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DO YOU SHOW EVIDENCES OF SPIRITUAL LIFE?
Following are ten evidences the true believer in Jesus Christ possesses, all from the epistle of First John. These are what Jonathan Edwards called "holy affections." Please read these pages, and ask yourself how many of these are manifested in your life. If you don't have that kind of evidence and assurance, please seek someone out who can help you.
"But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you ... and things that accompany
I. SUBMISSIVE RESPECT "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us" (1 John 1:8)
Do you respect God? Is your opinion just as important or even more relevant than His? Are God's pronouncements authoritative in your life? Is Jesus Christ your Lord?
II. SCRIPTURE OBEDIENCE
"But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him" (1 John 2:5) Do you read the Bible daily? Do
you read the Scriptures seeking to obey what you find? Are you in rebellion
against God's Word or in submission to it? Do you love the Bible?
III. SOCIETAL
REJECTION
"Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him" (1 John 2:15) Do you love the world, your money,
and your possessions? Do they mean more to you than Jesus Christ and His
approval? Would you be willing to give up all for Christ?
IV. STEADFAST
FAITHFULNESS
"They went out from us, but they were not of us: for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us" (1 John 2:19) Are you faithful in regular fellowship
with God's people in a local church? Are you able to be sparse in church
attendance for weeks at a time without any real guilt about it? Do you
long for fellowship with the saints in the assembly?
V. SECOND
COMING ANTICIPATION
"When he shall appear, we shall be like him: for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure" (1 John 3:2-3) Are you living in the daily awareness
that Jesus Christ will return for His own? Are you eagerly looking forward
to His coming for you? Does your daily life reflect the fact that He may
come today? Are you ready to meet Him at any time?
VI. SIN SENSITIVITY
"Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God" (1 John 3:9) Does your sin bother you? Do you
wish you sinned less than you do? Are you sinning less now than when you
first made a profession of faith in Christ? Do you enjoy your sin, or does
it affect your happiness? Do you realize God sees all sin?
VII. BROTHERLY
LOVE
"We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death" (1 John 3:14) Do you love other believers in Jesus
Christ? Do you enjoy being in their company, or would you rather be with
the people of the world? Are Christians your dearest friends?
VIII. SUPPLICATIONS
ANSWERED
"And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight" (1 John 3:22) Do you pray? Can you point to specific
answers that could have come from no one but God? Do you find yourself
conversing regularly with God as a trusted friend?
IX. SHARP
DISCERNMENT
"Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world" (1 John 4:1) Do you find it easy to sort out
the claims of various religions? Do you see all religions as the same?
Do you understand the doctrine of Christ? Do you believe Jesus Christ is
God?
X. SPIRIT
AWARENESS
"Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit" (1 John 4:13) Do you have a conscious awareness that the Holy Spirit of God lives in you? Does He teach you things from the Scriptures on a regular basis? Does the Holy Spirit convict you when you sin, or can you sin with abandon?
Have you have answered all the above questions to your own satisfaction? Is there enough evidence to indicate that you are a born again believer trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior? "Ye shall know them by their fruits." Matthew 7:16.
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