The Marks of a Christian: Obedience

In the last several posts I have discussed several different marks or characteristics that identify one as a Christian. I identified love, true repentance, and faith in Christ, as indispensable qualities found in the lives of those who are born again. In this post I would like to look at  righteous living, a life of consistent obedience. I admit there is some overlap between these individual points, but I believe it is important to turn these things around in our minds and look at them from various aspects, to gain a thorough understanding of what it means to be a Christian.

We see a relationship between repentance, submission to Christ, and a faith that finds its expression in loving obedience. All of these points are necessary parts of the whole Christian life.

     And by this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. 

     The one who says, "I have come to know Him," and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; 

     but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him: 

     the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked. (1 John 2:3-6 NASB)

That is pretty simple to understand. If we know Christ in a salvific way, if we have a relationship with Him, we will keep His commandments. The one who abides in Christ will walk in the same way Jesus walked. This is what a disciple, or one who follows Jesus does. As it states above, one who claims to know Jesus, who says that they are a Christian, yet they live in disobedience, is a liar. That is not my statement, it is taken right out of this scripture passage. 

Again we read this,

     Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we shall be. We know that, when He appears, we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him just as He is. 

     And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure. 

     Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness. 

     And you know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin. 

     No one who abides in Him sins;  no one who sins has seen Him or known Him.

     Little children, let no one decieve you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous;

     the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, that He might destroy the works of the devil.

     No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in Him; and he cannot sin because He is born of God.

     By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother.

     For this is the message which you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. 

(1 John 3:2-11 NASB)

As children of God, we have a hope of an eternity with Jesus. When He appears we will be transformed. The cares and burdens of this life will be over. Every tear will be wiped away. As Christians we should long to see Jesus, the one we love and follow (2 Timothy 4:8). This being the case, a true child of God purifies themselves now in this lifetime in preparation of the day we see Jesus face to face.

Like a bride dressed in beautiful white dress gets ready to meet her groom, a Christian keeps themselves from spiritual defilement. Anything that would bring shame on that day we meet Jesus must go (see 1 John 2:28). 

Jesus came to take away sins. Not only did He provide an atonement for sin, but He also destroyed the power sin holds over our lives. We don't have to sin if we are in Christ. An inner transformation has taken place in one who has been born again. The Holy Spirit abides within us, the power behind the New Covenant ( Jeremiah 31:33). He whom the Son sets free is free indeed (John 8:36). This is why John can say that no one born of God sins. He is not implying some form of sinless perfection, but a consistent obedience as opposed to habitual sin. The Greek construction of these verses is speaking of an ongoing practice of either sin, or righteousness. A Christian may fail under temptation, but he will get up and confess that sin and keep moving forward with Christ. On the other hand, someone who claims to be a Christian but shows no real life change has no real assurance of their salvation at all. You are known by your fruits. The children of God and the children of the devil are known by how they live. That is the proof of whom you follow. 

If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone also who practices righteousness is born of Him. (1John 2:29)

The one who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And we know by this that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us. (1 John 3:24)

This is not something we do to earn our salvation. No amount of obedience or righteous acts will ever tip the scales in our favor. As I have previously written, this obedience flows out of our salvation in Christ. When we turn from our sinful lives and embrace the call to follow Jesus we will, by His grace and strength, obey Him. Righteousness is much more than being right with God, it is also doing what is right as well. If our repentance is real and our commitment to follow Christ is real, then our obedience will be real as well. It will be selfless, an outflow of love for God, and our fellow man.

The Marks of a Christian: Faith

And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him. (Hebrews 11:6 NASB)

My previous post dealt with the idea of repentance. In short, repentance is a change from one course of life to another. Something is the driving force behind this change. Biblical repentance is a change of mind and action brought about by the conviction of the Holy Spirit. In repentance then, we turn from our unbelief and sin to submission to God. 

This is where faith comes in. Theologians differ on the question of what comes first: repentance or faith?

Regardless of what their opinions might be, they are basically two sides of the same coin. Again, we turn from sin to God. If one is not moved by a godly sorrow to confess and renounce sin and self it is impossible to exercise faith in Christ. Jesus died to set us free from a sinful lifestyle. Discipleship demands His Lordship over our lives. This we embrace in and by faith. To believe in Jesus is to follow Jesus. It cannot be anything less.

In the above verse we read that we cannot please God apart from faith. If you do not believe in His existence you will see no need to submit to or obey Him. You will not seek after Him.

This seeking after God is vital. A half hearted pursuit is no pursuit at all. Jeremiah called Israel back to God during their captivity in Babylon. He prophesied this,

Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.

