Salvation Summaries

1 John contains several verses a person can use as a test to determine if they are a real Christian or just think they are. But before I identify what these are, let me provide you with some thoughts on who John wrote his book to and why. I believe that if we don’t clearly understand who his audience is, we can take some verses out of context and misinterpret their meaning.

Context

John wrote this book to believers. This is clear from several verses, including 2:12 (“little children…your sins are forgiven”), 2:20 (“you have an anointing from the Holy One”); 3:1 (“children of God”); 4:4 (“you are of God…He who is in you…”) and 5:13 (“that you may know that you have eternal life”). 

There appear to be three reasons why he wrote it. 

First, some of the believers he addressed were spiritually immature. They claimed or said one thing, but acted otherwise. For example, they claimed to have fellowship with God, but walked in darkness; they claimed to not sin, but habitually did; they claimed to know God, but did not obey Him, etc. John pointed out this hypocrisy to show them how a true Christian should act. 

Second, false teachers among them were saying untrue things about Jesus and salvation in order to deceive these believers. For example, the teachers said that Jesus could not have been human since the Greeks believed that all human flesh was evil (which is why John started his book about being an eyewitness of Jesus, having seen and touched Him), that Jesus was not the Messiah, and that a person could be saved and continue to (persistently or habitually) sin.  

And third, John wrote to further educate the believers on how a (true) Christian should live, emphasizing Jesus’ command to love others.

Now, let me make one last observation before you take the test. John’s style of writing is matter of fact and presented in a black and white manner. For example, in 1 John 1:6-7, John says that if you say you have fellowship with God and yet walk in darkness, you lie and do not practice the truth (thus you’re a non-Christian). If you walk in the Light, you have true fellowship with one another (thus you’re a Christian). If you read this without knowing the context of who John wrote to, you might conclude that anyone who walks in darkness (sin) cannot be a believer – but that’s not true. Why? Because John wrote to believers, and some of them were doing this. The best way to understand what John means in his “either or” statements is to put “continue to” in front of each one. So, for example, in 2:15, John says do not love the world, if anyone loves the world the love of the Father is not in him. This verse is better understood as, “whoever continues to love the world…the love of the Father is not in him.” 

Salvation Test

OK, now that you understand the context of who John wrote to and why, we can move on to the test of what a true Christian is vs. one who claims to be but is not. Please read through each list to determine which best describes you.

Traits of a Non-Christian

• You are unwilling to admit how sinful you really are (1:8, 10) and likely downplay its effect on your relationship with God and ability to get into heaven.
• You walk or live in darkness (1:6) and thus habitually sin. You ignore God’s commands by actions or neglect; you tolerate wrongdoing. You offend God by your rebellion, indifference and/or disobedience (3:8).
• You may believe in God or that He exists, but you do not love Him and therefore do not obey what He commands. You hate some people; this may include believers.
• You love the world. The world is a morally evil system that opposes God; it is the shameful pursuit of ungodly things. John breaks the world down into three areas: 1) the lust and sensual cravings of the flesh, 2) the lust and longing of the eyes, and 3) the pride of life. You want to fit in and be like everyone else even if it goes against what the Bible says is true and right.
• You do your will not God’s will.
• You do not have a love for fellow believers (3:15). You do not have compassion on believers in need (3:17). You may do things that work against the beliefs and actions/causes of other believers (2:9, 11). You do not seek or enjoy fellowship with God or believers.

Traits of a Christian

• You freely admit how sinful you are and are willing to confess your sins to be forgiven and cleansed (1:9).
• You walk or live in the light (1:7) by keeping God’s word and obeying Him. You seek to live like Jesus did (2:6). You live a consistently honorable life in private as well as public (3:7). The reason why you (can) live this way is because you have been born again and now long to please God.
• You continue to sin, but periodically rather than habitually.
• You love others because God is love and He is in you. You do not hate anyone.
• You love God not the world. You seek to do His will rather than succumb to worldly temptations and live simply to please yourself (2:17). You obey what God wants (two of His commands are to have faith in His Son Jesus, and to love others). You know God to some degree.
• You love and unselfishly seek the best for fellow believers. You would even be willing to lay down your life for them (2:10; 3:14, 16). You enjoy having fellowship with God and other believers.

Conclusion

1 John lays out a number of verses that contrast a genuine Christian from one who claims to be but is not. His statements are presented in a “black and white” and “either or” format. However, it’s important to remember that he wrote to Christians, not non-Christians. This shows us that a true Christian can act in non-Christian ways and still be a Christian, at least for a time (likely when they are a new Christian and thus spiritually immature). However, that person cannot continue to act in this way (I’m guessing year in and year out) and still claim to be a Christian. 

In short, if you love God and seek to obey Him, if you believe in Jesus and seek to live as He did, if you do God’s will rather than yours, if you sin less and less, if you love others, and if you enjoy having fellowship with God and other believers, then you are a Christian even if you stumble here and there or for a time. 

However, if you love the world rather than God, if you live according to your will not God’s, if you disobey God, if you regularly sin, if you hate some people, and if you do not enjoy having fellowship with God and other believers – and if these persist – then you are not a Christian according to 1 John, and a change in your heart and life is in order.