The NIV 365 Day Devotional

How Can We Be Certain That Christ Lives in Us?

Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you— unless, of course, you fail the test? 2 Corinthians 13:5 (read 2 Corinthians 13:5-14)

If you’ve made the choice to accept Jesus as your Savior, what evidence shows that Christ is living in you and empowering you? How do you know that you’re not just imagining or pretending that this is the case?

There are multiple ways to “test” ourselves, as Paul exhorted. First, people’s actions reflect their faith. James challenges us, “Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds” (James 2:18). Our outward actions should reflect our internal faith. Second, Jesus promises that our faith will allow us to do great things—things that once seemed impossible (see Matthew 21:18–22; John 14:12). Third, our character should change because Christ lives in us. Our lives should increasingly be marked by the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (see Galatians 5:22–23).

For some disciples, the change is dramatic, such as the 180-degree turn that Saul/Paul made from killer of Christians to follower of Christ. Though Christ continued to sanctify Paul, his conversion was so stunning that he knew Christ lived within him.

For others of us, though, the changes are incremental, and a good way to confirm Christ’s presence within us is to observe the effects of Jesus in our lives over time. Over months and years of following Jesus and spending time with other believers, we experience a transformation and our values change, giving us personal, intuitive evidence that Jesus is living within us. Not only that, but the transformation will be evident to others as well.

Taken from the NIV Case for Christ New Testament with Psalms and Proverbs.