Text: 1 John (yes, all of it 😉)
As Christians, we are called to live an authentic life for Jesus. The first letter of John describes a number of possible criteria for an authentic Christian:
Note: In brackets you find the references to the whole relevant passage and one key verse in bold and italic.
- Spiritual encounters with Christ (1:1-4, 1:3)
- Fellowship with God and others (1:5-2:2, 1:7)
- Study of and adherence to God’s commands (2:3-6, 24-27, 2:27)
- Love one another (2:7-11, 2:10)
- Distance from the practices of this world (2:15-17, 2:17)
- Preparation for eternal life (2:28-3:3, 3:3)
- Confession of sinful behavior and repentance (3:4-10, 3:9)
- Generosity towards brethren (3:16-20, 3:18)
- Confession and witness of Jesus (4:7-16, 4:14)
- A fearless life (4:17-19, 4:18)
- Conqueror of the world (5:1-5, 5:5)
- Joyful embrace of eternity (5:6-13, 5:11)
- Immunity to worldly idols (5:21)
“There are more sure marks of authenticity in the Bible than in any profane history.” – Sir Isaac Newton