True Christian or Fake Christian: How Can We Know
1 John 3 (ESV)
3 See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.2Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears[a] we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.3And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.
4Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness.5You know that he appeared in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin.6No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him.7Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous.8Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.9No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's[b]seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God.10By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.
Love One Another
11For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.12We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother's righteous.13Do not be surprised, brothers,[c]that the world hates you.14We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death.15Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.
16By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.17But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him?18Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.
19By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him;20for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything.21Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God;22and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him.23And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us.24Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God,[d] and God[e]in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us.
Main Points
1) The Father’s love on display: we are children of God!
2) The Son’s love on display: Lavish self-sacrifice
3) Recipients of the Spirit: we have confidence before God!
Some relevant Scriptures (all Scripture references are in ESV)
1) The Father’s love on display: we are children of God!
● Romans 8:15-17 -15For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”16The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,17and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.
● Zephaniah 3:17 - The LORD your God is in your midst,
a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you
with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will
exult over you with loud singing.
● Romans 6:12-14 -12Let not sin therefore reign in your
mortal body, to make you obey its passions.13Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. 14For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.
● Romans 13:14 -14But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.
● Titus 2:11-14 -11For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people,12training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age,13waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,14who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.
2) The Son’s love on display: Lavish self-sacrifice.
● Romans 5:5b - God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
● 2 Timothy 3:12-13 -12Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,13while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.
● Acts 4:32-37 -32Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common. 33And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them
all.34There was not a needy person among them, for
as many as were owners of lands or houses sold
them and brought the proceeds of what was sold
35and laid it at the apostles' feet, and it was
distributed to each as any had need.36Thus Joseph,
who was also called by the apostles Barnabas (which means son of encouragement), a Levite, a native of Cyprus,37sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostles' feet.
3) Recipients of the Spirit: we have confidence before God!
● John 15:9-10 -9As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love.10If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love.
● John 15:5 - I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
● 1 John 5:13 -13I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.