The Mark of a Genuine Disciple

The Mark of a Genuine Disciple
“By this we know that we have come to know Him if we keep His commandments.”
1 John 2:1-6
It is easy to be a pretender.  We can talk the talk, say all the right words. We can even attend church on Sundays, raise our hands in worship, and say “amen” when the preacher is preaching.  We can convince others and ourselves that we are a “Christian.”  However, Christ warns us in Matthew 7:21-23 that not everyone who claims to be a disciple of Christ is a genuine follower of Him.

In 1 John 2, John begins with an affirmation of the hope of all humanity. When we sin, no matter how grievous the act, we have one who is an “Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous.”  An advocate acts as a spokesperson or representative of someone before a judge to prove their innocence.  When we sin, we have Jesus as our legal representation.  Yet how can Jesus obtain our freedom when we are guilty?  The answer lies in verse 2.  “He Himself is the propitiation for our sin.” In other words, Jesus has paid the penalty for the sin Himself.  He is able to obtain our freedom from judgment, not because we are innocent, but because He has already been our substitute and suffered the judgment for us.  In doing so, He satisfied the justice of a holy God.  All we have to do is accept by faith the work He has done on our behalf.

To understand faith, we must understand that the genuine faith that leads to forgiveness is not just an affirmation of truths. Authentic faith is transforming faith; it leads to a complete reorientation of life.  In verse 3, John describes genuine faith as that which results in obedience. Throughout the scriptures, the mark of an authentic disciple is living in obedience to the commands God has outlined in His Word.  Conversely, anyone who claims to be a Christian but ignores the Bible and disregards the commands of Scripture is a charlatan.  They have an outward appearance but lack the true inward reality.  

Every day, we make moral decisions.  Everyone has a moral compass that they follow in the course of their life.  John asks, “Where is our moral compass pointing?”  What is the basis by which we make our moral and ethical decisions in life?  In verses 15-16, he warns against the morality of the world.  When the world determines our moral compass, it demonstrates that we are spiritually bankrupt.  Instead, we are to live by the commands of God’s word.  To genuinely love Christ is to obey Christ.  Not that we are striving to earn our salvation by our obedience but our obedience is our faith's natural outgrowth.  This stems from the reality that when we surrender to Christ and accept the gift of his salvation, He changes our hearts and gives us the desire to obey Him.  Paul writes in Philippians 2:13, “For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.”  In other words, God gives us both the desire and the ability to now obey him.  As you start the new year, start with a self-examination of your spiritual health.  Are you growing in your desire to obey Christ?  Is your moral compass set on Christ or set upon the world?