~ How Strong Is Your Faith? ~
The book of
First John provides ten ways to examine your faith.
The Test of Our Lifestyle
~ “This
is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is
light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with
Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk
in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and
the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we
have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess
our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins
and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we
say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us”
(1 John 1:5-10).
The Test of Our Obedience
~ “Now
by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, ‘I
know Him,’ and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not
in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him.
By this we know that we are in Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself
also to walk just as He walked” (1 John 2:3-6). “By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and
keep His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His
commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome” (1 John 5:2-3).
The Test of Our Affection
~ “Do
not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the
love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world — the lust of
the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but
is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who
does the will of God abides forever” (1 John 2:15-17). “For whatever is born of
God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the
world—our faith. Who is he who
overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” (1 John
5:4-5).
The Test of Our Anticipation
~ “Beloved,
now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be,
but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see
Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as
He is pure” (1 John 3:2-3).
The Test of Our Holiness
~ “Little
children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous,
just as He is righteous. … Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His
seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God. In
this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever
does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his
brother” (1 John 3:7, 9-10).
The Test of Our Reception
~ “For
this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one
another, not as Cain who was of the wicked one and murdered his brother. And
why did he murder him? Because his works were evil and his brother's righteous.
Do not marvel, my brethren, if the world hates you” (1 John 3:11-13).
The Test of Love
~ “For
this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one
another … By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we
also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has this world's
goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does
the love of God abide in him? My little children, let us not love in word or in
tongue, but in deed and in truth” (1 John 3:11, 16-18).
“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone
who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God,
for God is love. In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has
sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In
this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be
the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to
love one another. No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God
abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us” (1 John 4:7-12).
The Test of Our Prayer
~ “Beloved,
if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God. And whatever
we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those
things that are pleasing in His sight” (1 John 3:21-22).
The Test of Our Discernment
~ “Beloved,
do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God;
because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the
Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the
flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is
not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was
coming, and is now already in the world. You are of God, little children, and
have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the
world” (1 John 4:1-4).
The Inner Reality Test
~ “By
this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His
Spirit” (1 John 4:13).
~ Robert
Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE
NOW
