True Faith

Many people are trying to follow Christ yet wonder if their faith is genuine. How can someone be sure that the prayer they prayed was accepted by God? How can we tell if conversion is more than an emotional high?

I was very young when I first trusted Christ as my Savior—just four years old. To be honest, I don’t remember most of the details. But enough happened that my parents found out about it and reinforced it. But as I grew older, I couldn’t help wondering if it was genuine. How could I be sure that I had experienced a spiritual rebirth? I recommitted my life to Christ at 12 because I wanted to be sure.

Thankfully there is a book of the Bible written for just this reason. The purpose of 1 John is stated as follows: “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life” (5:13). If you want to have assurance of eternal life, read 1 John.

Author and Pastor John Stott summarizes the message of 1 John as a series of three tests:

1.    The Moral Test (How are you handling sin?)

2.    The Social Test (How are you treating others?)

3.    The Doctrinal Test (What do you believe about Jesus?)

 

If you really want to understand this book of the Bible, start by reading it through in one sitting. Then go back and look at it more slowly. On your second or third read, list the verses related to each of the above tests under the appropriate heading. Pay special attention to the “if” statements. For example:

If someone says, “I love God,” but hates a Christian brother or sister, that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see. (1 John 4:20).

 

This would belong to the “The Social Test” category. Continue until you have several verses listed for each category. Then ask yourself how well those verses describe your life. Though no one is perfect this side of heaven, and we rely on grace alone for salvation, a follower of Christ has a new identity to live out.  

Comments

[rich]

I was glad to hear that you were blogging again. Keep it up!