The Genuineness of your Faith

1 Peter 1:6-7,”In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise,
honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ,”

If a person has truly trusted in Christ’s substitutionary death and subsequent resurrection from the grave for the forgiveness of their sins, they have experienced saving faith [and have received eternal life by virtue of having been placed into union with Christ – the embodiment of eternal life].

“In this you greatly rejoice” (v.6):

The critical question that needs to be pondered here is: “If any genuine follower of Christ will ever fail these trials to the destruction of their souls [the forfeiture of their salvation], then how could the possibility of rejoicing in them even exist? After all, the eternal destiny of their souls are yet to be determined, that is, if any one of them will actually fail the test.

Someone may ask, “must a person pass the test of faith in order to receive a Heavenly entrance? To that I answer “yes”. Will all those who have genuinely been regenerated by the Holy Spirit receive a heavenly inheritance? To that I also answer “yes” … do you see how that works?

The testing of a person’s professed faith spoken of throughout scripture is one that reveals the true nature of that person’s faith. In other words, was it genuine, saving faith? … did that individual actually place all of their trust in Christ’s atoning work? … or did they place it somewhere or anywhere else [such as their moral performance i.e. their good works, their water baptism, their church attendance, etc., etc.?

It’s not a test to see who, after being truly regenerated, will subsequently forfeit/lose their eternal life and ultimately be cast into the Lake of fire to perish eternally … this simply is not the gospel message, rather, it’s one that constitutes the “another Jesus” and the “different gospel” that Paul warned about in 2 Corinthians 11:4 and Galatians 1:8.

It’s so very important to understand this vital aspect of the believer’s eternal security. Here is what I perceive to be a common misconception of this issue among those who embrace the conditional eternal security of the believer:

The assertion is that the believer is placed into some type of probationary period in which they may or may not successfully complete. That is, if they remain faithful enough, then they will ultimately secure for themselves a future entrance into heaven.

However, I believe the scriptural evidence supports the claim that God will preserve the faith of all genuine believers,He will successfully keep and lead them to their heavenly inheritance. This is precisely what was stated in the prior verses :

1 Peter 1:3-5, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”

“who are kept by the power of God” (v.5):

The Greek word for “kept” is actually a military term speaking of a sentinel guarding a king or a fortress. It is the perfect picture of God’s guarding over a believer’s soul.

5432 phrouréo (from phrousos, “a sentinel, guard”) – properly, to guard (keep watch) like a military sentinel; (figuratively) to actively display whatever defensive and offensive means are necessary to guard.
phroureó: to guard
Original Word: f??????
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: phroureó
Phonetic Spelling: (froo-reh’-o)
Definition: to guard
Usage: I guard, keep, as by a military guard.

The military of God would be the angelic host and the Holy Spirit Himself. God will guard His own against everything in creation that will come against their faith and cause them to depart from the faith.

The Greek word that we translate as “grace” in English is composed of two letters – “Chet” and “nun.” when we combine the meaning of their word pictures, we discover the following truth claims :

(1) God produces life in us, and then puts a fence or wall of protection around that life so that it may not be destroyed or removed.

(2) The new birth that God graciously initiates in every believer delivers us from the bondage of sin, and by God’s Holy Spirit produces eternal life.

To view the above information and more on the subject, watch the following two minute YouTube video, “Grace in ancient Hebrew” [RockIslandBooks]

I trust in Elohim’s might and power with the ultimate protection and preservation of my soul. My God is mighty in battle, He will not fail in His militaristic pursuits, He will successfully secure an entrance into heaven for all who have [past tense] experienced the new birth! [John 3:3-8].

Ephesians 1:13-14,”In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.”

It is God the Holy Spirit that “seals the deal.” In 1 Peter 1:4, the Apostle had been speaking about an inheritance “incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you.” So then, we see that God’s power is working on both sides of the veil, preserving the inheritance for the heirs, and preserving the heirs for the
inheritance. He will not fail to preserve them, and they will not miss out on their inheritance; what a precious dual promise!!.. how can I not overflow with love and everlasting gratitude toward my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ??!!

