Seven Marks Of A True Believer

Seven Marks Of A True Believer

Am I A Christian?

Perhaps you are wondering, "How can I know if the Spirit is truly residing within me? How do I know if I’m saved? If I am secure in the saving arms of God?" In the New Testament book of 1 John the apostle John gives us seven marks of a true believer. In this small epistle we see seven indications, or seven vital signs of one who has received new life in Christ (Romans 6:4).

What Isn’t A Christian?

You see answering an altar call and going forward at a crusade or in a church does not necessarily make you a Christian. Jesus said,

Matthew 7:21 - "Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven."

Jesus teaches us in this verse that people can look one way on the outside but be quite different on the inside. "Belief" or simple assent to the words of the gospel does not secure salvation. In James it states:

James 2:19 – "You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!"

You may acknowledge what the Bible says is true, you may religiously attend church and say prayers, (the Pharisees of Jesus’ day did that – Matthew 6) and you may do all this and still be a child of the devil. In fact, the reason Satan and his cohorts are so desperate and urgent in their evil tasks is because they believe what the Bible says and know that their time is short.

The Bible says that salvation is wrought in a persons’ heart and that when Jesus is invited to come into a person’s heart a definite change takes place. Listen to the following words of scripture, which verify this:

Acts 2:37-38 – "Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?" Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."

Romans 6:4 – "Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life."

Romans 10:8-13 – "But what does it say? "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart" (that is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, "Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame." For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For "whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved."

2 Corinthians 5:17 – "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new."

It is impossible for Jesus to come into a person’s life and that life remains unchanged. Repentance means a change of direction is made in a person’s life, a change of heart. A dirty heart is indwelled and cleaned by the Holy Spirit.

Jesus said:

Matthew 7:16 - "You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles?"

Jesus was saying that a true believer would produce fruit. Now this is something done by the Holy Spirit in a person’s life, but nonetheless, there will be fruit that flowers in a true believer’s life.

The apostle Paul said:

2 Corinthians 13:5 – "Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified."

This is a question of utmost import. The way this question is answered in your life could determine your eternal destiny. And answering this question forces us to consider whether or not we are truly saved or whether we are self-deluded and lost. So what is the fruit of a true believer? What are the marks of a truly saved person? Let’s turn to 1 John and see.

The Seven Marks Of A True Believer

In the first epistle of John we see seven marks or pieces of fruit that demonstrate a change has taken place that the Holy Spirit is working in a person. What are these marks?

Belief And Outward Confession That Jesus Is The Son Of God

John was inspired to write:

1 John 4:15 – "Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God."

1 John 5:1 – "Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him."

What we believe in our hearts sincerely will flow from our mouths naturally. Jesus confirms this when He says:

Matthew 15:18 - "But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man."

This connection between heart and mouth is also seen in the section of Scripture mentioned earlier in Romans which states:

Romans 10:9-10 – "that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."

Now we don’t want to turn salvation into a work of man, but we do need to ask some very pointed and penetrating questions here. John said that the truly saved person has a "testimony":

1 John 5:11-12 – "And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life."

You see if Jesus is Lord in you, you will have an assurance of that relationship with Him. If someone asks you, "Are you saved?" you will know with certainty that, "Yes, Jesus is Lord of my life and I am His and He is mine and I am saved, and I’m looking forward to spending all of eternity with Him." This is what John said in 1 John when he wrote:

1 John 5:13 – "These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God."

If a person is unwilling to stand for Jesus, what does that tell you about what they believe? If a person cannot confess their faith in Christ in a church where God and people are for them, what does that tell you about what they really believe, (or if they really believe)? If a person is truly saved, they will confess that Jesus is their Lord and Savior, the Son of God. What’s your testimony? What do people know you by? Your job?; Your family?; Your sport?; Your Savior?

2.) The Holy Spirit Working Within

John wrote in the following verses:

1 John 3:24 – "Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us."

1 John 4:13 – "By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit."

We said above that a person believes with their heart and confesses the lordship of Jesus. This is not something done in one’s own strength! This is something done in and through a person by the Holy Spirit of God! If the Holy Spirit is in you, you will change and grow in your faith. The Holy Spirit enables us to understand God’s word (John 14:26; 16:13; 1 Corinthians 2:9-14). The Spirit empowers us to serve God (Acts 1:8). The Spirit is our Comforter, our Helper in this spiritual life.

In Paul’s letter to the Galatians he indicated that the spiritual fruit of love would manifest itself and that love was defined by various characteristics such as:

Galatians 5:22-24 – "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires."

These characteristics are seen in our relationship with God and our fellow man. Are these things coming forth from you? Are you bearing such fruit of the Spirit?

3.) Loving Obedience Of God’s Word

John wrote that the one who is truly saved would have such a love for God that they will hang on His every word and live it out in the power of the Holy Spirit.

1 John 2:5-6 – "But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked."

1 John 5:3 – "For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome."

In the Gospel of John he wrote:

John 14:21 - "He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him."

If you love God, the Bible says that that love will manifest itself in a loving obedience to the words of the Lord. Is this loving obedience present in your life? Do you yearn to obey Jesus in your life?

