Characteristics of Genuine Faith

There is a lot of talk about what a disciple of Jesus looks like, you can see that in previous posts:

  1. What does a disciple look like?
  2. How can you spot a disciple of Jesus?

I thought that these passages of Scripture help define genuine faith of a follower of Christ:

Evidence that proves nothing (for or against having faith):

  1. Visible morality (Matthew 19:16-21, 23:27)
  2. Intellectual knowledge (Romans 1:21, 2:17-29)
  3. Religious involvement (Matthew 25:1-10)
  4. Ministry involvement (Matthew 7:21-24)
  5. Conviction of sin (Acts 24:25)
  6. A past decision (Luke 8:13-14)

Evidence (or Fruit) of Authentic Faith:

  1. Love for God (Psalm 42:1, 73:25, Luke 10:27, Romans 8:7)
  2. Repentance from Sin (Psalm 32:5, Proverbs 28:13, Romans 7:14-25)
  3. Genuine Humility (Psalm 51:17, Matthew 5:1-12, James 4:6, 9-10)
  4. Devotion to God’s Glory (Psalm 105:3, 115:1, Isaiah 43:7, 48:10-11, Jeremiah 9:23-24, 1 Corinthians 10:31)
  5. Continual Prayer (Luke 18:1, Ephesians 6:18-19, Philippians 4:6-7, 1 Timothy 2:1-4, James 5:16-18)
  6. Selfless Love (1 John 2:9-11, 3:14, 4:7-12)
  7. Separation from the World (1 Corinthians 2:12, James 4:4, 1 John 2:15-17, 5:5)
  8. Spiritual Growth (Luke 8:15, John 15:1-6, Ephesians 4:12-16)
  9. Obedient Living (Matthew 7:21, John 15:14, 16, Romans 16:26, 1 Peter 1:2, 22, 1 John 2:3-5)
  10. Hunger for God’s Word (1 Peter 2:1-3)
  11. Transformation of Life (2 Corinthians 5:17)

If the first list is true and the second list is false, there is cause to question one’s profession of faith. However, if list two is true, then the first list will also be true. So, how does the gospel active in one’s life manifest itself?

The Living Out of the Gospel:

  1. Proclaim it (Matthew 4:23)
  2. Defend it (Jude 1:3, 1 Peter 3:15)
  3. Demonstrate it (Philippians 1:27)
  4. Share it (Philippians 1:5)
  5. Suffer for it (2 Timothy 1:8)
  6. Preach it (1 Corinthians 9:16)
  7. Guard it (Galatians 1:6-8)
  8. Don’t Hinder it (1 Corinthians 9:12)
  9. Don’t be Ashamed of it (Romans 1:16)
  10. Be Empowered by it (1 Thessalonians 1:5)

My challenge is for all of us to live what we profess to believe. We cannot play games any longer; it’s time to do business with God. Allow the Holy Spirit to change us from the inside out. The credibility of the message will never exceed the credibility of the messenger. The world is watching, and don’t let them turn away from Christ simply because of what they see happening in the lives of Jesus’ followers. People WILL judge a book (Jesus) by its cover (his followers).

 [print_link] [email_link]

Related Images:

Spread the Community, Faith, Love

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Time limit is exhausted. Please reload CAPTCHA.