Birthmarks of the Believer

 “If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth."
    1 John 1:6 (ESV)

I remember hearing someone describe their “Christian” faith and realizing that Jesus was completely absent from everything they said. 

Her name was Alyssa. She was eighteen years old, articulate and confident, and she described God as "this magic person that can always cure it and make it okay." Many paths leading to the same happy ending, forgiveness without cost and heaven without Jesus. She meant every word, but there was no cross, no resurrection, and no repentance. She sounded credible. But she was deceived. 

The apostle John describes that gap this way: "If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth." (1 John 1:6, NIV). He is giving you a way to look in the mirror and know, according to God's Word, whether what you say about knowing God is real. Not a feeling or how long you have been in church, but actual evidence.

I call these the birthmarks of the believer, and John says they show up in what you do, not what you say. A true believer doesn't say "do as I say." A true believer says "watch what I do." 

Here is how to check if you are a little off:

• Snapping at your children when you are tired is not really sin, just stress
• Repentance is for new believers, not for someone who has walked with God as long as you have
• Your irritation with the sales assistant on the phone is completely justified
• Your job on Sunday morning is to evaluate the preacher's points rather than letting God's Word evaluate you, because you have been in church long enough to know better

That is not maturity; it’s a drift. The birthmark of a genuine believer is not perfection. It’s practicing the truth every day. It means that God's Word, not your own preference or comfort, is still the standard.

Prayer: Lord, I confess that sometimes I say I belong to You and decide what applies to me and what doesn't. I have been the judge when I need to humble myself and receive Your truth. Today I open Your Word and ask You to let it evaluate me, not the other way around. Show me where I have drifted and lead me back to the light. In Jesus' Name, Amen.