Today we begin our new series called “How to spot a real Christian” looking at the book of 1 John. We live in a world where there is so much fake news, false stories, political ‘spin doctors’ and Artificial Intelligence. In the Bible we are warned against false prophets and those who distort the gospel, and Jesus Himself warned about the increase of false prophets in the end times (Matthew 24:10-13; Matthew 7:15; Titus 1:10; 2 Peter 2:1). So today when many want to change what the gospel is all about and to pretend to be a Christian, we need to be sure what a real Christian is.
The disciple John, the longest serving disciple of Jesus, gave some major characteristics of real Christianity in this book of five chapters. Many believe that John, the son of Zebedee, wrote his three New Testament letters no later than the 90s A.D. He wrote from Ephesus against of heresies that were threatening the purity, peace, and mission of the church. There were many false doctrines going around, not dissimilar to our day and the culture infiltrating in the church. We must stand against the abundance of deception and defend biblically the deity of Christ. We stand for the truth of the gospel, not relativism which affirms ‘your truth’ verses ‘my truth’. We don’t accept the concept of cheap Grace, with the idea that we can go on intentionally sinning because God will give His grace no matter what. We cannot redefine who Christ is, only partially believe the Bible, or believe all will go to heaven when the Bible clearly tell us who will go to heaven.
So, the letter of 1 John is a great reminder that calls readers back to the three basics of Christian life: true doctrine, obedient living, and faithful devotion. It challenges followers of Jesus to stay true to what they already believe. Here in chapter 1, John starts with some important statements of what a real Christian is.
1. A real Christian is one who believes that Jesus really existed (1 John 1:1-4)
2. A real Christian knows that God is light and walks in His light (1 John 1:5-6)
3. A real Christian can only have real fellowship with other Christians by walking in the light (1 John 1:7)
4. A real Christian will be purified from their sins through the blood of Jesus (1 John 1:7)
5. A real Christian will recognise and confess their sins (1 John 1:8-10; Hebrew 12:16-17; Exodus 9:27-35; Luke 13:1-3)
Apply
1. A real Christian is one who believes that Jesus really existed (1 John 1:1-4). The coming of Jesus to this earth is fact not fiction. John said he personally experienced the eternal God of creation, The Word who became flesh. That they saw Him, heard Him, touched Him. This is real stuff (see atheist scholar Bart Ehrman affirmation of the Gospels validity). We can’t believe in Jesus if we are not sure He is real.
2. A real Christian knows that God is light and walks in His light (1 John 1:5-6). Everything about God is light. Jesus claimed: ‘I am the light of the world’. When we experience Jesus, all darkness in our life must go. We can’t sin in secret. We can’t pretend to be a Christian when we are not living right, e.g. with anger, hate, sexual sin, pride and ego. A Christian is someone who has left the kingdom of darkness to live in the light of God’s truth. If you feel there is darkness in any area of your life, today you can step into the light of God.
3. A real Christian can only have real fellowship with other Christians by walking in the light (1 John 1:7). True Christians can only have real friendship and fellowship with each other if there is a common experience of living with Jesus’ light. The beauty of the church is that we become like a family, we break the bread and have communion together, we are bound by the greatest gifts of all, Jesus Christ. We should find our best friends in the church, people that help us grow in the Faith, in the Word, people that will encourage and many times correct us, with the goal of walking in the light of Jesus. If you could choose where to be and who to be with, what would you choose? Where does your heart desire to be?
3. A real Christian will be purified from their sins through the blood of Jesus (1 John 1:7). To be a Christian you cannot ignore the blood of Jesus. You must understand that you can’t be a Christian just by good works but by personally encountering the power of the blood of Jesus. Only the blood of Jesus can make someone clean. Only the blood of Jesus can pay the price of our sins. Only the blood of Jesus can open the door of heaven to us (See Pastor César Castellanos books “The Revelation of the Cross” and “Just One Drop Of The Blood Of Jesus”). The price Jesus paid when He shed His blood was an undeserved gift so we could be free. The power of a real Christian begins when we accept that only the blood of Jesus can give us a new beginning Have you experienced the cleansing power of the blood of Jesus?
4. A real Christian will recognise and confess their sins (1 John 1:8-10) A true Christian can never be religious and self righteous. We tend to justify our sins and compare them with the wrong standards, to look around and say “well, I’m not that bad… at least I am not doing X, Y or Z.’ That’s what the Pharisees were like. They always wanted to look good and to appear holy. Our standard should always be the Word of God. You will be surprised how much we need to run the Cross and confess to be cleanse. A real Christian is someone who doesn’t pretend to be better than anyone else. A real Christian can’t look down on others. A real Christian says: ‘yes, me too. I have sinned. I am a sinner just like anyone else and I too need forgiveness.’ A real Christian will be absolutely real and confess their sins, and if you do that then you will discover that you can be forgiven. There are few things that seem like repentance but actually are not.
- Esau (Hebrew 12:16-17): Esau cried, but his tears were not enough. Repentance is more than just crying.
- Pharoah (Exodus 9:27-35): Pharaoh confessed his sin, but didn’t change. Repentance is
not only confessing your sin, but also changing your ways.
- The Galileans (Luke 13:1-3): Jesus said that salvation is not through suffering nor religious ritual, but rather through repentance.
Today are you a real Christian? Do you believe in the reality of Jesus? Are you walking in the light or living in the darkness of sin? Do you have fellowship with real Christians? Have you been made clean through the blood of Jesus? Have you actually honestly and truly recognised your sinful state and confessed your sins to God? Well if you do, you will know for sure that God is faithful and just to forgive you and cleanse you.
