Genuine Christian Fellowship

I John 1:1-2:17

The True Christian Church Fellowship

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

My question to you is:

Are we a genuine Christian family? Are we a true genuine Christian fellowship? Are we a true genuine Christian church?

How can we know whether we are a genuine Christian church family or not?

A genuine Christian family or fellowship must be composed of genuine true individual Christians, those who have experienced the new birth in Christ, those who have been born again according to John 3:3,7 (The Story of Jesus and Nicodemus). There is an inner witness of the Holy Spirit in the person who is born again.

In John 3:3 and 3:7, Jesus said to Nicodemus that he must be born again to enter the kingdom of God. To be born again is to repent of one's heart attitude of self-centeredness and to call upon, that is, to pray to God to confess one's sins and to invite Jesus Christ into one's heart as Lord and Savior. It is to decide to revere and obey God throughout one's life.

What happens inside the person who is born again?

The person becomes a totally new creation. The old has passed away and the new has come (II Corinthians 5:17). He or she has got a total transformation inside out. It is a literally new birth, not physically, but spiritually.

But now, how about external proofs of a born-again Christian?

Is there a way to test whether someone is a genuine born-again Christian or not? 

According to I John 1:1-2:17, yes, there are four crucial tests for genuine Christianity.

1. Proper view of Christ (1:1-4)

2. Proper view of sin (1:5-2:2)

3. Obedience to God’s commands (2:3-6) and

4. Love of the brethren (2:7-17)

Tests 1 & 2 are tests of doctrines- Doctrine of Christ and Doctrine of Sin.

Tests 3 and 4 are tests of Morals- Obedience and Love

Read John 1:1-2:17

Test 1

Concerning Jesus Christ

(1:1-4)

Who is Jesus Christ?

Is He God or not?

Was He God-Incarnate or not?

Did He come down as God in the flesh or not?

Did He take the form of a human babe born of Virgin Mary 2000 years ago in Bethlehem, Israel or not?

Was God Jesus Christ also the Man of Galilee who grew up from this virgin-born baby, did a lot of miracles and healing, was crucified, and rose again on the Third Day after Crucifixion or not?

Did Jesus Christ have a real physical body or not?

Was Jesus Christ a Man or not?

So, was Jesus Christ just God only? Or just Man only? Or BOTH!

Let’s read again 1:1-4

1 That which was from the beginning,which we have heard,which we have seen with our eyes,which we have looked upon,and our hands have handled,concerning the Word of life—

² the life was manifested,and we have seen,and bear witness,and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us—

³ that which we have seen and heard we declare to you,that you also may have fellowship with us;and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.

 ⁴ And these things we write to you that your joy may be full.

Apostle John is affirming categorically that Jesus Christ was both Man and God. Do you? 

By speaking of eternal life as ‘existing with the Father’ (1 Jn 1:2), John is alluding to the preexistence of Christ. Christ was God as well as became Man for our sake-to die on the Cross in our place saving us from our sinfulness and death unto eternal abundant life and Heaven, where we will enjoy an eternal fellowship with God and one another. What an everlasting joy it will be!

Do you and I pass this first test? That is, having a proper view, the biblical view of Christ as both God and Man! It is absolutely vital. We must not accept but reject completely any contrary view coming from anyone about this crucial Doctrine of Christ!

Test 2.

Do you and I have a proper biblical view of sin?

Is sin real or not?

Apart from Jesus Christ the Innocent Perfect Sinless One, is there anyone without sin?

Can we ignore sin?

Let’s read I John 1:5-2:2

⁵ This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.
 ⁶ If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.
 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 Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.
⁸ If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
 ⁹ If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
 ¹⁰ If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.

I John 2:1-2

 My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.

² And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.

God is light in such a way that He admits no darkness/SIN. (1 Jn 1:5-7)

A genuine Christian walks habitually in the light (truth and holiness), not in darkness (falsehood and sin). He/she experiences cleansing from sin continually through the blood of Jesus Christ Our Lord and Savior.

Not only do false Christians walk in darkness/sin but they deny the existence of a sin nature in their lives. If someone never admits to being a sinner, how can he/she be saved? (1 Jn 1:8)

Continual confession of sin is an indication of genuine salvation. (1 Jn1:9)

If anyone commits sin, let him confess and trust in Jesus Christ the Righteous One, for He is Our Advocate with the Father. (1 Jn 1:10- 1 Jn 2:1-2)

Do you and I pass this second test of being a genuine Christian, that is, a proper biblical view of sin? Do we pass the test of the doctrine of sin?

