Read 1 John 3:14-15
How do you know if someone is a friend or a foe? It’s by the way they act and speak. How do you know if someone is a Bronco’s fan or a Bulldogs fan? It’s by the way they act and speak. How do you know if someone is a car fanatic? It’s by the way they act and speak? In each case, what’s in the heart is brought out to the
How can you tell if a person is a Christian? It’s by the way they act and speak.
What’s in the heart is brought out to the surface. More particularly, the Christian acts and speaks in love. It’s very easy to appear loving and to say loving words and even to put on loving gestures. It’s very easy to wear a façade of love. But God here is speaking about a love that wells up from the inside, from the heart. God here is talking about a love that emanates from the love it has received from Himself and overflows uncontrollably outwards to others.
This kind of love that oozes out towards others gives the individual a sense of assurance and belonging. So many have struggled with inner doubts and questions such as Am I really a Christian? How can I know for sure that I am saved? What if I am lying to myself? What if I am not really born again?
Vv14-15 give us one way of knowing whether or not we are born again. As verse 14 says, if we love the brotherhood then we are born again. We have passed from death to life. This is not the kind of love that the world shares among itself. It is the love of Christ that loves the fellowship and puts the needs/desires of others above oneself. It’s the kind of love that would willingly lay down one’s life for others. It’s the kind of love that gives with a Jesus-honouring heart and serves with Jesus-exalting compassion.
On the flip side, we know that we have to think carefully about our position in the Lord if we are filled with hate towards a brother/sister in Christ Jesus. Put bluntly and simply, if you have received the love of Christ you cannot live in hatred or negativity towards another believer.
Think about Marty as he sits in his local church. As the preacher pounds out hell, fire and brimstone from the pulpit, he’s wondering if he’s really born again. He thinks about 1 John 4:13-14 and realises that he does love the brotherhood. But then he thinks about Mary-Anne. As he thinks about her he realises that he hates her. He can’t stand her and often goes out of his way to avoid her. Almost immediately a deep sense of fear envelopes him. Does that mean I’m not saved? Have I been fooling myself? Is the preacher right? Am I condemned to a life of eternal torture?
These are not simple questions to answer. It really depends on how Marty continues to react to the revelation that he hates another believer. If he repents of his hatred and seeks to be reconciled to Mary-Anne then we can assume that he’s a believer listening to the Word and will of God. If however, he remains hardhearted and excuses his hatred or justifies it then Marty needs to have a good hard think about his salvation. Under this scenario, it’s possible that he isn’t saved or born again.
A genuine Christian overflows with love for other believers. That doesn’t mean we will never have issues or that other believers won’t rub us the wrong way or that we will never have personality clashes. It means that in all of these situations we work towards reconciliation and mutual edification. It means that we refuse to live in hatred and anger. It means that we work at making peace and love.
How do you know if someone’s a Christian? By their life of love.
Prayer:
Use the day’s reading notes and Bible passage to pray meaningfully:
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
· Continue to pray for the work of CMTC - ChristLife Ministry Training Centre that the students would learn well the Word of God and that the teams goings out to other churches would bring growth and vitality. Pray that the teachers would remain faithful to the Word of God.
· Pray that the Engage team would continue to bring us missionary news and open up opportunities to share the faith even here in our local town.
1. What advice would you give to Marty if he approached your for wise counsel?
2. What if Mary-Anne refused to cooperate?
3. Someone once stated that you can see a person’s true heart and the amount of love they really have by the way they act/speak/react when things go really bad for them. Discuss.
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