True Christians
1 John 5:1-5
One of the most troublesome divisions in
Christianity comes over this: just how do I know a "real"
Christian? The usual dogmatic answer is, "One who belongs to my
denomination, which is the only real church. The rest of you are
heathens." (Indeed, it was only in the 20th century that
the Roman Catholic church promoted the rest of us from heathens
to heretics). But what does the Scripture say about it?
(1 John 5:1-5 NIV) Everyone who believes that
Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the
father loves his child as well. {2} This is how we know that we
love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his
commands. {3} This is love for God: to obey his commands. And
his commands are not burdensome, {4} for everyone born of God
overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the
world, even our faith. {5} Who is it that overcomes the world?
Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.
Perhaps the Apostle just didn't understand
the problem. Perhaps he only understood the answer.
Black Hats, White Hats
Who do you say He is?
Let us be perfectly clear: the test of the
true Christian is not in the label on the door of the church. It
is in the heart of the one who claims to be a Christian. The
test is - I submit entirely - on who you say Jesus is (and what
you do about it).
You say that He is divine?
Do you then obey the commands He has every right to
give?
You say He is the Christ,
the Messiah? Have you then relied upon His sacrifice at
the Cross as the atonement for your sins?
If you have, then you are a Christian. This
is the reason we can speak of the universal ("catholic") nature
of the church. All those who believe this are brothers and
sisters to me, no matter what their denomination. Those who do
not, are not - despite the label on the door.
But if this is true belief, then there must
be action as a result of it. Chanting the right formula is
magic; true belief is faith.
Result in action: love the brothers
John gives us the real test here: if we truly
believe, we will love those who are Christians. The point is
relatively simple:
If you love me, you will
love my children. If you do a favor to my children, you
do a favor to me. If you hurt my children, you can
expect my wrath. Should God be any different? Shouldn't
our attitude towards his children reflect this idea?
We are a family. You view
things differently in a family. When the family is a
loving one (and we should be) you tend to be very loyal
to your brothers and sisters. You should also tend to be
more forgiving - for there is a sense that "we're going
to have to get along together." In our case, it's for
eternity. (One should note also that if the family is
not a loving one, things are much worse!)
We need to remember that
this is the test not only for ourselves but for the
world, for as Christ said:
(John 13:35 NIV) By this all men will know
that you are my disciples, if you love one another."
Dealing with doubt
"But," the little voice arises, "how do I
know I'm doing it right?" Good question; how can I tell the
difference between a legalistic following of the rules and true
love for the family of God? The answer is simple: in legalism,
the internal doesn't match the external. In love, it does. John
tells us that loving God and obeying his commands are the same
thing:
Loving God is an internal
thing - for God is invisible. But our love for God can
be the cause for something external, namely,
Our obedience - which is
visible to all. It is external, and it should be the
effect of our love for God.
Perhaps an example will make it clearer. When
Debbie was 10 years old, Mom let her "help" serve the Christmas
dessert to her guests. I remember well the enthusiasm and
eagerness she had; Mom had to tell her several times not to run
with the plates. We saw the eagerness she had to please; we knew
the love she had for her mother from it.
So there is the question: is your obedience
one of enthusiasm, or one of burden?
The Burden is Light
Christ tells us his burden is light:
(Mat 11:28-30 NIV) "Come to me, all you who
are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. {29} Take my
yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in
heart, and you will find rest for your souls. {30} For my yoke
is easy and my burden is light."
But sometimes we don't see it that way.
Consider what Paul went through; a career that would have
wearied Indiana Jones. It is often the way of Christ to put
forward an apparent paradox and leave it to us to resolve it -
so that we might understand both Him and ourselves better.
Do it right the first time
I remember it clearly - as if my dad would
let me forget it. I was 13 years old, strong like an ox, and dad
wanted my help in rotating the tires on the station wagon.
Nobody told me that the lug nuts on one side were reverse
threaded - and being 13 years old, I was in no doubt anyway. It
took quite a bit of effort to put those lug nuts on the "right"
way. They may have been reverse threaded when I started - but
not now! (He was rather upset about it, too.)
How often we fool ourselves like that! We
think we have the strength to do it our way, and therefore we
"know" better than God. But do we really triumph in things of
the spirit by using the weapons of Satan? Consider this:
Communism has fallen - with the unique exception of those
countries with whom we have been in combat.
It's still true: you do it right the first
time, you don't have to do it over.
The aid of God
In a fit of boredom one night I watched a
weight lifting competition. After one particularly impressive
lift (I believe it was almost a thousand pounds, if memory
serves me correctly) the organizers had a squad of soldiers -
ten men - come out to carry off the bar. These ten men strained
to lift what the one weightlifter had picked up just moments
before.
We're often like that. We look at the bar and
say, "Only a super saint could do that." But listen to the end
of the story. The next round of weightlifting came, and the
organizers wised up: they sent only one man out to pick up the
bar. Of course, he had a forklift.
If God gives the command,
did you really think he would leave you without the
strength to perform it - if you will but ask?
Most of us don't want the
strength - because then we will have to obey the
command. It seems more pleasant to be spiritually weak
and nurse our anger (for example) than to be strong -
and forgive.
Indeed, most of us do not
want to be the strong tower of God's power - for the
taller the tower, the deeper the foundation of humility
which must be dug. (I am indebted to St. Augustine for
that one).
He ain't heavy - he's my brother
Little children are stinkers - literally. But
have you ever noticed how grandmothers - who of all people
should know better - seem to hover over them, even asking to
change diapers on them? The key to the matter is our love for
our brothers and sisters: if that is strong, the burden is
light. The cost of caring for the children of an unwed mother is
intolerable to good Orange County Republicans - unless the
mother is your daughter. Love makes the difference.
But is love enough? It is - because our love
is multiplied by God's love, and his love comes in power.
Multiplied, I say - and we need to remember that nothing times
anything is still nothing.
Overcoming the World
If we are to understand what John meant by
this "overcame the world," we must first recall what "the world"
means in his writing.
It includes the sins of the
flesh - gluttony, lust and sloth.
It includes the sins of the
worldly - envy, greed and wrath.
It specifically includes the
sin of pride - the sin of the spirit.
These, then, are what have been overcome by
our faith. But how?
Faith is the victory
Note the past tense: "has overcome." Faith
presents us with the victory in past tense; all we need to do is
take it. How is this?
First, faith results from
overcoming of doubt - which comes of examining the
facts. The facts are simple: the death, burial and
resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. I have seen the
past; I know who won. I can now see the future; I know
who wins.
I can also look at the facts
of other Christians - for two thousand years, faith has
overcome the world. Christians have marched cheerfully
to their deaths, knowing the certainty of the
Resurrection. If they can do it, what has so changed
that I cannot?
It is both past and present
tense: "everyone born of God overcomes the world." God
is eternal; He does not change. The victory is in Him,
and therefore the victory does not change either.
Faith - in the One who deserves it
It is not just "faith in faith" - a mindless
belief that all will be well, somehow. It is faith in the one
who deserves it - Jesus, the Christ. His is the victory:
First, by his triumph at the
Cross - where he conquered death itself, and removed its
terrors for those who believe.
Next, by the indwelling of
his Holy Spirit - the guarantor of our salvation and
life to come.
Finally, as we shall see, at
his triumphant return to judge the living and the dead.
Christian, do you want victory over the
things of this world - or do you want to succumb to them? You
must choose - but if you choose his way, the victory is assured.
You have but to ask.
