Tests of Genuine Salvation

January 26, 2025 Preacher: Luis A. Cardenas Series: The Prayers of Paul

Topic: English Passage: 2 Thessalonians 1-3

In Matthew 7:21, Jesus says—Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven. He was warning the people of the possibility of self-deception. It’s tragic enough for a soul to be judged forever in hell, but how much more tragic will it be for the person who was convinced he would end up in heaven. He was expecting eternal life, and ends up with eternal judgment.

That possibility is also what prompted the Apostle Paul, in the final chapter of 2 Corinthians, to write this—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!

Well, what is that test? How are we supposed to know whether or not our salvation is real? That is one of the major questions the authors of Scripture intended to answer. They wanted people to know the truth and to measure their lives against it.

In 1 John 5, John says—I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.

Jesus and His Apostles wanted the people to whom they ministered to have confidence about the reality of their salvation. And as pastors, that’s what we want as well. We want it for ourselves, and we want it for the church.

In some way, we could use any biblical passage to give us some criteria for what genuine faith looks like, but  our time today is going to be focused on 2 Thessalonians, and more specifically, the passages focusing on prayer.

You might remember from last week that Paul had a special relationship with this church. He has ministered to them in person but was forced to leave because his life was threatened. You can read about that in Acts 17.

Not long after Paul left, he received updates about the church, and he responded with a couple of letters. They may have been separated by just a few months.

This was a church that Paul commends greatly. He knows they know Christ. He knows their salvation is genuine.

How does he know that? Let me give five areas to look at that will help confirm the genuineness of someone’s salvation. These are things you’re going to want to look at in your own life, and in the lives of the people to whom you are ministering. And I’m going to summarize them in just one word.

Number one, we have the word “direction.”

Direction

If you want to know whether or not someone is really saved, look at the direction of their life.

If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

If some has truly placed their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ—if they have trusted in Him as Lord, the One who died and rose again to pay for sin—they will receive the Spirit of God, and they will be made new. There’s a fundamental transformation that takes place at conversion. A person goes from spiritual death to spiritual life.

Many people in the past have compared that transformation to the resurrection of Lazarus. He came out of the tomb, and yet was still wrapped in the cloths. We are made alive, and yet we are still trapped in this sinful body.

But what changes? The direction of our life. If someone is truly alive, they will be growing.

This past week, my wife brought home flowers to give to my grandma for her birthday. And she said to me, “I need to get a vase for the flowers before they die.” And I reminded her that the flowers, which has already had their stems clipped, were already dead. They look pretty, they look alive, but they are no longer growing.

And the same thing happens in people’s lives. Some people might look beautiful on the outside, but they are decaying. There’s no true spiritual growth taking place.

The flip side of that would be someone whose faith is weak and struggling, but it’s inching forward. It’s growing.

This is what Paul saw in the Thessalonians. There was a decisive change when they turned from their idolatry, but a lot of their habits and customs remained. But he saw growth.

Look with me at 2 Thessalonians chapter 1, verse 3. This is Paul’s encouragement to them. Second Thessalonians 1:3—We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing.

Their faith is growing abundantly and their love for one another is increasing. That is the direction their lives are going.

And this leads us to ask a couple questions. First, what does that look like?

When you don’t see a child for a while and then you see them again, you might say, “Wow, look how big they are! Look how much they’ve grown.” Physical stature is easy to measure. But what about growing in faith and love? What does that look like?

We’re not going to answer that today, but think about it. How would someone know that I am growing in faith and love?

A second question to ask is, Am I close enough to others so that they would see this growth in me, and I in them?

Guys, would your wife say you’re growing? Ladies, would your husband say you’re growing? And what about the other people closest to you? Could they say about you what Paul says about the Thessalonians? Can they say your life is heading in a good direction?

It’s not an easy question to ask, but it’s an important one. Does the direction of my life indicate that I have been made new?

And keep in mind, we’re not looking for generic faith or generic love. To the world, faith is just some belief in a higher power. And love can be relegated to an emoji. But are there biblical demonstrations of sacrifice for the good of others?

And when you see that in others, you can encourage them as well. That’s evidence of spiritual life.

We may not be growing as fast as we’d like, but, again, its’ the direction that matters most. A growing faith, and a growing love is evidence of genuine salvation.

A second area to look at is dedication.

Dedication

This comes right out the following verse. Paul moves right to another expression of their faith which brought him joy.

Verse 4—Therefore we ourselves boast about you in the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions that you are enduring.

This was a church marked by steadfastness and endurance. They remained faithful to Christ, even in the midst of persecution and affliction.

