Am I a genuine Christian? 26/02/2023

When John was writing this letter, there were many who claimed to be Christians but sadly they were not. They were causing havoc in the church. John is writing to tackle their wrong teaching which seriously affected their behaviour.

John supplies us with tests so that we may know the true from the false. This is a very challenging

chapter and the last thing I want to happen is for a true believer to doubt whether he or she is really a Christian. However, it should be an assurance to us when Satan is attacking us and saying to us, "You call yourself a Christian and ………" The old apostle wanted to reassure his readers in their Christian faith. We should have the same desire as he had.

There are three tests in chapter 2 of John's first letter

The test of obedience - walking in righteousness. Verse 5b-6 By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked. Notice the words we may know - he wants to assure his readers. This is about keeping his commandments and keeping his word. This is not following the Old Testament law - it is about reading God's word and regulating our lives according to the Bible. It is not about living a sinless life - though Jesus did no sin. The true Christian will be living a life to please our Lord and will want to become more like him.

The test of love - loving our brothers and sisters. Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness. Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling. [1 John 2: 9-10] John is very direct - he says what he means. He does not beat about the bush - as we might say. I was reflecting on what John is meaning when he says that "whoever loves his brother abides in the light - what does he mean by this? When he uses the term "abides in the light," he is speaking about fellowship with God and His Son, Jesus Christ [See 1 John 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.] It is important to make sure that we walk in the light and have fellowship with God and / or Jesus and this will help us to enjoy fellowship with each other. There will be less cause for stumbling. So John is admitting that there is a need to do something to maintain a good relationship with our fellow Christian. This does not just happen automatically. However, this is a test of our reality - if we have no love for our brothers and sisters in the church, there is reason to doubt the reality of our conversion.

The doctrinal test - See verses 18-23 when he speaks about the false teachers - probably known as Gnostics who prided themselves in their special knowledge. John refers to them as the antichrist - they are not Christians because they deny that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah. They were not really Christians because they did not believe in the central elements of the Gospel - especially relating to the person of Jesus Christ.

When John was writing his letter, he was concerned that these tests would be a concern to his readers. They might begin to doubt that their faith was genuine. His purpose in writing is to expose the false teachers who were never part of the church. He says about them - They went out from us, but they were not of us. (verse 19) He makes a great effort to reassure his readers that they are right with God- e.g. he says in verses 12 and 13 two things about the new believer - (described as little children) Firstly, your sins are forgiven for his name's sake, and secondly you know the Father. This was a word of reassurance to them in case they were affected by the exposure of the false teachers.

Photo by Patrick Fore on Unsplash.