“By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.” – 1 John 3:10
Ouch! The Apostle John doesn’t pull any punches does he??? Before we reflect on the critical point John’s making, let’s be clear – we are born again and adopted by God as His children entirely by God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ. There is literally nothing we do, can do, or must do to be saved, forgiven, made clean, and adopted by God.
However, if that’s actually happened to us, then there will be unmistakable evidence of that in our hearts, minds, and actions. Those who truly believe in Jesus and have been born again as children of God will reveal that by the way they lived changed (and changing) lives.
Through the presence of God’s Spirit in our hearts, children of God will lose their love and tolerance for their own sin. They will sense God’s hatred of their favorite “pet” sin. Though Christians won’t ever be perfect, we should be increasingly aware of our sins and working ever-harder to eradicate them from our lives, whether they are matters of action, speech, thought, or inaction. We should increasingly desire to practice the righteousness modeled and commanded by Jesus as a reflection of the inner righteousness we already have in God’s eyes through faith in Christ.
Likewise, if we are children of God, we should demonstrate increasing love toward other believers. We shouldn’t be content to be angry or bitter toward fellow Christians, earnestly seeking peace, love, and reconciliation through Christ.
A crucial implication of John’s letter is that if you think you’re a Christian based on a prior profession of faith or regular church attendance, but you aren’t increasingly practicing righteousness, aren’t trying to crucify the sins that tempt you, and aren’t finding yourself loving other Christians, you need to seriously reflect on your faith. Who and what do you actually believe in? Is it Jesus or a self-styled caricature of Jesus? Do you understand what it means to believe in Christ and how it should change your life? Do you know what it means to deny yourself and take up your cross each day? Consider discussing these questions with a more mature Christian who may be able to help you discern your present spiritual condition and what to do next.