Genuine Salvation

          Salvation is a wonderful gift— in fact, the supreme gift in all of history. No man has ever come close to exhausting the glory of God in the economy of His salvific work.  The working of God to bring sinners back to Himself through Jesus Christ is in fact the greatest story ever told on every level. It is through this message that God empowered Paul to boldly say, “to live is Christ, and to die is gain” in the face of his adversaries who called for his blood. It is through this very message that God strengthened the weak faith of Peter the denier and transformed him to be so brave as to take up his cross and die gladly for his Lord. It is through this very message that God encouraged John to write faithfully to the Church for decades and shepherd with patience, love and care for them until he was taken home. And it is through this very message that God sustains the Church of Jesus Christ, dresses His bride in holiness and consecrates her for eternal communion with Him.

            But how can anyone know for certain that he is a partaker of the gift of faith unto salvation-- saved indeed from the penalty and power of sin? In a world that is filled with tolerance, confusion, false doctrine, damning ideologies, relativistic philosophies, and a constant evasion of truth, it seems difficult to know if we can know anything absolutely. However this war of truth and error for believers is no new thing. It is not just a 21^st century dilemma. It has in fact been going on since the very establishment of the Church. Almost every apostle wrote about it. They warned their congregation of the dangers of false teachers who will claim a “higher knowledge” and will speak for selfish, sordid gain. They will claim to have special revelation from secret meetings with God and special visions. But these “teachers” are devoid of the spirit. They cannot lead anyone to the truth. They are not spiritual. They are not elevated. They are in fact fake.

            The apostle John wrote with unwavering conviction concerning these things because he knew how deadly false doctrine was (and still is) to the Church. Most likely during the late part of the first century, the apostle wrote 1 John to remind his hearers of the fundamentals of the Christian faith. He wrote to combat primarily the false teachings of the Gnostics who in summation claimed that physical matter was evil and spiritual things were good. This heresy carried the implications that Jesus did not really take on human flesh but was actually just a spirit. Or the other inference was that Jesus’ Spirit was not with Him at all times and most assuredly not during His crucifixion. Both of these heretical views annihilated the humanity of Jesus and the foundational Christian doctrine of Christ’s substitutionary atonement. (pp. 356, Simeon) But the Gnostics didn’t stop there. They also believed that the entire body of a person should be treated harshly, and/or that sin committed in the body had no effect on the spirit. This philosophy gave sanction to licentiousness and immorality and opposed the very reason that Christ came—to take away sins.

            Therefore, John wrote in plain matter of fact language to expose the evil of the Gnostic teachers and dissolve their ambiguous manmade principles. John argued with concrete evidence the unwavering Truth of God to dismantle the Gnostic’s house of cards. He urged his listeners to return to the basics of the faith—“…[That] which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands…” (1 John 1:1) In other places he employed comparison of black and whites, such as light vs. darkness (1:5, 7; 2:8-11), truth vs. lies (2:21, 22, 4:1), and Children of God vs. Children of the Devil (3:10). He obviously spoke in the plainest terms so that there would be no confusion. Moreover, John used the word “know” forty different times in his letter, which strongly indicates that he obviously wanted his readers to be certain of something. This “something” is asserted in verse thirteen of chapter five when he says, “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God in order that you may know that you have eternal life.” (1 John 5:13) John wanted his readers to know that they possess eternal life. He wanted them to cherish the sweet treasure of assurance in Christ. But why is this matter so important that John would write am entire letter on testing genuine faith?  It would be a good thing to stop and examine a few of these reasons before moving on to the tests themselves.

            From the testimony of countless saints, and hopefully believers’ own testimonies, they know that assurance is a foretaste of heaven. As the famous hymn goes, “Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine! Oh what a foretaste of glory divine!” The assurance of salvation through Jesus Christ is a blessed hope that cannot be taken away. It brings forth fruit of joy, love and hope. John wrote in the opening of his letter, “And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.” (1 John 1:4) For a believer to possess any sort of Biblical joy he or she will possess some sort of assurance. But on the other hand, a lack of assurance is a treacherous thing. If one is not sure of one day being in heaven with God, then that only leaves one alternative. Therefore, someone who lacks assurance will surely be a victim of severe anguish and depression. For “It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” (Hebrews 10:31)

            Secondly, assurance prepares the Christian for hardships. D. M. Lloyd Jones noted that assurance “prepares people for persecution, trials and tribulations. But this is the way to come through it—that we know that we know Him; that we have this blessed assurance that ‘neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth nor any other created thing shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.’” (p.182) Assurance of Christ and His perfect work is what steadies the path of a believer. It gives hope when things seem hopeless, and most importantly, it glorifies God when His child is confident in the perfect finished work of Jesus Christ.

