FIVE CHARACTERISTICS OF A TRUE CHRISTIAN Ye shall know them by their fruits(Matt.7:16a AKJV) When you produce much fruit,you are My true disciples.This brings great glory to My Father(John 15:8 NLT). There are five characteristics of an authentic Christian found in the book of 1 John.Tonight Ill share them with you.Many tend to believe that we cannot know if someone is a true believer or not,but God does not leave His children in the dark concerning such things.Some believe that if a person calls Jesus Lord or confesses to believe in Jesus then that is a sure indicator that he or she is saved but the Word of God requires more than just lip service.I normally use my Authorized King James version,but tonight Im going to use my wifes New Living Translation.Im very picky about the translations i use and perfer the KJV but I feel safe using the NLT with its language and accuracy.Here are the five charateristics of a genuine disciple of Christ found in 1 John. 1)1 John 2:29 says that the true believer does what is right or righteous;Since we know that Christ is righteous,we also know that all who do what is right are Gods children.This does not speak of occasionally doing right but that doing right is the true believers practice in lifes daily activities. 2)1 John 3:9 says that a true believer do not habitually sin;Those who have been born into Gods family do not make practice of sinning,because they are children of God. And 1 John 5:18 says;We know that Gods children do not make a practice of sinning,for Gods son holds them securely,and the evil one cannot touch them.This is not to say that true Christians do not sin,but that true Christians do not live a lifestyle of habitual sin.Why?because,like the text says,a true Christian is kept by Jesus Christ.If a proseesing christian continues in habitual sin then he/she is not being kept by Christ because he/she does not belong to Christ. 3)1 John 4:7 & 8 says that a true believer loves others;Dear friends,let us continue to love one another,for love comes from God.But anyone who does not love does not know God,for God is love.True Christians love other people and demonstrate love as a way of life. 4)1 John 5:1a, says that a true believer believes that Jesus is The Christ;Everyone who believes that Jesus is The Christ has become a child of God.This word believes is not merely a mental acknowledgement that Jesus is The Christ but it is a belief that comes from having an personal encounter with the risen Jesus that results in an authentic born-again experience. 5)1 John 5:1b - 4 says that a true believer loves the Father and His children and displays that love through obedience to Gods commandments;..And everyone who loves the Father loves His children too.We know we love Gods children if we ove God and obey His commandments.Loving God means keeping Hid commandments,and His commandments are not burdensome.For every child of God defeats this evil world,and we achieve this victory through our faith.The true Christian loves the Father and loves other Christians.This love for the Father and His children is only real and evident when Christians obey Gods commandments.When we love God and His children then obeying His commandments is not burdensome infact it is a joy to obey them. These are five charateristics of a genuine Christian.If these characteristics are not evident in a professing Christian then we can safely conclude that he or she is ONLY a professor and not a true genuine believer.Jesus said;Ye shall know them by their fruitsfor when you produce much fruit,you are My true disciples.Why?because this brings great glory to My Father.Consider what Jesus is saying and its implications.God the Father is glorified when Jesus disciples produce much fruit.If that is true,and we know Gods Word is absolute truth,can we believe that God would allow His true children not to produce much fruit?Some say God wont force us to grow but Jesus says that God is only glorified when we grow.Let God be true and every man a liar! No true Christian merely confesses to believe but continues to deny Jesus by their lives(fruit).A true Christian is known by his much producing of fruit.God bless you all and dont think that God leaves us in the dark on such issues.God is good and leads His children to all truth. By:Edward J Navarro
Posted on: Sun, 17 Nov 2013 03:21:01 +0000