Marks of a
Christian??
If you are asked
by someone “What are the marks of a Christian?” what would be your answer? One
research found that 5 out of 6
young non-Christians say they know a Christian personally, but only 1 in 6 say
the lifestyles of those believers are noticeably different in a good way.[1] The word
“Christian” literally means, “belonging to the party of Christ” or a “follower
of Christ.” But, what does it really mean to be a Christian? What are the marks
of a Christian? There are at least two infallible marks to see whether we are
true Christians.
Transformed
Will and Affections
The first mark of
a Christian is transformed wills and affections. Suppose you have a pig.
You give him a bath. You polish his hoofs. You put a beautiful ribbon around
him. You sprinkle nice perfume on him. Now he smells good and looks good.
Everybody says, “How nice! I’ve never seen such a lovely pig!” You open the
door and let the pig out. Where does he go? He directly goes back to the
mud-hole, because his nature has never been changed. He’s still a pig.
You can take a man, dress him up on Sunday morning. He sits down in the church.
He smiles and beams all over. After the service, he walks out, shakes hands
with the minister, smiles and says, “It was a wonderful service.” Then, he goes
back and practices the same old sins, because his nature has never been
changed.[2]
That’s why Jesus
said to Nicodemus, “You must be born again!” Nicodemus was a good man, a
good Pharisee. He was an honorable, respected and conscientious man. But he
felt something was missing in his life. He thought if he knows God’s law a
little bit better, it would be ok. He thought if he becomes a little bit
better person by keeping the law, he would have eternal life, more
satisfying and abundant life. But it didn’t work. So he came to see Jesus. The very
first thing Jesus said to him was, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God
Then, how do we
have a new nature? The Bible says when we come to believe in Jesus Christ, we
have transformed will and affections. For the first time our most inner
being is transformed and delights the law of God. Here are two important
questions to examine whether we are born again: “Do I love and desire and do
what God loves? Do I hate and avoid what is evil?” In natural state of
human beings we do what is right in our own eyes (Judges 21:25 ).
We love sin because it fulfills the desires of our sinful nature. But, when we
are born again, we have transformed will and affections. We are dead to sin. We
are dead to self. We crucify our sinful nature. We hate sin. We forsake sin. We
don’t desire and do sexual immorality, idolatry, hatred, discord, dissensions,
factions and the like. Rather, we love Christ. We obey Christ, not from fear,
nor from a sense of obligation, but from love. After he was born again, Charles
Wesley said, “I want a principle within of watchful, godly fear, a sensibility
of sin, a pain to feel it near.” Are you born again? Are you transformed?
Bearing the
Fruit of the Spirit
The second mark of
a Christian is to grow in grace and bear the fruit of the Spirit. From
the moment we come to believe in Christ we are grafted into the vine. We have
new life. We have a new nature. We begin to grow. Then, what does it mean to
grow in the faith of Jesus Christ? It means to follow in Jesus’ steps. We grow
when we follow Christ. Twenty times in the New Testament, Jesus issued a
challenging invitation to follow him. He was not interested in mere “fans” who
admired him with enthusiasm. He wanted “followers” who wanted to grow in him.
In his book Not A Fan, Kyle Idleman compares and contrasts fans and
followers as follows:
Fans love rules; Followers love Jesus.
Fans glorify themselves; Followers die to themselves.
Fans settle; Followers sacrifice.
Fans create outcasts; Followers create followers.
As we follow
Christ, we grow to be more like Christ. We love God. We sacrifice for others.
We reproduce followers of Jesus Christ. Above all else, we bear much fruit. What
fruit? Galatians 5:22-23 gives us the fruit of the Spirit which are definite
marks of a Christian: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. We can’t tell whether we are
Christians by our outward appearance or activity that we are doing. But we do
know by the fruit. Jesus said, “By their fruit you will know them!”
(Matt 7:20 ) So the question we must ask ourselves is not, “Am I doing
such and such good things?” Instead, we are called to look at our lives and
ask, “Am I more loving? Am I more joyful? Am I more peaceful? Am I more
patient? Am I more like Christ than I was a year ago?” Are you growing
in grace? Are you bearing the fruit of the Spirit? If you are not growing spiritually,
if you are not fruit-bearing, it may be that you have never been grafted into
the vine and the nature of God. You had better check to be sure.
Are You a
Christian?
In church history
followers of Jesus Christ were first called “Christians” in Antioch 11:26 ).
They didn’t call themselves Christians. But people around them called
Christians, because their behavior, their attitude, their speech and their
lives were like Christ. They were filled, controlled, and empowered by the
Spirit of Jesus.
Are you a
Christian? Are you born again? Are you transformed? Are you growing? Are you
bearing the fruit of the Spirit? Are you sure? This morning I commend you to
present yourself, your life to Christ and receive him as your Lord and Savior.
If Jesus is already your Lord, commit yourself to obey him, follow him, and
grow in his grace. My prayer is that all of us in this room may bear much
fruit, the fruit of the Sprit, and people around us may notice it and call us “Jesus
freaks,” so that our heavenly Father will be glorified through our lives. Amen.
[1] “Test Yourself: Are You More Like Jesus or
More Like the Pharisees?” https://theway21stcentury.wordpress.com/2014/09/04/test-yourself-are-you-more-like-jesus-or-more-like-the-pharisees
[2] Illustration adapted from Billy Graham’s
sermon, “The Marks of a Christian” (Oct 14, 1957), Christianity Today (Oct
28, 2008 ), http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2008/octoberweb-only/144-28.0.html
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