Jesus shared a parable about a seed landing on four different kinds of terrain. Only one terrain produced fruit. One of the unfruitful areas was rocky ground without much soil. The seed that landed there spouted quickly, but then was burned by the sun.

Jesus said that represented people who receive the word of God with joy and enthusiasm, but they only endure for a little while. Tribulation, difficulty, and persecution come, and they fall away.

Paul was so grateful that this is not what happened in the Thessalonian church. Persecution came, but the people remained. It was a purging fire.

What does dedication look like in your own life? How much have you suffered because of your faith, and how has perseverance manifested itself? Are you someone who endures?

Suffering for Christ is a great testimony to the reality of saving faith, and when you see it in others, you should encourage them. Dedication is strong evidence of salvation.

I don’t want to disappoint you too much, but the next area to look at to confirm salvation doesn’t rhyme with the previous ones. But it does start with a “D.”

If someone has truly come to know God through Jesus Christ, they will be marked by dependency. Number 3 is dependency.

Dependency

The new creation is still assaulted by sin, but in that sin, a child of God will call out to his heavenly Father.

When someone tells you that they’ve got the Christian life all figured out—that sin isn’t an issue for them anymore—watch out! They don’t understand what it means to follow Christ.

Coming to Jesus doesn’t mean you get zapped with spiritual strength to do things all by yourself. No, we are given a new heart that will depend on God in everything. Dependency is humility. That’s what it means to come to Jesus like a child.

A little toddler raises his arms to Dad and says, “Up!” He needs help. He can’t do stuff on his own. That’s the heart of a Christian. Jesus said, “Apart from Me, you can do nothing.” A child of God recognizes his own humble dependence on God.

Look with me at verse 11 of chapter 1. This is another prayer of Paul, and it reminds us that Paul depended on God, not just for his own spiritual life, but for the lives of others as well.

Paul is going to give the Thessalonians instructions in this letter, but his commands would mean nothing if God didn’t work in them. And so, Paul prays for their spiritual growth.

Verse 11—To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power.

In Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and 1 Thessalonians, Paul gives instructions for the people to walk in a manner worthy of their calling. He wants them to live a life that aligns with their holy standing and mission.

But in this case, he’s not instructing them, he is praying that God would make it so. They’re already saved, so this is not a prayer for salvation. It’s a prayer that God would conform their conduct to their calling. They have been united to Christ; God did that. And now, who is going to change them? They have a personal responsibility, but more foundationally than that, God has to do it.

You need to recognize this principle in your own life. Christian holiness and Christian love is not simply about trying harder. That’s a man-centered approach. Growing in love and holiness has to include a continual and humble dependence on God.

Philippians 2 says you need to “work out your own salvation.” In other words, you put it into practice. But you’re supposed to do it “with fear and trembling.” That means you’re aware of God all the time. And we need to be depending on Him because, as the passage goes on to say, “it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.” The desire and the ability to walk in holiness and love both come from God.

Listen to how Paul describes his ministry at the end of Colossians 1. He says—For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.

In 1 Corinthians 15, he says this—by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.

Paul worked hard in his Christian life; he was diligent. But in all of that, he was dependent. He knew that it was God’s energy and grace that made it all possible.

Look again at 2 Thessalonians 1, verse 11. Look at the second half of the verse. God is the One who needs to fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith. It has to happen by His power.

Sometimes you come to church, and you sit in service or in class, and because of what you hear, you commit yourself to make some change in your life. That’s a resolve for good. You are intended to do something good. But then you leave church, and you have lunch, and you go to work on Monday, and the thought is gone. It doesn’t lead to anything.

Well, Paul’s prayer here is that that wouldn’t happen. He’s asking God to fulfill those desires and intentions. He knows it takes the power of God for those things to come to fruition.

We should be praying the same thing for ourselves and for one another. We need to be dependent in all that we do. And that spirit of dependency will be a key evidence of genuine faith.

Why do we need God’s help? One, because we are still in a sinful body, and two, because what we are hoping to accomplish is not physical, it’s spiritual.

This is what verse 12 points to as Paul finishes this prayer. He wants God to work in them, verse 12— so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Here’s a fourth area of your life that reveals whether or not you’re saved. It’s the area of desire.

Desire

Someone who is truly saved has surrendered themselves to Jesus Christ. He is King. He is Lord. And that’s not just a submission out of fear; it’s also a submission out of love.

The desire Paul expresses in verse 12 is the true desire of every Christian. We want Christ’s name to be glorified in us. We say, like John the Baptist said, “He must increase. I must decrease.” We don’t live that our perfectly because of sin, but that’s our desire. In fact, there’s a frustration and a sadness there because we can’t do it perfectly. But that’s what we want. We want to please Christ. We want to see Him lifted up in and through our lives.