Tests 1 and 2 are tests of doctrines-Doctrine of Christ and Doctrine of Sin. 

Tests 3 and 4 are tests of Morals (2:3-17). Test 3 is about Obedience (2:3-6) and Test 4 (2:7-17) about Love.

Test 3

A Biblical View of Obedience (2:3-6)

³ Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments.

 ⁴ He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

 ⁵ But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him.

 ⁶ He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.

It is about hypocrites- those who profess Christ while at the same time are not keeping His commandments.(1 Jn 2:4)

His Greatest Commandment as you know is to love Him and others (Matthew 22: 36-40)

His New Commandment to us is to love one another as He loved us (John 13:34-35;15:12,17)

His Great Commission is to go and make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:18-20)
Do we obey these commandments of Our God?
Let’s just take the Greatest Commandment of Loving God.

Do we truly love God? 

-Adore Him?
-Believe Him?
-Confess and Commit ourselves to Him?
-Do His Will?
-Exalt His Name?
-Fear and Follow Him?
-Glorify Him?
-Honor and Hope in Him?
-Intercede and pray to Him?
-Join in His Compassion for this lost world?
-Know Him truly?
-Like and Live for Him?
-Magnify His Name?
-Not provoke Him?
-Obey Him?
-Praise and please Him?
-Quit sinning?
-Respect, Revere Him, and Rejoice in Him always?
-Seek, Surrender to and Serve Him?
-Trust and Thank Him in everything?
-Uplift His Name?
-Value Him and His Word?
-Wait upon and Worship Him?
-Xcel for Him?
-Yield to Him always? and
-Zoom (or Focus) on Him?

Do we look forward to His Return?
Do we look forward to spend eternity with Him in Heaven?
Do we go and make disciples of all nations?
Do we love one another? 

This brings us to the final test # 4

Final test-Test 4

A Biblical View of Love (2:7-17)

a. The Love that God requires (2:7-11)

b. The Love that God hates (2:12-17)

a. The Love that God requires (2:7-11)

⁷ Brethren, I write no new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which you heard from the beginning.

 ⁸ Again, a new commandment I write to you, which thing is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining.

⁹ He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now.

¹⁰ He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him.

 ¹¹ But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

The hypocrites were in darkness before, and continue to be in darkness into the present time. In fact, they were never truly in the light. (1 Jn 2:9,11) 

Do we love one another? 

A-Accept one another?(Rom 14:1-5; 15:7)

B-Bear one another’s burdens? (Gal. 6:2).

C-Confess our sins to one another? (James 5:16).

D-Devote ourselves to one another? (Romans 12:10).

E-Esteem one another in love? (Rom. 14:5; Phil. 2:3).

F-Forgive one another? (Col. 3:13).

G-Give sacrificially to meet one another’s needs? (1 John 3:16–17).

H-Humble ourselves toward each other? (1 Peter 5:5).

I-Inspire one another to spiritual growth? (Heb. 10:24).

J-Join together in executing the Great Commission of making disciples of Christ? (Heb. 10:25).

K-Kindle holy affection in one another? (1 Peter 5:14).

L-Love and comfort one another with the hope of Christ’s Return? (1 Thes. 4:18).

M-Make peace with one another? (1 Thes. 5:13).

N-Not lie and deceive one another? (Eph. 4:25; Col 3:9).

O-Oppose and fight fear together by growing in love? (1 John 4:18).

P-Pray for one another’s spiritual and physical healing? (James 5:16).

Q-Quicken one another’s heart to forsake unbelief and hardness of heart? (Heb. 3:13).

R-Reach out to one another in compassion? (Col. 3:12).

S-Serve one another in humility? (Gal. 5:13; I Peter 4:10).

T-Trust God instead of resenting one another? (1 John 3:11–12).

U-Use Spirit-filled, Word-saturated music to teach and admonish one another? (Col. 3:16; Eph. 5:19).

V-Visit one another and are hospitable without complaint? (1 Peter 4:9).

W-Walk in truth together? (1 John 3:18; 2 John 1:5).