            It must be acknowledged that assurance is irrefutably a Biblical doctrine. To think otherwise is to call into question the efficacy of Christ’s work! It is a trustworthy statement to say that salvation does not fail because our God does not fail. Therefore if God has begun a work in the heart of a sinner, He will see it to completion. After all, it is God’s mighty hand that saves, not the Christian who saves himself. This truth is the foundation of the Christian’s assurance. And although some may make it to heaven without full certainty of their salvation, they are commanded by God to make sure of their faith—to test if it’s genuine. Paul wrote to the Corinthian church urging them, “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test?” (2 Corinthians 13:5) Elsewhere, Peter insisted to his hearers, “Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you…” (2 Peter 1:10) This is God’s command, and all children of God must be obedient to His Word.

            John, in his first epistle, gives a handful of tests to examine whether one is in the faith. And though the list can be adjusted, ordered differently, or worded other ways, Dr. John MacArthur offers a useful outline to provide clarity and organization to the text. He lists eleven evidences of genuine faith: 1.) Fellowship with Christ and the Father 2.) Sensitivity to Sin 3.) Obedience 4.) Rejecting the evil world 5.) Awaiting Christ’s return eagerly 6.) Decreasing pattern of sin 7.) Loving the brethren 8.) Experiencing answered prayer 9.) Experiencing the ministry of the Holy Spirit 10.) Discerning Spiritual Truth and Error and 11.) Persecution. (p.1, “Saved without a Doubt”) For the sake of brevity, the paper will cover some of the tests that are believed to be of utmost importance.

            The first evidence of genuine salvation that the apostle spoke is fellowship with Christ and the Father. John wrote concerning Jesus, “the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us—that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.” (1 John 1:2-3) The apostle spoke in such a way to make clear that this fellowship goes beyond just an earthly acquaintance with Jesus. For how could anyone have an earthly acquaintance with the Father who is spirit? (p.1, MacArthur, “Is it Real?”) Therefore this fellowship is made possible by believers’ receiving the Holy Spirit who is given at conversion. Also, it is important to note that something about this fellowship is largely experiential. It is not cold, monotonous, tedious, theological jargon. It is not solely head knowledge. It is life with Christ. This is not to say that theology is not important. On the contrary all Christians are called to worship in spirit and in truth. (John 4:24) It is our theology that informs us of the sweet fellowship we now have with God through Christ, and it is correct theology that promotes correct worship. Genuine fellowship is intimacy set on fire by truth. Lastly, John notes of this test “whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God; and whoever loves the Father loves the child born of him.” (1 John 5:1) The beloved apostle left no room for any salvation apart from Jesus. For anyone to suggest otherwise is to forsake God and call Him a liar.

            Secondly, 1 John declares that genuine believers will be sensitive to their sin. They will walk in the light. This is not to say that Christian’s will never sin, but when they do they will confess and repent. Believers walk in the Light because they have been given a new heart that loves the things that God loves and hates the things that God hates. Charles Spurgeon, a preacher in the 18^th century wrote concerning these things, “Think not, sirs, that the Christian needs to be flogged to virtue by the whip of the law! Dream not that we hate sin merely because of the hell which follows it! If there were no heaven for the righteous, the sons of God would follow after goodness, because their regenerated spirit pants for it…” (p.497) Christians understand they don’t have to sin any longer, and they don’t want to. The cross frees believers from the penalty of sin, and the empty tomb frees them from the power of sin. All regenerate Christians now have a choice to be obedient. But when a Christian does stumble, they know whom to draw near—Jesus Christ their Advocate with the Father. Unbelievers in contrast are oblivious to their sin. They think they are walking in the light when they actually walk in darkness. Their theology gives sanction to licentious reckless living because they have not been born of God and they love their sin. Their heart still desires to rebel and does not love the ways of God.

