There are different tests documented to determine that which is real and that which is not. People have bitten into gold coins, pinched themselves, and examined official papers to determine authenticity. The training the United States Secret Service undergoes in their quest to insure that our paper currency is real can serve as an example for answering this question.

The U.S. Secret Service needs to know if a hundred dollar bill down to a one-dollar bill is real or counterfeit. To help them spot that which is not real, the agents are placed into a room with only the real currency. They are to touch it, feel it, examine it, and scrutinize it, until they know exactly what real United States paper currency is. They train themselves to know what is real and in so doing they can spot that which is not.

Real faith is based on the Word of God. The Bible tells us faith comes from hearing the message, and the message comes from the Bible. So to know if faith is real, one should immerse oneself in the Scriptures to see what they say about God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Examining the Scriptures can take many different forms. Weekly attendance in church to hear the pastor proclaim the truths of God’s Word is a start. Joining a Bible study group to spend time asking questions and receiving answers on sections of Scripture is another. A third and personal way is to take time daily to read from God’s Word, to meditate on the thoughts and to pray about its meaning.

Real faith is given to us by God the Holy Spirit as we study God’s Word. The foundation of this faith is Jesus Christ, God’s only son, who died to take all our sins away and then rose again to assure us of everlasting life. This is real, because the Bible tells us so.