X-Xceed one another in showing honor and affectionate brotherly love? (Romans 12:10)

Y-Yield and submit to one another? (Eph. 5:21).

Z-Zealously, seek good for one another? (1 Thes. 5:15).

b. The Love that God hates (2:12-17)

¹² I write to you, little children,
    Because your sins are forgiven you for His name’s sake.

¹³ I write to you, fathers,
    Because you have known Him who is from the beginning.
I write to you, young men,
    Because you have overcome the wicked one.
I write to you, little children,
    Because you have known the Father.
¹⁴ I have written to you, fathers,
    Because you have known Him who is from the beginning.
I have written to you, young men,
    Because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you,
    And you have overcome the wicked one.

¹⁵ Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

 ¹⁶ For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world.

 ¹⁷ And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.

Although Apostle John often repeats the importance of love and that God is love, he also reveals that God hates a certain type of love: love of the world. (1 Jn 2:15)

Positively, the Christian loves God and fellow Christians. Negatively, an absence of love for the world must habitually characterize the love life of those genuinely born again. “Love” here signifies affection and devotion. God, not the world, must have the first place in the Christian’s life.

‘the world’ here is not a reference to the physical, material world but the invisible spiritual system of evil dominated by Satan and all that it offers in opposition to God, to His Word, and to His people.

Either one is a genuine Christian marked by love and obedience to God, or one is a non-Christian in rebellion against God, that is, in love with and enslaved by the world system. No middle ground between these two alternatives exists for someone claiming to be born again.

While the world’s philosophies and ideologies and much that it offers may appear attractive and appealing, that is deception. Its true and pervasive nature is evil, harmful, and satanic. Its deadly theories are raised up against the knowledge of God and holds the souls of men captive.

Satan uses the evil world system to incite the flesh.

Satan uses the eyes to incite wrong desires. Satan’s temptation of Eve involved being attracted to something beautiful in appearance, but the result was spiritual death.

The phrase ‘pride of life’ has the idea of arrogance over one’s circumstances, which produces pridefulness or exaggeration, parading what one possesses to impress other people.

The world controlled by Satan, is the enemy of the Christian because it is in rebellion and opposition against God. The Christian must reject the world. We are IN the world but not OF the world. We are not enslaved to the world system. (1 Jn 2:16)

James 4:4 declares:

⁴ Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

2:17

¹⁷ And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.

In contrast to this temporary world which is passing away, God’s will is permanent and unchangeable. Those who follow God’s will abide as His people forever.

Do you and I pass this test 4? Do we pass this final test?

Do we pass the test of being a genuine Christian? A truly born-again Christian?

1. Do we have a proper view of Christ as both Man and God, not just one or the other?

2. Do we have a proper view of Sin?

3. Do we obey God’s Commandments?

4. Do we love God and one another AND reject the satanic evil world system?

If you can sincerely answer yes to these questions, praise the Lord, brother, praise the Lord, sister. Otherwise, repent and ask God to forgive you and help you to pass these crucial tests. He is always ready to forgive and help out the repentant sinner.

Please, O God, help us to be always a true Christian and be part of a genuine church fellowship. In the Name of Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Savior. Amen.
 

Ref. John MacArthur Study Bible, 1997. 1961-66

Disciple-Making according to Matthew 28:18-20

The Great Commission

18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. NKJV

To make disciples of others, we must first be disciples of Christ ourselves.
Who is a disciple of Christ?
He/She is one who loves God and one another (John 13:34-35; Matthew 22:37-40)

The disciple is aware that Jesus Christ

-has been given all authority in Heaven and on earth. 
-is with him/her always as he/she goes and makes disciples of all the nations...

It is important to note that making disciples aims at

-Not just one or two nations but all nations
-Baptizing new believers in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit
-Teaching new believers to observe/obey all things that Jesus Christ has commanded us, His disciples

What has Our Lord Jesus Christ commanded us?

Our Lord has commanded us to

-Love God and love one another (Matthew 22:37-40; John 13:34-35)
-Make disciples of all nations...(Matthew 28:18-20)

So, we see that it is a cycle that repeats itself until the return of Our Lord and Savior (Revelation 22:20)

What are the essentials in Discipleship?

-Quiet Time (Bible Reading, Meditation, Prayer and Worship)
-Bible Study
-Obedience to God's Word
-Fellowship
-Service and Witnessing

How are we to live?

