1 John 5:1 – 2: Three Marks of a Christian

I John 5:1-2 “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well. This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands.”

Do you ever wonder how you can know if you are a Christian? Or perhaps, how you can tell if someone else is a Christian? The Bible tells us that a true child of God will exhibit certain characteristics. Oh, we may not do it perfectly. But in spite of our mistakes, there are certain qualities that will be present in our lives.

Red check sign in 3D

There are three things that mark the lives of true Christians. First of all, we must believe that God sent His Son, Jesus, to be our Savior. The New Testament word John used for believe is pistos, which does NOT mean an intellectual belief. Instead, it means a faith or trust in. Many people may believe in Jesus with their intellects. But until we give Him full reign over our hearts, that belief is in vain.

The second mark we carry is that we love other people. A love for God will be demonstrated in the way we treat the people He created. If we cannot love God’s children, we don’t love Him!

Finally, as true Christians, our love for God will be displayed through our obedience to Him. The interesting thing is that we cannot isolate any one of these marks; they are all inter-connected. If we have one, we will have all three, for each will compliment and enhance the other two.

Dear Father, I trust in Your Son, Jesus, as my Savior. I love You. Please help me as I seek to obey Your commands and love other people.
Amen

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