This is a key mark for a true believer. Do you love Jesus Christ? You don’t love Him perfectly, but do you love Him? I’m not asking if you appreciate Him as a historical figure? Do you desire Him?

After Peter denied Jesus, he wept bitterly, because He knew he had failed the One he loved. And when Jesus finally meets him after the Resurrection, what does He ask Peter? He said, “Peter, do you love me?”

Peter couldn’t say anything to defend himself. All he could say was, “Lord, You know that I love You.” And so, Jesus instructed Him to minister to the church.

If you don’t desire to see Christ—if you don’t desires to see Him glorified—you don’t belong to Him. It’s that simple. Your deepest desires reveal your true nature.

For the fifth and final evidence of salvation, we turn to Paul’s prayer in chapter 2, verse 13. Second Thessalonians, chapter 2, verse 13. He’s praising God once again for the evident change that has taken place in this church, and this is what he says.

Second Thessalonians 2:13—But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved—That is another affirmation that they are saved. They are truly converted. But notice how salvation came to them.

Verse 13 continues—God chose you… to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit—that’s the direction of their lives in holiness and faith and love—and belief in the truth.

They were saved through belief in the truth. The final area to look at in someone’s life for evidence of salvation is their doctrine.

Doctrine

They need to have the gospel right. Look at a person’s doctrine.

Verse 14 continues—To this [salvation] he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Nobody is going to be saved apart from the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. What’s the gospel? The word gospel means “good news,” and it is the message that affirms that all of us are sinners before a holy God, but He has provided the one and only sacrifice  to wipe away the stain of sin. He has sent His Son, God in human flesh, who lived and died in the place of sinners, and then He rose again. And everyone who trusts in Him through repentance and faith and surrenders his life to Him will be saved forever.

If you don’t believe Jesus is the only way, you don’t have the gospel right. If you don’t believe Jesus is God, you don’t have the gospel right. If you don’t believe Jesus was fully and truly man, you don’t have the gospel right. If you don’t believe in the bodily resurrection of Christ, you don’t have the gospel right. If you don’t believe that it is Christ’s work alone that brings salvation, you don’t have the gospel right.

Now, remember, getting the gospel right, theologically, doesn’t automatically save someone. Satan knows the true gospel, and he’s not getting into heaven. So, what’s the difference? You have to embrace it. You have to surrender to it. You need to call out to God for mercy so that He will forgive you and change your heart. And then you need to continue in that gospel for the rest of your life.

That’s what Paul gets to in verse 15 where he says—So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter.

This is why every faithful, gospel-preaching church is going to teach the Bible. This is the true gospel. This is what we’re committed to. We want to be rooted and established in this. A true Christian will have a hunger for the word of God.

And as long as a Christian and a church stays committed to the word of God, as delivered by the Apostles of Jesus Christ, God is going to be working in and through us.

That’s the confidence Paul expresses in verse 16, as his prayer continues. This is another expression of Paul’s dependency on God.

Verse 16—Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, [17] comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word. Paul is trusting in God to do the work.

That same desire to know Christ and to see Him glorified, and the same dependence on God, and the same dedication to endure in persecution dependence come together again as we come to the opening verses of chapter 3.

Paul asks the church to pray for him, and as He prays for them again. Chapter 3, verse 1 says—Finally, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored, as happened among you, [2] and that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men. For not all have faith. [3] But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one. [4] And we have confidence in the Lord about you, that you are doing and will do the things that we command. 5 May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ.

Verse 5 is a beautiful prayer that we can make for ourselves and for one another. We want our love for God to increase, and we want to persevere for the glory of Christ.

If you belong to Christ, if you are truly a child of God, if you have really been converted, your heart should say, “Amen,” at a prayer like that. You want the word of God to advance. You have the confidence that God is over everything that passes. You want to see Christ lifted up in your life, and through your life. And you are trusting and hoping in God for progress.

The direction of your life is toward Christ. The dedication to Christ is visible. You’re depending on God for what you do. Your desire is to see Christ exalted, and there’s a hunger to keep growing and studying biblical doctrine.

Is that what you see in your heart? If it is, praise God, and pray that it continues to grow. You can be like the man who said to Jesus, “I believe, but help my unbelief.”

But if you look at that list, and you think, “That’s not me. I don’t see spiritual growth. I don’t see a willingness to suffer. I don’t see a humble heart that depends on God. I don’t have a love for Christ. And I don’t have a hunger for biblical truth,” what should you do? What can you do?

Praise God, it’s never too late. You can call out to Him today. Ask Him for mercy. Trust in Jesus. And ask him for a new heart.

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