Dear Friend,

God is the Creator of the universe and Man. And He has preserved His Holy Word, the Bible for us.

What are the teachings, revelation, and commandments of God's Word?

1. In the beginning, God created the whole world and Man (Genesis 1)

2. After some time, Man fell into the trap of the devil, disobeyed, rebelled, and sinned against His Holy Creator God (Genesis 3)

3. The wages of Man's Sin is curses, miseries, sicknesses, diseases, suffering, hatred, violence, impurity, immorality,..., death and Hell (Genesis 3, Romans 6:23a)

4. Nothing and no one can save Man from death and Hell except God Himself (Romans 3:23)

5. God chose to be merciful and gracious towards fallen mankind (John 3:16, Romans 3:24-26; 6:23b)

6. Jesus Christ is Our only Savior (John 14:6; Acts 4:12)

7. To be saved from death and hell, we got to believe in Him, Christ Jesus, love and obey Him throughout our lives (Matthew 11:28; John 3:36; Romans 10:9-13). This is the only way to receive forgiveness of our sins, eternal abundant life and Heaven.

How is a believer in Christ to live?

Our Lord God Jesus Christ gives us the answer in John 13:34-35; 15: 4-17; Matthew 22:37-40; 28:18-20. We are to

1. Abide in Him, love Him and love one another, and

2. Go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that Jesus Christ has commanded us.

So be it! Amen.

Calvinism or Arminianism?

Brother/Sister,

If you are struggling with Calvinism or Arminianism- you have serious issues with Unconditional Election, Limited Atonement and Irresistible Grace, etc... And you are bothered at the idea that God died only for a select few... Do you think that this doctrinal issue will ever be resolved here on earth before we get to Heaven? I doubt it. Here is the advice which I would like to give you with the hope that it will be helpful towards bringing you to peace in your heart about this controversial theological issue. 

Personally, I did examine this issue too a long time ago. For long now, I have been at peace about it. The saying of Philipp Melanchthon, Martin Luther's collaborator has been of great help to me:

In Essentials, Unity
In Non-Essentials, Liberty
In All things, Charity

While I believe in right doctrine and theology, I feel that we must never forget to uphold and live out Our Lord's New Commandment in John 13:34-35. Our Master did not say, "By YOUR STRICTLY 100% RIGHT DOCTRINE", all will know that you are My disciples. Instead, it is by "our love agape for one another" that all will know that you are My disciples. 

In John 17:21, Our Lord prayed for the unity of all believers in Him, that we may all be one as the Father and the Son are One, that the world may believe that Father God has indeed sent Jesus Christ.
Love and unity must prevail in the christian family and church.

So, Dear Brother, Dear Sister,

agape should be our priority (I Peter 4:8; Proverbs 10:12b; I Corinthians 13:4-8). Think most carefully whether the issues you are struggling with falls under the category of 'Essentials' or 'Non-Essentials'. 

Grace and Peace in Christ from your brother.
Ephesians 4:15

Christ Centered Integrity and Biblical Worldview Integration

A manner in which Jonathan Edwards’ ministry is instructive to our generation is his God-centered integrity. He was honest and firm in his biblical principles. He was a combination of both passionate faith and rigorous intellect. He was consistent in his life and thought. The private and the public Jonathan Edwards corresponded with each other. He was driven by a passionate desire of pleasing God always.

Our generation tends to reduce the Christian message to a form of cheap grace. Many people who call themselves Christians are not producing the fruit of the Holy Spirit according to Galatians 5:22-23, but continue in sin. Jonathan Edwards emphasized the authority of the Bible and the importance of heartfelt conversion which manifests itself by a display of the fruit of repentance and righteousness and love.

I John 3: 4-9 declare

⁴ Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness. ⁵ And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin. ⁶ Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him.

⁷ Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. 8 He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. ⁹ Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God. (NKJV)

I think that we must be really careful to preach and teach the true Biblical Gospel consistently. I am concerned with the maintenance of the pure Gospel proclamation. I believe that God’s Great Commission must be accomplished in God’s Way which implies the integrity, holiness, and agape love of His servants and witnesses unto the lost world. True genuine Christians should consistently manifest the fruit of the Holy Spirit. Christian ministers should have God-centered integrity like Jonathan Edwards. May God help us all. Amen.

