Sixteen Signs Of A True Believer Part 3 Series

Series: Things That Accompany Salvation

Hebrews 6:9 But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak.

Message 7: Sixteen Signs of a True Believer (Part III)

(2 Cor. 13:5; 1 Jn. 2:29; 3:1-9)

2 Corinthians 13:5 Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?

• “Examine” - peirazo = to test, to scrutinize.

• We are to examine our faith.

• But with what are we to test it?

• We are to examine ourselves by the revealed word of God.

• 28 times in 23 verses John tells us that we can “KNOW” that we are saved!

• We cannot afford to ignore what John, under inspiration of the Holy Spirit, is telling us!

• There is the danger that we may be “reprobates.”

“reprobate” - to be tested by God and rejected as unapproved, found to be worthless and cast away.

ILLUS: These are the gauges on the dash of your life!

NOTE: These tests are not for you to judge your fellow church member’s salvation. They are to be applied by each person to himself!

REVIEW

Thus far, we have considered:

1. The Companionship Test: Do I demonstrate that I love the fellowship of the Father, the Son and the Saints?

2. The Comfort Test: Am I sensitive to sin?

3. The Cleansing Test: Have I experienced and accepted the forgiveness of God?

4. The Commandments Test: Am I keeping God’s commandments?

5. The Conformity Test: Does my life conform to the will of God?

I. The Conduct Test (1 Jn. 2:29)

Explain the Greek word here.

1 John 2:29 If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him.

Am I doing righteousness? (2:29)

A. The Assumption that is Made

“If ye know that he is righteous”

The construction in the Greek is called a 3rd class condition.

B. The Actions that are Taken

See definition from On-line Bible.

• Lit., “Every one that is consistently doing righteousness, is practicing righteousness”

• Righteousness = what is just, what is right!

C. The Assurance that is Given

• When we see one that is consistently practicing righteousness, we may be assured that this person is born of God!

• Note that the focus is not upon knowing if YOU are saved.

• The focus is upon our observation of others!

• The righteousness is not buying cookies and holding the door for little ladies.

• It is doing “right” according to the standards of the Word of God.

• It is Bible reading, praying, tithing, church attendance, love for the brethren, etc.

• You say, Preacher, how can you say that? I’m not, the Word is!

In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother. (1 John 3:10)

Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. (Matthew 7:16,17)

• This is the conduct test.

• Are you doing right?

II. The Coming Test (1 Jn. 3:1-3)

A. Our Privilege (1)

1 John 3:1-3 Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.

• John tells us to look upon this, to fix your gaze, to wonder with amazement at this love of God.

• In 1905, Charles Gabriel published a song which expressed this sentiment:

I stand amazed in the presence, of Jesus the Nazarene,

And wonder how he could save me, a sinner condemned unclean.

Oh how marvelous, Oh how wonderful, this my song shall ever be,

How marvelous, how wonderful, is my Savior’s love for me!

B. Our Position (2A)

2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God,

• I was born to a lower working class family in the South.

• I come from a home where divorce broke up a family.

• I am a Baptist preacher, and an independent one at that.

• I have no prospects of becoming famous.

• Many of you join me in that background.

• But in this we can rejoice: We are sons of God!

• In 1877 Harriet E. Buell wrote:

I once was an outcast stranger on earth,

A sinner by choice, an alien by birth,

But I’ve been adopted, my name’s written down,

An heir to a mansion, a robe and a crown.

A tent or a cottage, why should I care?