And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. (Jeremiah 29:12-13 NASB)

This is just as pertinent to us today as it was to Israel in the days of her captivity. It's all or nothing. Do we kind of want God, or are we all in? Are we committed with all of our heart, or is our allegiance divided?

To seek God in the sense of these verses is to seek Him. We often seek God in prayer to meet a need, but what we see here not that. God Himself is the object of our seeking. We must believe that He rewards those who, as the KJV puts it, diligently seek Him. Our reward is the presence of God in our lives. A relationship with Him is what we must be after. And it involves the whole heart, a sincere passion to know and have God.

Faith is more than an intellectual knowledge of God. Many individuals have a head knowledge of biblical things.They believe historical facts about Jesus, but that's as far as they go. That is not faith. Faith is a confident belief in God that moves us into action. A person who has a firm conviction that Jesus indeed has died for him or her, and has been raised from the dead and sits at the right hand of God, will embrace the Lordship of Christ over their lives and yield to Him in loving obedience. 

Jesus said that those who love him will obey Him (John 14:21-24). Faith expresses itself in love (Gal 5:6), so if we are not obedient to the words of Christ our faith is dead. James tells us that faith without works is a dead faith (James 2:14-26). It is useless.

Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. (Col 2:6-7 ESV)

So, just as we began in faith, we are to continue our walk with Christ in the same way. We are to grow and become established in the faith. Christ is to be our lives, the one we live for on a daily basis. This is what faith is. A vibrant and growing faith is a mark of a Christian.

The Marks of a Christian: Repentance

For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation; but the sorrow of the world produces death. (2 Corinthians 7:10 NASB)

This passage mentions two kinds of sorrow. Godly sorrow, and worldly sorrow. One leads to salvation, while the other leads to death. It is vital that we understand the difference between the two. Our salvation depends upon it. 

Jesus exhorts us to enter by the narrow gate. This is a narrow path that few find, while the majority find and travel upon the broad path to destruction (Matthew 7:13-14). I'm afraid many miss the narrow gate because of an insincere repentance.

Our text above mentions the sorrow of the world. Two things come to mind when I think about this.

1. The sorrow at being caught 

2. The dread of punishment 

Many individuals who have come to "repentance" are sorry because they were caught in some type of sin. Their sin might have been hidden from everyone around them, and now it has come to light, bringing perhaps shame or embarrassment. This type of person now has a change of mind about their sin. They give it up because it has come to light, but they would never have stopped if they still could have gotten away with it. They are not really sorry, they just want to save face.

Then there are those who fear the consequences of their sin. Perhaps their sin might lead to jail time, or a divorce. Of course all sin leads to eternal separation from God, ultimately spent in torment. That should strike fear in all of our hearts. But to give up our sin to avoid prison, avoid divorce, or even avoid eternal torment in the lake of fire is a selfish repentance that does not touch upon the hurt and offence our sin has brought upon God, and the individual we have sinned against. 

Think about it. You have been caught shoplifting. It's embarrassing, you are afraid of going to jail, so you give your word that you will never do it again. Deep inside however you are not sorry about your crime, and you would still do it if you could get away with it. Is that real sorrow? Is this true repentance? 

Or you feel guilty about sin in your life. You know you are a sinner, and you know that someday you must give an account to God for your sin. You know hell awaits you and you are terrified. Understand, it is wise to know and understand that sin has consequences, and that should cause us to think about sin and our standing before God. However, if our motivation for repentance is the avoidance of punishment we fall short. How does it sound when we tell God we are sorry for our sin, and we will now obey Him, when deep inside we are not concerned as much about God's honor and our offense against Him, as we are about avoiding punishment?

A man says some mean things to his wife. She is very hurt, and now things are strained in their relationship. After a few painful days he goes out and buys some flowers and a nice necklace. He gives her these things with an abstract apology hoping that somehow things will smooth over and go back to how they were. He has only made things worse. Now his wife feels deeper pain, a wedge is driven deeper into the separation between them. 

This is worldly sorrow. Trying to fix things and patch things up between man and God without a heartfelt grief over our sin because it is sin. Worldly sorrow actually leaves God out, we only want Him for what He can do for us. There is no sorrow for what we have done to Him. This kind of repentance is selfish, it still leaves us on the throne. We might give up something sinful, and pick up some moral habits, but it is all for us and our well being, not for the honor of God.