Besides his Christ-centered integrity, I also admire and appreciate Jonathan Edwards' Biblical Worldview Integration (BWI). He looks at everything from the Biblical Worldview Perspective, whether it is about Nature and Universe, Family and Church, Community and Nation...This is based upon the omnipresence, omniscience, and omnipotence of Our Sovereign Creator God and of His Son, Our Lord and Savior Christ Jesus (Colossians 1:15-18). After His Resurrection and prior to His Ascension, Christ Jesus who is God the Son declared in Matthew 28:18 that all authority has been given to Him in Heaven and on Earth. Jonathan Edwards practiced the presence of God by adopting a Biblical Worldview in every sphere of his life. He developed such an intimacy with God by spending long hours upon the Holy Scriptures. So, God revealed Himself to him so that he could have profound theological thoughts. He lived a life of Biblical Worldview Integration (BWI).

I believe that our generation would do well to have BWI too in every sphere of our lives. We will then not be just a "Sunday Christian". We will be a 24/7 Christian which IS biblical. We will not separate life and careers into sacred and secular. All will be sacred. We will then see our jobs and occupation not as 'secular' but 'sacred', ordained by God, the Creator of the Universe, for us to do and excel in. 

Everything including Science, Mathematics, Arts, History, and Education should be subjected to God, Christ, and the Holy Scriptures. These subjects and disciplines should never be seen as outside of God's realm or worse: opposed to God (e.g. Science). No, they are subject to God. They are God-given tools to us, His children, to learn about and discover the various facets of His rich and fascinating Creation, and thus appreciate and love Him, the Creator God more and more.

May Our Lord God help us all to practice BWI-Biblical Worldview Integration in every area, aspect, and sphere of our lives unto His praise, honor, and glory and the advancement of His Kingdom upon Earth until He comes back (Revelation 22:20).

Christianity is more than most reasonable: It is Amazing Grace!

I am encouraged by Locke's "Discourse on Miracles" as it encourages me in my Christian Faith. He demonstrated convincingly that  Christianity is the most reasonable of all religions. So, we do not have to seek elsewhere. We can now confidently focus on the Christian religion and not be tempted or distracted by other religions. We can therefore focus on growing in the knowledge of this most reasonable religion of all. How? Through the Holy Scriptures-the Bible. As we do so, we will experience that this most reasonable or logical religion will open doors of great blessings through not reason/logic alone now but also through revelations unto us who exercise faith in Christ, who love God and are called according to His purpose (I Cor 2:9). After Reason has been satisfied, our Faith is enhanced to accept and believe the parts that we do not understand logically in God's Word. As we exercise Faith, we receive more revelation which will lead to further understanding and blessings. It just goes on and on as a virtuous circle or cycle:

More faith leads to more revelation, leading to more understanding, leading to more blessings, leading to more faith, and the cycle keeps building up- more revelation, more understanding, more blessings leading to even more faith...till the day we are called into His eternal glory, bliss, and felicity in Heaven!

This is just amazing grace that the Son of God chooses to humble Himself that much through His Incarnation-becoming the Son of Man and let Himself be cruelly and unjustly crucified to save us, you and me freely from our sins unto eternal abundant life and Heaven. praise, honor, and glory to the Almighty One!

How can we promote that spiritual desire to know God through 'eating' His Holy Word?

We eat physically when we get the physical desire to eat. Just the same, I think that to eat spiritually, i.e, read, study and meditate upon the Word of God begins with the spiritual desire in the heart. So, the question is, "How can we promote that spiritual desire to know God through 'eating' His Holy Word?"

First of all, by our own example. 

Secondly, by sharing the beauty of God's Living Word, Jesus Christ through our preaching/teaching/sharing/testimonies...They should all be Christ-Centered, manifesting the beauty and majesty of our Lord and Savior. We cause our hearers and observers to behold the perfect beauty of Our Lord. And the more they behold Him, the more they will be attracted to Him. The more they are attracted to Christ, the more they will fall in love with Him. And we all know when someone falls in love with somebody, nothing will prevent him or her to desire to be with that loved one to know him or her more and more. So will it be with one who has fallen in love with the Lord of Love! And He is found in the Book of Life, the Bible. What obstacle or barrier then will stop someone who is in love with Christ to seek Him and to know Him more and more through His Holy Word? None.