What is the test of genuine faith based on these verses?
Based on the verses, the test of genuine faith is if one perseveres in the Christian faith. Christian life is not an easy one; there are many difficulties one must face. For example, at school it is very difficult for many Christian teenagers to live out their faith. They don’t want to be known as a Christian because being a Christian means you are weird. They don’t want people to see them as a weirdo who doesn’t listen to the same music as everyone else, and who doesn’t date like everyone else. Sometimes being a Christian means even losing your friends. But Apostle Paul is saying it is times like these – when our own friends reject us, or when they call us names – that our faith is being tested and it determines whether or not our faith is genuine. What does it mean to “take your stand” and “hold firmly” to the gospel? When Paul says to “take your stand”, he is saying that Christians need to be bold about their faith. We can’t be lukewarm Christians, sometimes gossiping with our frien
