Contributor:
Chad Roberts
I’m not sure if anything causes more damage to Christianity than fake Christians. Do you know the one’s I’m talking about? Those Christians who look the part, act the part but at the end of the day, their faith is as fake as a counterfeit $100 bill.
Jesus warned us that this would happen in a parable about wheat and tares found in Matthew 13:24-30. Christ shows how you cannot physically tell a difference between a grain of wheat and a tare. They actually grow side by side. The same is true today in the Church. Some who you would think is very close to God is far away from Him. To the naked eye you really cannot tell a difference, but be assured that the Lord knows who is fake and who is genuine!
John’s Concern
So when John is writing his epistle to first century Christians, he wants to make sure that they can distinguish whether they are true believers. It is far too easy to doubt our salvation because we are each keenly aware of our own private and individual sins. In 1 John 3:
Counterfeit Money
It is interesting how Federal Agents learn to detect counterfeit money. I would think the way to spot counterfeit currency would be to study counterfeits and try to stay ahead of the technology, but actually, the opposite is true.
Federal Agents learn how detect counterfeits by studying actual US currency. They become so familiar with the real product that they can spot the one’s that are fake. They painstakingly study the seals, watermarks, serial numbers, borders, toner technology and even the type of paper used. Often a Federal Agent can tell a counterfeit just by touching it as opposed to authentic US currency.
Authentic Believers
In a similar way, John writes to the early Christians to teach them how to distinguish between authentic and counterfeit believers. I’m not sure if there is greater damage done to the Gospel of Jesus Christ than fake Christians.
Evidence #1: Whoever Does Not Practice Righteousness
The key to understanding this important statement is the word, “Practice.” What this word means in the original Greek is, “habitually.” In other words, those who continue sinning in a way that they are unwilling to repent or turn from.
It is one thing to mess up and sin, then seek repentance. It is another thing to continue on in that sin and habitually practice that sin. If you make the conscious choice to habitually go on sinning then how can you genuinely ask the Lord for forgiveness? The Lord will not be able to forgive you because of the on going sin.
As a pastor, I have married many couples who fell in love and moved in together without being married. It seems once they get into Church, that is one of the first things they want to make right, so I am more than glad to marry them and help them make their sin right before the Lord. But suppose a couple is living together and refuses to be married. Can God bless their home? Can He work in their lives and bless what He calls sin? Unfortunately, He cannot and he will not.
So take for example a couple living together, they want to please the Lord and in their hearts, they want to follow God. Yet they refuse to submit their lives and do life the way God commands. Even though they want to follow God, are they habitually sinning? Sadly, they are. I would counsel that couple to seriously consider if they are genuine believers. I do not say this to be harsh or judgmental. I am saying to examine yourself. Ask yourself the Biblical question, “By this, it is evident…am I habitually sinning?”
Evidence #2: The One Who Does Not Love His Brother
God takes love seriously. Why? Because it is His very nature. 1 John 4:8 says, “Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.” So when the Bible commands us to love one anther, it is not a soft, fluffy suggestion. It is an imperative…a command.
This is the second evidence to know if you are a genuine believer. Do you love other Christians? It is as simple as if the watermark on a US $100 bill is in the right spot. It seems simply, but it is the litmus test to Christianity.
Do you love Christians in other countries? Take Palestinian Christians for example. They are rejected in their own culture because they are not Muslim. Yet they are rejected by Christians in the West because they are Arab. What about Saudi Arabian believers or Nigerian believers? Do you ever pray for them? Do you support missions who are reaching out to them?
Here is another great question, what about Christians of other races? Are you comfortable praying with believers who are African America or Caucasian or Hispanic? God’s command to love one another obliterates any racism in a believer’s heart. It has nothing to do with how you were raised or what your parents thought. God’s love has to do with Him changing your heart and giving you a heart for people regardless of any differences we might have.
Do You Pass the Test?
Do you pass the 1 John 3:10 test? Do you habitually practice sin or have you repented and forsaken sinful patterns? Do you love God’s people or are you self absorbed in your own cookie cutter world?
If you fail these simply test in any way, ask the Lord to help you. Invite Him into your life and ask Him to correct these areas. One thing you can count on, is when we ask the Lord to help us, He certainly will.
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