4.) Walk In Love

In his epistle and in his gospel John indicated that a truly saved person would be characterized by God’s love flowing in and through them.

John 13:35 - "By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."

1 John 4:7-10,16 – "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. . . . And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him."

While love is not the means of salvation, it is the fruit of salvation. If God has truly saved you, you will have a loving spirit about you. This love will break down the walls of bigotry and prejudice. This love will go the extra mile for others and love its enemies. Indeed, this love will love like Jesus did:

John 15:9-14 - "As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. "If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love." These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full." This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. "Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. "You are My friends if you do whatever I command you."

When people look at you what do they see? Love? Or selfishness?

5.) Grief Over Sin

The truly saved person is not perfect, they will sin. We will not stop sinning until we are in glory and God gives us a glorification perfection. But John said that the person who is truly saved would be grieved when they do sin.

1 John 3:6-9 – "Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him. Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God."

At first this may sound as though John was saying that once you are saved you will never sin or disobey God again. Reality would teach us otherwise. There is no such thing as sinless perfection this side of glory. You have to do some spadework grammatically here to understand that John is talking about a continual lifestyle of sin. In other words, if you are truly saved you may sin, but when you do you will be grieved about it, you’ll hate that you have done it and you will confess it to the Lord seeking forgiveness (1 John 1:9).

How do you respond to sin in your life? Do you care? Do you simply sin and then casually confess it to God to cash in on His grace? If you do, there is a serious problem and a big question mark over your heart and in your relationship with God. If you are truly saved, when you sin, you’ll hate the dirtiness of it all and seek to be cleansed by the blood of Jesus as soon as possible and you will seek help from the Spirit to prevent a reoccurrence (1 Corinthians 10:13).

6.) Love Of The Brethren

A person who is truly saved loves other fellow believers and joins them in fellowship. There is no such thing as a private religion or relationship with God. When a person is truly saved they are grafted into the Body of Christ. This is what John says when he writes:

1 John 5:1 – "Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him."

The person who is truly saved will care about the spiritual condition of his brethren as well as his own which is what John says when he writes:

1 John 5:16 – "If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin which does not lead to death, he will ask, and He will give him life for those who commit sin not leading to death. There is sin leading to death. I do not say that he should pray about that."

Do you seek fellowship, or seek to escape it? Where is your heart toward your fellow brothers and sisters? Can it be said that you love those in the Body of Christ? These are important questions.

7.) A Life Of Prayer

John said lastly, (and most importantly) that the person who is truly saved would seek the Lord in prayer.

1 John 5:14-15 – "Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him."

Prayer is our lifeline to God. Prayer is probably the surest indicator of our faith in God. When we pray we show that we truly believe there is a God who cares about us and is concerned about our lives. When we pray we show that we have a relationship with God. The presence of the Spirit in our lives flows out in our prayer lives.

When Jesus cleaned out the moneychangers from the Temple precincts, He did so by saying:

Matthew 21:13 – "And He said to them, "It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’ "

Now the Temple no longer stands, but the Bible says we are a temple of the Holy Spirit:

1 Corinthians 6:19 – "Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?"

If we are temples of the Holy Spirit, shouldn’t we too be a place of prayer? The Spirit in us helps us in our prayers:

Romans 8:26-27 – "Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God."

The person who is truly saved will seek the Lord in prayer and have a heart to pray. How’s your prayer life? What does it say about where you are with the Lord?

The Heart Of The Matter

These are the seven marks or fruit that will be seen in the person who is truly saved. Can I look at a person and know their heart? No, I can’t. As a human being I am limited in this way. The Bible teaches us this. When Samuel was commissioned by God to search for a king to replace Saul, the Lord directed him to Jesse’s house and as Samuel was looking over the sons of Jesse, God said to him:

1 Samuel 16:7 – "But the Lord said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."

Other verses which emphasize God’s exclusive ability to know people’s hearts are:

1 Kings 8:39 - "then hear in heaven Your dwelling place, and forgive, and act, and give to everyone according to all his ways, whose heart You know (for You alone know the hearts of all the sons of men),"

1 Chronicles 28:9 - "As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a loyal heart and with a willing mind; for the Lord searches all hearts and understands all the intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever."

2 Chronicles 16:9 - "For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him. In this you have done foolishly; therefore from now on you shall have wars."

Proverbs 15:11 – "Hell and Destruction are before the Lord; So how much more the hearts of the sons of men."

Proverbs 16:2 – "All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, But the Lord weighs the spirits."

Jeremiah 17:9-10 - "The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it? I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give every man according to his ways, According to the fruit of his doings."

While we can be fruit inspectors, we should never put ourselves in the place of the Judge of all the earth. These marks are simply meant to help you assess where you are with the Lord and then call upon Him to bring you into alignment. May these marks be present in their fullness in your life by the power of the Holy Spirit. May you seek out the Lord’s help to bring you into such fullness in any and all areas where you are barren. For some that will mean recommitment. For others that will mean coming to the foot of the throne of God by grace through faith in Jesus Christ for the first time. For all of us it means repentance and humbly coming before God to find grace to help us in time of need (Hebrews 4:16; 1 Peter 5:5-6). May God’s Holy Spirit in whatever state you are in guide you.