Recently, as part of our Bible Study, we were asked to evaluate our walk with the Lord in seven key areas. Like a Balance Sheet, this quick quiz, below, represents only a flash in time. Of greater value would be an Income Statement view of our sanctification over time, month-by-month or year-by-year. As we mature in our faith and trust in our Lord and Savior, is it showing up in our actions as believers?

James 2:14,17 – What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?… So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. 

2 Corinthians 5:17 – Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

Our faith in Christ alone does save us (Ephesians 2:8-9, Romans 10:9), but James is reminding believers that our inward faith is a light that needs to shine outwardly (Matthew 5:15). Consider taking this quiz today and checking back on your answers over time. For each question, rank yourself on a scale of one to ten.

A Sanctification Quiz

1. The Word of God – Are you in the Bible on a regular basis for more than just looking up the Sermon references on Sunday mornings? The Bible is a love letter from the Creator of the universe offering a moral compass on mankind’s faith and conduct.
   • 2 Timothy 3:16 – All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.
   • Hebrews 4:12 – For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
2. Prayer – Do you have a regular time of private prayer when your spirit connects with the Holy Spirit, with Christ as your intercessor to the Father who made a provision for your Salvation? Or, is your prayer life limited to times of corporate worship, closing your eyes and bowing your head?
   • Matthew 6:6a – But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret….
   • Colossians 4:2 – Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.
   • 1 Thessalonians 5:17 – Pray without ceasing.
3. Fellowship – Are you a church attender or a committed member? Do you invest your time in loving and caring for your brothers and sisters? Is sincere engagement with other believers a priority in your life, both inside and outside the church?
   • Acts 2:42 – And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.
   • Hebrews 10:25a – Not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another….
4. Service – Many see “service” as meals-on-wheels or cleaning up after a church supper. Service is much more than that. All born-again Christians received a spiritual gift, and we all have talents and skills that make us unique. To “serve” the Lord is to apply those gifts and talents however, whenever, and wherever we can.
   • 1 Peter 4:10 – As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace.
   • Colossians 3:23-24 – Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men…. You are serving the Lord Christ.
5. Worship – The word “worship” is not attending church. It is such a broad category that it takes in much of the other parts of this list. However, what distinguishes worship is the attitude with which we serve God. Are you going through the motions of reading the Bible, attending church, praying, and fellowship? Or, are you truly reveling in the blessings and honor of your relationship with the Trinity?
   • Psalm 95:6 – Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker!
   • Romans 12:1 – I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
   • Hebrews 13:15 – Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.
6. A Willingness to Self-Evaluate – Mankind has a sin nature that, for the believer, battles continuously with the Holy Spirit. One of the greatest Christians of all time, Paul, recognized the frustration of his own behavior as being out of step with God’s will (Romans 7:22-24). A willingness to recognize that reality and objectively view the log in our own eye (Matthew 7:3) is critical to the sanctification process.
   • 2 Corinthians 13:5 – 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!
   • Romans 12:3 – For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.
7. Confession and Repentance – These two practices of a Christian go hand-in-hand with self-evaluation. How often do you truly and sincerely confess your sins before God, asking for His forgiveness? If you are not willing to look at your life against the backdrop of what you know to be God’s ideal, then confession and repentance will have little impact.
   • 1 John 1:9 – If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
   • Acts 3:19 – Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out.
   • James 4:8-10 – Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded…. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.
   • Romans 6:1-2 – What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?

As an observation, to improve on traits one through five will result in an improvement in six and seven and vice versa. Finally, there are other questions that could be added to this list, but it is a good start.

So … how did you do? Add up your score for a total and put it in a safe hiding place. Pray and commit to the Lord to pay more attention to those areas with the lowest numbers. Then, set a tickler to take the quiz again in three or six months.