law (Romans 3:31), as the living Word living within them in the person of Yahushua Messiah. We must remember that our Born-Again experience is based not on any works we have done, nor the keeping of any commandments, but only on the Blood-Redemption Messiah has provided for us. After being birthed within us, by His grace, only then can Yahushua begin to live within us, and walk in us, by His Grace.

John tells us that 'transgressing the Law' is 'sin' (1John 3:4). Paul tells us we should not continue in 'transgressing the Law' (Romans 6:1-2). Yahushua calls us to repent from 'transgressing the Law' (Luke 5:32), and John urges us to confess and forsake our 'transgressing the Law' (1John 1:9; 1John 2:1). After being Born-again, we have many exhortations to not return to Egypt, to the bondage of sin, of transgressing the Law.

The Proverbs are for our growth in wisdom, and they too advise us to confess and forsake our 'transgressing the Law' (Prov 28:13). With such abundant testimony advising us to stop 'transgressing the Law' (transgressing the 'Torah'), in other words stop 'sinning,' we would think the message would be clear. Let's be among those who choose to learn 'all that is written in the Law and the prophets' so that we too may 'Go and transgress the Law no more.' This is a choice that we all must make as we 'examine ourselves.'

Conclusion

The above lists are given, not that we might examine each other, but only ourselves. There is no condemnation in these lists. They are simply given so that we might see what the goal is, for those who desire more. Yahushua's life, and the lives of His Disciples, are our examples, so that we might see them, and examine ourselves in quietness and in privacy, as we study the Scriptures.

If Yahushua is in us, then we will be actively feeding on the Scriptures that will transform us by the renewing of our minds. In this way we can begin to allow Yahushua to manifest Himself in us, in the same ways He did when He was in His own body 2,000 years ago. As a 'starter,' we will begin doing the things Yahushua did, and begin avoiding the things He avoids.

However, if we are not doing these starter items, then it is not Messiah that appears in us, but the carnal, 'old man' of the flesh. We should then question whether Messiah is in us. We should question whether we have wandered away from 'The Faith' as seen in Scripture. 

For those who love their Master, a turning (repentance) to obey Yahushua's Commandments, starting with those He gave to Moses, will bring a much better understanding of our relationship with our Heavenly Father (John 14:15; Luke 5:32; 1John 1:9).
 

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