To confess our sin (1 John 1:9) is to agree with God about our sin. Daniel confessed his sin and the national sin of Israel while they were held captive in Babylon,

     "We have sinned, committed iniquity, acted wickedly, and rebelled, even turning aside from Your commandments and ordinances. Moreover, we have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings, our princes, our fathers and all the people of the land. Righteousness belongs to you, O Lord, but to us open shame, as it is this day -to the men of Judah, the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, those who are nearby and those who are far away in all the countries to which You have driven them, because of their unfaithful deeds which they have committed against You. (Daniel 9:5-7)

Daniel takes God's side in the matter. As does Ezra (Ezra 9:4-15). The Jews had returned to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple, but now it was discovered that they had began to intermarry with the foreigners living among them, in violation of God's command. Ezra was ashamed. He confesses that they had been given into captivity justly, on account of their sin, yet now God had shown them mercy in allowing a remnant to return to rebuild the temple. Now they had fallen into sin once again. He is grieved, not because they were caught, he prays, not to avoid punishment, but he confesses the unfaithfulness of his people to God because it was a grievous offense against a holy, yet gracious God.

This is what godly sorrow looks like. This sorrow at sinning against God causes us to be ashamed of ourselves, our sin, and admit we deserve the penalty due us for our sin. We must take God's side against us, and see ourselves and our sin as He does.

Repentance is a change of mind. This is not a fickle change of mind such as what may be produced by a worldly type of sorrow, but a change of mind brought about by a view of ourselves through the conviction of the Holy Spirit. When we see sin for what it is we will give it up.

Repentance also carries with it the idea of restitution. A thief will return what he has taken, a wrong will be righted as far as possible. Restoration between God and man is not possible without an honest attempt at restoration between the offender and the party offended. In other words, a thief who does not restore what he has taken is a thief still. One who will not go to an offended brother with a sincere confession shows that he has not yet experienced that godly sorrow that leads to repentance. Sadly, many relationships are never truly mended because true restoration has never been attempted. Often people go on like nothing has happened, but deep inside a disconnect remains.

Repentance is a turning point. We turn from sin to obedience. It carries the idea of surrender and commitment. We give up our right to control our lives, and in an act of faith we transfer control to God. In the next post I would like to look at another mark of a Christian, which is faith.

The Marks of a Christian: Love

A Christian is an individual who has been transformed from the inside out. An inner change has taken place that works itself out visibly in the life and actions of one who has experienced regeneration by the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:4). Anyone in Christ is a new creation. The old way of life is gone, and a new way has now begun (2 Corinthians 5:17). 

Scripture sets forth certain identifying characteristics of the believer that must be present if the new birth has taken place. While it is true that a Christian has not immediately "arrived," we should be consistently maturing in our faith. Our lives must show the evidence of the reality of our salvation.

Jesus commands us to love one another, just as He has loved us. By this, all men will know that we are His disciples (John 13:34-35). In fact, this goes beyond a mere command that we externally obey, but is an outflow of the very nature of God Himself, who has given us spiritual rebirth.

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love (1John 4:7-8 NASB).

So here we have a litmus test. Our love for others is proof of our relationship with God. Therefore it is important to define love; to understand what is required if we are to love others, and to determine who we are expected to love. 

While the term love is used in various ways in everyday thought and conversation, what I want to look at is the sacrificial love that is portrayed throughout the scriptures. This is the kind of love that should mark the life of a believer.

In Romans 13:8-10 we read this,

     Owe nothing to anyone except to live one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. For this, "You shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not covet," and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this saying, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." Love does not wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

Jesus puts it simply as treating others in the same way you would want them to treat you (Luke 6:31). We would not want to be wronged by someone, therefore, love forbids us to wrong another human being.

We have a description of love's attributes in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7,

     Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

By this we see that arrogance and self seeking do not belong in a Christian's life. Love is patient, puts up with a lot, and looks for the best in others. Love upholds the truth. This is in opposition to the way the world operates. 

In Romans 1:29-31 we read of a list of grievous sins. Envy, murder and strife, deceit, malice, gossip and slander, arrogance, those who hate God, those who disobey their parents, the unloving and unmerciful. We can look at murder or hating God and recognize those things as wicked indeed. But how about gossip or slander? This list of sins are in a passage of Scripture dealing with a people who have been given over to a depraved mind. Gossip is just as evil, just as unloving as murder or sexual sin in the eyes of God. Yet how easy it is to pass on that story, or to slander someone. Again, treat others the same way you would have them treat you. Love does no wrong to a neighbor.

Love looks out for the best interest of another. Love sees a need that it can meet, and then does it. In James 2:15-16 we are warned that it is not enough to give our best regards to someone in need, we must meet that need if we are able. We must go beyond words to actual deeds for our love to be real (1John 3:17-18).