2 Cor.13:5,”Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified.”

“unless indeed you are disqualified.”:

The Greek word for “disqualified” is adókimos (Strongs # G96)
Strong’s Definition – From G1 (as a negative particle) and G1384; unapproved, that is,
rejected; by implication worthless (literally or morally): – castaway, rejected, reprobate.

Thayer’s Definition – 1. not standing the test, not approved a. properly used of metals and coins. 2. that which does not prove itself such as it ought a. unfit for, unproved,
spurious, reprobate.

The word adókimos is derived from the testing of metals, and the casting aside of those that are spurious or counterfeit.

There is no allusion here to the sense of failing the test as a genuine believer subsequent to regeneration, but rather to an individual’s sincere introspection and evaluation as to whether or not they qualify as the genuine article [i.e. subject themselves to the scrutiny of their own consciences].

“whether you are in the faith” – whether you are true Christians, whether you possess true faith in the gospel.

If a person is an authentic follower of Christ, then they will not fail the test. It only logically follows, if a person is a genuine believer, it is not possible that they fail the test as being a genuine believer.

“Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith.”

My friends, here is where “the pedal hits the metal (pun intended),” This is where we are heading full speed into a reality check that brings with it eternal implications. All who profess to be followers of Christ must subject themselves to a sincere evaluation of their spiritual condition.

What is the test of genuineness?… in other words, What is the evidence that a person is a true believer (that they have truly been born again – John 3:3-8)? The following is certainly not a comprehensive listing, but a brief overview of the critical characteristics that true followers of Christ possess :

(1) A love for, and longing to be with other believers. (1 John 4:7-8,20).

(2) A hunger for, and ability to understand the Bible. (John 6:33-35; Matt.5:6; Ps.119; 1 Cor.2:14-16).

(3) A desire to see others receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior (and rescued from eternal destruction). (Rom.9:1-3; Jude 1:23).

(4) A repulsion or abhorrence towards sinful behavior. (Ps.45:7; 97:10; Proverb 8:13; Heb.1:9).

(5) A supreme love for God (Matt.22:37-38; 1 John 4:19), and desire to please and obey Him. (1 John 2:15; 1 John 2:5; John 14:21-25; Ps.119:47-48).

(6) An assurance of being a child of God, and experiencing a future reception of the heavenly inheritance. (John5:24; 6:40; 10:28; Rom.8:16,38-39; 2 Cor.5:4-5; Eph.4:30;
Phil.1:6; 1 Pet.1:23; 1 John 3:14,19,24; 5:11-13).

There is a popular saying that runs like this … “What doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger.” Biblically speaking, we may often ask ourselves, “what is the purpose of our trials and tribulations?”…quite frankly, there are many times that I grow very weary of them.

Think of trials as training! God has to train His troops. Have you ever heard of any staff sergeant who got to where he was without going through tough situations? God has to prepare His children for the future.

“A gem cannot be polished without friction, nor a man perfected without trials.”

“Being on a spiritual path does not prevent you from facing the darkness, but it teaches you how to use the darkness as a tool to grow.”

The endurance of our faith, despite the many rigorous trials, evidences and provides the true [saving] nature of our faith … it’s genuineness. The failure to endure reveals the counterfeit/spurious nature of a person’s profession of faith.

“Trials teach us what we are; they dig up the soil, and let us see what we are made of.” – Charles Spurgeon. God already knows what we are made of, but do we? Do we personally possess the assurance that we are His child? [Romans 8:16].

So, in the end, we discover that what is really the most important question in any person’s life is not, ” Will I actually forfeit [lose] my salvation?”, but instead, “Have I actually been born-gain?, that is, am I actually a new creation in Christ?” [John 3:3-8; Titus 3:5-7; 2 Corinthians 5:17].

Galatians 6:15, “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but a new creation.”