            The third and possibly one of the most sobering tests recorded by the apostle is the test of obedience. “And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments.” (1 John 2:3) John said that if you want to know that you’re a Christian, ask yourself whether you obey the commands in Scripture. Adherence to the law of God does not produce salvation, but it will most assuredly bring forth assurance. It is safe to say on the other hand that assurance and disobedience don’t sleep in the same bed. The Christian who does not add to their faith is sure to lose sight of their being a forgiven person and is certain to fall into doubt of whether they’ve been purged of their old sins. (p.1, Begg) A failure to add to one’s faith will undeniably shake one’s assurance. Lloyd Jones is again helpful here as he noted, “So how interesting it is that John, who is described as the mystic, is the man who tells us that the way to test ourselves is not to seek for some mystical experience, but to examine our conduct and our lives!” Moreover he writes, “It is not mystical experience that enables us to say that we know Him; it is not feelings, not sensations, not visions, not thrills, nor the unusual. The test whereby we know we are His is this: are you keeping His commandments?” (pp. 188 Life in Christ, Lloyd Jones) For the sake of clarity, it is important to know that keeping his commandments is not putting a list of specific rules on the wall and doing your best to keep them. Rather, it means that the Christian is always concerned with living his life as fully as possible; that his or her great objective is to be pleasing in the Master’s sight. And lastly it should be observed that John does not say, “If you live this way, you are making yourself a Christian.” That would be legalism, which is precisely the deadly trap the Pharisees fell into, and also the false doctrine that every man-made religion professes. Rather, John is saying if you are a Christian, this is how you will live. We are saved by faith alone, but saving faith is never alone.

            A fourth major proof of genuine salvation is rejecting “the world” and all that is in it. This statement has been misinterpreted and misapplied throughout a large part of history, so it is a good thing to stop and explain in order that one does not fall into the same error that the Gnostics did—thinking that all matter is evil. Rejecting “the world” does not mean that Christians should flee from all that is around them. It does not mean that believers need to move to monasteries, read the Bible in their room, and never talk to anyone again. Rejecting “the world” is a rejection of the evil practices and attitudes in the world. Denying “the world” during this time would have been refusing to take pleasure in the wicked, pagan, outwardly grotesque culture that surrounded Christians in the first century. And to bring this problem into a more modern context one might ask, “Have the cultural values changed much since then?” The answer is sadly, no they have not. So the material world itself is not inherently evil. When God created the world, he declared it good. And after He formed man and woman, he even said it was very good. But after The Fall, mankind was cursed for rebellion against God and was then wholly predisposed towards the evil of sin. All of humanity is still affected by this curse and now carries a sinful disposition in their heart until regeneration. Therefore, the evil in this world dwells inside the hearts of mankind who corrupt the blessings of God and choose to worship the creation rather than the Creator. (Romans 1:25) Furthermore, John writes, “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.” (1 John 2:16) These three maladies of mankind are the primary armaments Satan uses to build his kingdom of destruction. When he tempted Eve in the garden, the fruit appealed to her physical desires (lust of the flesh). Also the produce was good to look at, (the lust of the eyes), and Satan promised it would make her wise (the boastful pride of life). These are the very things that Christians are commanded to guard against so that they will not stumble into sin.

            A fifth important evidence of salvation is the Christian’s eagerly awaiting Christ’s return. In verses two and three of the third chapter of John the apostle writes, “Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.” (1 John 3:2-3) Christians ought to love Christ so much that they eagerly await His return to see Him as He is and be made like Him. Three things happen in this passage: Christ appears, His people see Him, and they are instantly made like Him. What an honor it will be! The consummation of Christ is the Christian’s blessed hope and supreme joy. “Such a hope,” John MacArthur notes, “has ethical power. For John said it purifies the one possessing it.” Additionally, MacArthur explains, “This is a sensible hope leading to sensible living. It is not an inordinate kind of anticipation in which you are irresponsible with your earthly responsibilities. Being so heavenly minded that you’re no earthly good is a contradiction in terms.” (p.1, “Is it Real?”) The anticipation of Christ’s return ought to stir believers on to holy living. It is a purifying hope. Christians ought to live out the miracle of salvation with fear and trembling waiting for the great day of glory.

