1 John : Day 3 : Ethical Tests

Day Three: Ethical Tests

And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments.  Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him:  whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked. Beloved, I am writing you no new commandment, but an old commandment that you had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word that you have heard.  At the same time, it is a new commandment that I am writing to you, which is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining.  Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness.  Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling.  But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

1 John 2:3-11 (ESV)

How do we know we are saved?  How do we know if our “Christian” friends are really Christian?  We are not called to judge whether people are actually Christian or not, that job solely rests on Jesus.  As I stated in the last entry, we can be fruit inspectors.  The passage above gives us a good indication as to who God’s people are and those who are not.

Paul states in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”  This maybe easier to see in some, but not others.  For those who did not believe the Gospel and now do, it may be a clearer indication that they have been reborn as opposed to the person who grew up in church and still goes to church.  This does not mean that John’s words are any less true.  Are you following God’s commandments?  Do you hate people?  It’s actually straight forward.  If you are living in sin, with no efforts of repentance and you hate people, you should probably reconsider calling yourself a Christian.

The good news is that there is repentance.  If you a Christian in a season of struggle, God still loves you, will always love you, and will always forgive you.  If you are not a Christian, the Gospel speaks to you.  Jesus lived, died, and was raised from the dead so that you can be reconciled to God the Father.  

Every so often, we need to read this passage for self-examination.  Am I living a life that God has called me to?  Am I living a life that reflect that I am a Christian?  Am I living in obedience?