Tag: Love

What Makes a Christian?

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HIGHLIGHT

Colossians 1:3–5 (ESV): 3We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, 5because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel,

EXPLAIN

Paul had never gone to Colossae. While he had met (and presumably converted) Epaphras and may have also met some others from this city and church, Paul had never personally visited the church. Yet Paul prayed for them regularly, thanking God for the great reports he had heard of these believers.

APPLY

What makes a believer of Jesus? How can you know when you have met a Christian?

The answer to this could vary greatly, depending on whether the person answering wanted to focus on lifestyle, outward appearance, attitude and more. Some may even answer this question sarcastically, listing characteristics that should not be true of Christians.

Paul in this passage identifies three key marks of a follower of God: this person has faith in Christ Jesus, a love for all the saints, and assurance of hope laid up for him or her in heaven. The good news – the Gospel – speaks to these three identifying marks of a Christian.

The Christian has faith in Christ Jesus. Our faith is more than about Jesus. It is faith in Jesus. It is a trust, a reliance, in Christ. This faith is much more than head knowledge or belief that Jesus exists or even is the Son of God. It is a reliance, a commitment of oneself, to him as Lord and Savior. Notice that Paul wrote “Christ Jesus”. Christ – Messiah, King, Lord. Jesus – Savior, Rescuer. Paul emphasizes the lordship of Christ to whom the believer has surrendered one’s life in the title he gives our Lord.

The Christian loves all the saints. Our belonging to the family of God is marked by our love for the family of God. Love does not mean agreement with others on all their beliefs, opinions, or ideas, but love does mean a commitment to them because of our love for God.

Indeed, our love for all the saints, the family of God, is given to us by God who changes our heart from one of self-love and even hatred for others to one of sacrificial love. We love because he loved us, and take as our example Christ’s sacrificial death on the Cross.

In both our natural and spiritual families, there is sometimes hurt, disagreement, misunderstanding, and much imperfection. But Christians are family, and so our growing love for one another should be evident.

The Christian has an assurance of the hope laid up for him or her in heaven. This world is not all there is for the believer. In fact, our main identity should not be found in the things of this world, but in the Kingdom of God, which is here now in the hearts of all believers of Jesus but will be fully realized in the future when Christ returns.

And so the Christian should be noted for their joy despite current circumstances, their peace in the midst of trouble and suffering, their hope in the world beyond this world. The Christian lives with confidence and perseveres. The Christian lives free of worldly entanglements. The Christian lives to please the eternal King.

Sometimes, there is a tendency to emphasize certain scriptures, which support rules and regulations, as a method to identify the “true” believer in Jesus. Unfortunately, this reliance on certain scriptures, while often ignoring others, is used to force others into one’s mold of “Christianity.” The result can easily become legalistic hypocrisy.

God expects holy living of his people, but true holiness is the result of radical trust in Christ, a life filled with love for God and others, anchored in the sure hope of living for eternity in the very presence of God.

RESPOND

Heavenly Father, thank you for your grace that changes us dramatically from sinners to saints. May I live as a person with faith in Jesus, love for all, and a settled hope in heaven. May I always welcome and join others of like faith, love, and hope and together may we witness to a lost and dying world the change they may experience through the amazing grace of Christ Jesus. Amen.

It isn’t that hard

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HIGHLIGHT

1 John 5:2–3 (ESV): 2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.

EXPLAIN

In the previous chapter, John urged the believers to test the spirits. To this church that had been infiltrated and devastated by false teachers, John warned them to check the doctrine and spirit of those who came in and sought to teach among them.

The true follower of Jesus confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh from God. The true follower of Jesus also demonstrates a life of love, for God is love.

Confessing Jesus is fully God and fully man and practicing the love of God toward others, but specifically the children of God, gives us confidence in a world of confusion.

And so the true follower of God love God and obeys his commandments, which are not hard to follow, because the commandments of God are summed up in one: love one another.

APPLY

Children often seem to think obeying their parents is difficult. It seems like torture to make one’s bed, clean one’s room, wash the dishes and dry them, sweep the floors, take out the trash and do laundry.

Surely, such chores take some time and effort. But as adults we find that “life” goes so much better when we have a clean house, clean clothes and a made bed.

Sometimes, we seem to approach living for God the same way as children do chores. We see all of the obligations and feel like it is impossible. But the basic essence of living in harmony with God’s will is simply loving others. When we practice love, we find life truly becomes simpler and a joy.

RESPOND

Heavenly Father, thank you for your love which has transformed me. May I now live by your love in all my interactions with others and so fulfill your will and your Word. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Simple Love

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HIGHLIGHT

Romans 14:13 (ESV): 13 Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother.

EXPLAIN

After the various instructions in Romans 12-13 for the believers to love one another, Paul tackled an issue in Romans 14-15 that sought to divide the early church. 

Should they eat meat sold in the marketplace that had been offered as sacrifices in the pagan temples? Some believed there was no issue, as there is only one God. Others felt like eating such meat was a participation in idol worship.

Paul’s response was that each person should follow the dictates of their conscience as guided by the Holy Spirit. Furthermore, none should seek to encourage someone else to violate their conscience. Rather, they should never pass judgment on each other.

Paul’s exhortation was, in essence, to practice the love he had challenged them to demonstrate.

APPLY

Today, there are a variety of issues that can cause difficulties in the Christian community. We could criticize each other. We could ignore how we feel the Holy Spirit wants us personally to live.

Or we could practice simple love: demonstrate our love to Jesus by following the Holy Spirit’s prompting in our lives and demonstrate our love for others by trusting that they are following the Holy Spirit’s prompting also.

RESPOND

Heavenly Father, help me to live a holy life characterized by my passionate love for you and compassionate love for others. May I never be known for criticism or judgment. Instead, may I practice Christian love toward everyone with whom I come into contact. Amen.

Love does no wrong

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HIGHLIGHT

Romans 13:10 (ESV): 10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. 

EXPLAIN

Paul’s practical exhortations to holy living begin in Romans 12. Because all have sinned, because salvation is only received by grace through faith, because of the power of sin that only Christ can deliver us from, because of God’s sovereign choice to include us in his family… therefore, we should offer our lives as living sacrifices, no longer living like the world, having our minds renewed by God’s Word.

Consecrated, holy living is marked by love for one another. Immediately after Paul’s exhortation to be a living sacrifice, he began to discuss the Christian life in terms of love. That theme continues throughout Romans 13.

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Love does no wrong to a neighbor.

Love does not do anything or say anything that might harm someone else.

This is an incredibly high standard of Christian living! Indeed, our world would be transformed greatly if we truly embraced this guideline.

Don’t do anything that could, would, or does harm to anyone. 

RESPOND

Heavenly Father, thank you for your great grace. Help me to live by your Word, according to your will, a life of love that does no wrong to anyone. Amen.