            Another essential mark of a believer is that he or she will possess a love for the saints. Sadly, this mark is almost totally ignored within churches today. Some of the most unforgiving, bitter, grudge-holding people are attending church and claiming to be Christians. But John tells believers, “The one who loves his brother abides in the Light and there is no cause for stumbling in him. But the one who hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes.” (1 John 2:10-11) Jesus Himself said, “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:35) If a Christian hangs their entire hope upon the grace and mercy of God, he or she ought to be able to extend that same kindness to others. The one who realizes they have been forgiven much (every genuine Christian) will love much. The one who has been forgiven little (the unbeliever who thinks he does not need God’s grace) will love little. Hence, the Christian will be quick to extend mercy and grace because the image of the cross will be seared in the scope of his vision.

            The last test of genuine salvation crucial to mention is a decreasing pattern of sin. 1 John 3:4-6 spells this test out clearly. “Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness. You know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin. No one who abides in Him sins; no one who sins has seen Him or knows Him.” The apostle notes two very basic truths: 1.) There are people who practice sin and lawlessness and 2.) Christ came to take away sins. Again, MacArthur is careful and clear explaining this test.

To say that someone had the work of Christ applied to him or her, yet continues in the same pattern of sin is to deny the very purpose Christ came, which was to take away sins. Continuing in sin is not consistent with Christ’s work on the cross. If a saved person could keep on sinning, that would mean Christ’s death—while having some efficacy in eternity—is in fact useless in time. Perish the thought! Christ’s death served the very useful purpose of taking away not only the penalty of sin, but also the pattern of sin in the believer’s life. (p.2, “Is It Real?”)

It is important to clarify that John is not saying a frequent occurrence of one particular sin in a person damns him to hell. No, he clarifies what he means by saying that a true Christian cannot practice lawlessness. The Greek term used (anomia) means living as if there were no law. (Reformation Study Bible, pp. 1934) Therefore it is the one who discards God’s authority that is the one who proves himself not to be a Christian. A genuine believer on the other hand is no longer enslaved to sin but is a bondservant of the Lord Jesus. A true believer may still sin, and could do so frequently, but frequent sin is not synonymous with practicing sin. The difference is that the Christian who sins frequently will be acutely sensitive to their transgression and will be miserable. But the one who practices lawlessness will have no remorse for sinning against God. Thanks be to God for giving His people a new heart that loves what is good in His sight!

            The gospel of Jesus Christ is a wonderfully glorious thing. It is all about the work of God demonstrating the glory of God. Its mysteries angels long to look into. Its splendor is impossible to embellish. That God would provide a way for sinners to be reconciled to Himself and call them His children is the paramount news of the universe. As C.J. Mahaney rightly put it, “The gospel is life-permeating, world-altering, universe-changing truth. It has more facets than any diamond. Its depths man will never exhaust.” (p.67) Therefore, Let the children of God marvel at His work. Let them be enamored with it. Let them be obsessed with the redemptive story and examine its splendor from every angle in order that they may all have the certain testimony with the beloved disciple, —“…[That] which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands…” (1 John 1:1) May the saints grow up to full maturity in the knowledge of Christ and be so filled with His love, peace, and assurance that God would be glorified for His illustrious work. Now, “to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.” (Jude 1:25)

Works Cited

Begg, Alistair. "Holding Firmly to the End, Part One, A." - Broadcasts. Truth For Life, n.d. Web. 31 Oct. 2013. <http://www.truthforlife.org/broadcasts/2013/08/28/holding-firmly-to-the-end-part-one-a-/>.

Jones, David Martyn. Life in Christ: studies in 1 John. Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway Books, 19931994. Print.

MacArthur, John. "Grace To You." Is It Real?. Grace to You, n.d. Web. 31 Oct. 2013. <http://www.gty.org/resources/positions/p06/is-it-real>.

MacArthur, John. Saved without a doubt: being sure of your salvation. Rev. ed. Colorado Springs, Colo.: Victor, 2006. Print.

Mahaney, C. J., and Kevin Meath. The Cross Centered Life. Sisters, Or.: Multnomah Publishers, 2002. Print.

Simeon, Charles, and Jean Claude. Expository outlines on the whole Bible. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 1956. Print.

Sproul, R. C., and Keith A. Mathison. The Reformation study Bible: English Standard version, containing the Old and New Testaments. Orlando, Fla.: Ligonier Ministries ;, 2005. Print.

Spurgeon, C. H.. The treasury of the Bible. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1962. Print.