Examine yourself - Paul Washer

The West have combined two doctrines but we've lost both of them even though they're very important doctrines in the Christian Faith. 

1. Doctrine of Security - that every person who believes in Jesus are secure in salvation 
2. Doctrine of Assurance - how we can be assured that we're true believers.

A wrong interpretation of these doctrines is that if we can make a decision to be saved but when we stop walking with God we then lose our salvation. A proper view of these doctrines is that we know we have security and be assured of salvation not because we repented, but because we are continuing to repent today and even to a greater degree. being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus - Philippians 1:6. Heaven and hell, eternity and death may not be a reality to you but it is to Saint Paul. 

In 2 Corinthians 13:5 Paul came to a Church with carnal members. He doesn't bring them assurance by referring them to their conversion story but by going to the present tense, Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realise that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test? A person who walks in the faith for many years may come to eventually backslide into fellowship and indulgence with carnal impulses. We need to stop assuring them that they are a Christian. Instead we should say "You've made convincing declarations that you are a true believer, but now you're beginning to live like God never gave you a law to begin with, It's very possible that you never knew Him from the beginning. Up until this point you've deceived yourself and us with your works of the flesh because if a work of God does not continue, it was never His to begin with."

Do not listen to your heart. Listen to the Word of God. Do not listen to what your father says about your salvation, do not listen to what your mother says about your salvation. Listen to the word of God. Compare what you know of scripture to your secret life, what you do behind close doors. So many young people have their parents deceived because externally we conform to their law. But it's not our law if it's not in our heart. We cannot fool God. 

In the book of John, all the writings of the word "light" is referred to as holiness, righteousness. God is a Holy God, no sin, no flaw, no spec of immorality. John deals with false teachers who claim that God is a very dark hidden figure, that knowledge about God is esoteric and only some people can know it. John contradicts this. He writes that God is light, God has revealed to use who he is and his will, he's made it clear.  Does mainstream media believe this? Is this the politicians God? It's the type of God they can pray to but not define who he is publicly. The God they can talk about in a political speech but cannot define what his will is. This god is good for them because they're no longer accountable. God has revealed himself, and he has revealed his standards for the Christian walk.

Throughout Church history there's always been those who believe Christians can achieve sinless perfection, or sinless perfection is the only way to be a Christian. The bible doesn't teach this. The bible teaches that the most mature and godly Christians is still susceptible to sin. This is what this means: one of the greatest evidences that a person has truly been born again is that they will be sensitive to sin in their life, they will be broken by their guilt and led to repentance and confession of that sin. When was the last time i wept over my sin.

Those who are stubborn in heart, who are not sensitive to sin. We might not know them personally but we don't need to, we know the word of God. We know God's standards. 1 John 1:8. If we do not have a new relationship with sin, we do not have a new relationship with God. If we do not have a new relationship with His commands, His word, we do not have a relationship with Him.