Ultimately love is self sacrificing. Jesus states, "Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends." (John 15:13). Jesus loved us all the way to the cross. This stands as the ultimate example of sacrificial giving. John repeats this theme in 1John 3:16,

     We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

I think that the weight of these words is lost on most of us in the west. We haven't really experienced persecution for our faith like Christians in other countries have. History is filled with the stories of martyrs who have counted the cost and literally laid down their lives for their brothers and sisters in Christ. I believe that as the age closes upon us that many of us will be faced with this possibility as well. In the meantime however, the sacrifice is as great as the need that confronts us. That is the biblical portrayal of love.

So who are we to love? Are some people exempt from this requirement to love one another? For starters, Jesus has this to say, "If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them." (Luke 6:32)

If we stop there, and only love our little circle of friends and family, we fall woefully short of God's purpose for our lives. Even the worst of sinners are capable of loving a few friends or family members. That by itself cannot differentiate us from the world. It is not a sign of a true disciple. Of course we should love those around us whom we consider as friends or family (see Ephesians 5:25-28, 1Timothy 5:8) but there is more to love than that. 

We have already looked at verses pertaining to the love of the brethren, but here is one more,

     We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He do does not love abides in death. (1JOHN 3:14 NASB)

In this context the brethren are fellow believers. As followers of Christ we should love each other deeply. We are all members of His body (1 Corinthians 12:12-13). As such, we are too be fervent in our love for one another (1Peter 4:8). As Christians we are called to serve one another, to look out for each other, to meet any needs a fellow believers may have. As Christians we are to be kind, compassionate, humble, gentle and patient with one another. Quick to forgive, and eager to preserve unity within the body (Colossians 3:12-14). 

"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons if your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous."

(Matthew 5:43-45 NASB)

Jesus confronts what must have been a common belief in His day. "While the law commands us to love our neighbor as ourselves, we still have the right to hate our enemies." That would be convenient for most, and it is easy to see how an unsaved individual could apply this reasoning to their lives. However Jesus came to shake up the religious hypocrisy of the day. What was applicable two thousand years ago is just as applicable today. We are not exempt from loving those who we consider our enemies. On the contrary, we are called to meet their needs as well.

"But if your enemy is hungry, feed him, and if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap burning coals on his head." Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (Romans 12:20-21 NASB)

We are called to be different from the world. The kingdom of God operates in a complety different way than that if this world. Where the world is quick to judge, condemn and hate, Christ calls us to love and forgive. History records instances of Christians who have practiced loving their enemies and doing good to their persecutors.

Make sure your motives are pure. Many Christians look at "heaping burning coals" on the heads of their enemies as a "divine way of getting revenge." If I do something nice for my enemy it will get under his skin and drive him crazy. That is not love, but a subtle way of getting some revenge. In ancient times people who needed fire would go around with a container looking for coal. A kind neighbor would place burning coals in this basket which was carried upon the head of the needy individual. This was a blessing to a person in need. This is what Paul has in mind in this passage.

Jesus was confronted by a teacher of the law who wanted to know what he should do to receive eternal life (see Luke 10:30-37). When asked by Jesus what the law said, the man answered, "You shall love the LORD your GOD with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself." 

Jesus told the man that he answered correctly, and then told him to do this, and he will live. Now comes the tricky question, "Who is my neighbor?"

Jesus answers this with a parable that hit right at the root of ethnic division. I'm sure this was as shocking to His listeners as was His command to love our enemies. You see, the Jews had no dealings with the Samaritans (John 4:9). They were despised by the Jews, and no doubt, the feelings were mutual.

A man was traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho when he was attacked by robbers and left half dead. A priest came along, crossed the road to avoid this man and walked on. Likewise, a levite did the same. A Samaritan was the one who stopped, bandaged up the man and brought him to an inn for help. This Samaritan, who was despised by the Jews, was the one who had compassion, who went out of his way to save this man's life at his own expense. This is the kind of love we are called to exhibit.

Love knows no ethnic or racial boundaries. It goes beyond economic and social class. James rebuked individuals within the church who were despising the poor among them while catering to the rich. This was a violation of the royal law to live your neighbor as yourself (James 2:1-13). 

It is interesting how James uses the commandment prohibiting murder as an example in this passage. Is he implying that the partiality taking place in this congregation was akin to murder? Jesus would think so. He warns that murder begins in the heart. You may not actually kill your brother, but unchecked anger is just as evil in God's sight. In 1John 3:15 we read that Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer; and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.

These are sobering words. As I stated above, love is a natural outflowing of God's divine nature through us as believers. As people who have been renewed by the Holy Spirit we now have a new nature. I would like to clarify however that we must walk in this new nature. Our cooperation with the leading of the Spirit is necessary if we are to see love flow out of our lives toward others. In this world we will find ourselves in situations where our patience is tested. We will come across individuals who are hard to love. We must continue to put on compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, always ready to forgive, and love, which binds all of these things together (Colossians 3:12-14).