The Proof of a Christian

GOLDEN TEXT: “He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.”—I John 5:12

THE testimony of the Scriptures is emphatic that eternal life is obtainable only through the acceptance of Jesus Christ as the Son of God and the Redeemer of the world. This great truth is expressed in a variety of ways. Jesus said, “Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.” (John 6:53) Peter explained that “there is none other name under heaven given among men,” that is efficacious for salvation except the name Jesus.—Acts 4:12

To have the Son, and through him the hope of eternal life, implies much more than an appreciation of the unmatched qualities of his character. In the modernistic churches of today there are millions who imagine they are Christians and feel a measure of security simply because they look upon Jesus as an outstanding teacher and believe the world would be better if it followed his precepts and examples more closely. They do not believe in the vicarious atonement provided through his shed blood. Such do not have the Son in the true scriptural sense, nor have they yet passed from death unto life.

I JOHN 4:15-21—When John wrote of confessing that Jesus is the Son of God he undoubtedly had in mind his own explanation of this great truth as set forth in the first chapter of his Gospel. There he reveals that Jesus, in his pre-human existence, was the “Logos,” or Word of God, and that he was the active agent of the Heavenly Father in the creation of the universe and all things in it—“Without him was not anything made that was made.” (John 1:3) John explains—as the Greek text clearly indicates—that the Logos was “a” god, or mighty one, while the Father was “the” God, the great Almighty One. When the due time came in the divine plan, the Logos was made flesh “for the suffering of death” in order that the condemned and dying world might be redeemed from death.—Heb. 2:9

We see, therefore, that the acceptance of Jesus as the third part of a trinity of gods is not what John had in mind; nor did he mean the confessing of Jesus as a good man whose example is worthy of following. Thus, when we analyze the apostle’s outline of a confession of faith that is meritorious to give life, we find that it implies a clear knowledge of great truths concerning which nominal churchianity today is in darkness.

It is also important, in confessing Jesus, to appreciate the motive that prompted the Heavenly Father to send him into the world to save sinners. That motive was love. A true confession that Jesus is the Son of God implies an appreciation of divine love and an earnest endeavor to be filled and controlled by it. It is thus that we dwell in love, and in so doing are in harmony with our Heavenly Father—dwelling in him.

From the margin we learn that the expression, “Herein is our love made perfect,” should read, “love with us,” and the apostle explains that we need to have love with us “in the day of judgment.” The Christian’s day of judgment, or day of trial, is during the present life. It is now that we are being tested, or proved worthy or unworthy of eternal life. And how essential that we have love with us in order to pass the test successfully!

A true confession of Jesus calls for faithfulness in following him into sacrificial death. “As he is, so are we in this world,” writes John. The world in its selfishness and hate was against the Master. He was persecuted and put to death. If our love is full and all-consuming we will not fear the final outcome of our trials, because we know that the way of love will eventually triumph.

I JOHN 5:10-13—Here the apostle speaks of the record which God gave of his Son, and the necessity of believing that record in order to have life. The apostle himself helped to give that record, particularly in the 1st chapter of his Gospel. John the Baptist also bore record of Jesus being the Son of God, and Jesus himself declared it. This record is complete, convincing, and soul-satisfying to every Christian. It constitutes a sure foundation for faith, and standing on this firm foundation we can suffer and die with Jesus knowing that if faithful unto death, we will live and reign with him.

II JOHN 4-6—The 2nd Epistle of John was to “the elect lady and her children, whom,” as the apostle states, “I love in the truth.” He expresses great joy over the fact that this family continued to walk in the truth. Here John emphasizes the way of love, and he has this in mind when he speaks of “walking in the truth.” Love in action is the ultimate goal of all divine truth, the great objective to which all the doctrines of the Bible lead.

True love for the brethren calls for a protective interest in their spiritual well-being. In this epistle John admonishes the “elect lady” not to receive any into her home who are not in harmony with the truth. He tells her not to give such any encouragement, for he that “biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.” (Verses 10,11) In this advice we see true love in the role of protecting the Lord’s people against erroneous teachings. Love does not excuse everything.

QUESTIONS:

Can those who do not believe in the vicarious sacrifice of Christ properly be called Christians?

Can it be said that one who believes in the doctrine of the trinity has in reality confessed that Jesus is the Son of God?

In what way has God borne record of Jesus?

Does love for the brethren imply a lack of protective interest in their welfare?

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