[review: Three Tests of Christianity - part 1]
     Good morning, my name is George Sinkie and welcome to the Berean Break.  I am so glad that you have joined us this morning.  I really hope that you have your Bible handy because I want you to open it up and check out what I say so that you know it is truth, and then, since it is the truth, you need to apply it into your life.  As we begin this morning let’s go to God in prayer,

Great God in heaven, We thank You so much for this day in our lives, And for this time that we can study together.  We also thank You for Your Word, That we can study and know Your will.  BE with each of us now, That we can open our heart and minds, And be molded and shaped by You.  In Jesus’ Name!!!  AMEN!!

     I really hope that you were with us for the last Berean Break.  If you were not, or if you would just like a copy of that lesson for your continued study please contact us.  All of these lessons are available free of charge on cassette tapes or if you would like a written copy, we can send that as well.  They can also be found on our website at www.egw.cc/sdmitchell, that site again is www.egw.cc/sdmitchell.  This program is entirely supported by Christians who want to spread the word of God and help others to understand that word.  That is why you will never, ever hear me asking for money to support this program.  Anyway as I was saying I really hope that you were with us last week, because this is a continuation of the last Berean Break.  Last time we began looking at 1 John 5, verses 1-5, where John writes,

   1 Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God; and whoever loves the Father loves the child born of Him.
   2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and observe His commandments.
   3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments;  and His commandments are not burdensome.
   4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world — our faith.
   5 And who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

From these verse we were looking at three tests of authentic Christianity.  The need for these tests is because there are many false prophets in the world today just like there were in the first century as John says in 1 John 4:1

   1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God;  because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

And so we should test the teachers as well as the teaching.  The standard that we should use in this test is the word of God and that is the standard we use on this program.  The first test that we looked at last week was the test of belief.  The are certain things that we need to believe concerning Jesus, especially we looked at the fact that He came in the flesh and that He was the Son of God.  The second test from last week was the test of Love.  We noted with this test that we can know we love God by loving His children.  And we can know we love God’s children by loving God and doing His will.

     Today we are going to enlarge on both of these in the third test of authentic Christianity which is the test of obedience.  It seems that this is the test that most people have trouble with today.  They say they believe and they say they love, but when it comes to showing that belief and love by obeying the will of God they make excuses and fail to follow God.
     Let’s read 1 John 5:3, together again,

   3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments;  and His commandments are not burdensome.

As you can see very clearly love of God and keeping His commandments are joined inseparably together.  But this is not the first time that John has made this point, let’s look at a few of the other things that keeping God’s will does.  Notice how many ways John teaches this one point.  1 John 1:6-7

   6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth;
   7 but if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.

Walking in the light is obeying the word of God and practicing the truth.  But that is not all, turn to chapter two and read with me, 1 John 2:3-6

   3 And by this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments.
   4 The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him;
   5 but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected.  By this we know that we are in Him:
   6 the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.

It is hard to believe that there are people who say they know God but then they turn around and teach that you do not have to obey the will of God to be saved.  They teach that “faith only” saves and then make the false accusation that if you “do” anything you are trying to earn salvation by works.  Now I believe whole heartily that you cannot earn your salvation because of your works.  It just cannot be done, but the Bible teaches just as clearly that you cannot be saved without obeying the will of God.  From verses three through six we learn obedience is essential knowing Jesus, it is essential to loving God, and it is essential to abiding in Jesus.

     But let’s go on, because John uses this obedience test again.  Obedience not only makes one a child of God, but it also proves we are a child of God as we read in 1 John 3:10

   10 By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious:  anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother.

Those who teach that a person does not have to obey the will of God are revealing very clearly whose children they are, and they are not children of God.  But John is not the only inspired writer who show the necessity of obedience.  Consider the Hebrews writer in Hebrews 5:8-9

   8 Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered.
   9 And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation,

To whom is Jesus the source of eternal life?  To those who obey Him.  Now Paul may have been the writer of the book of Hebrews, but even if he wasn’t he does agree with what is taught here.  Paul writes in 2 Thessalonians 1:6-8

   6 For after all it is only just for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you,
   7 and to give relief to you who are afflicted and to us as well when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire,
   8 dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.

According to this there are two groups of people who will suffer, what Paul goes on to say is, the “penalty of eternal destruction.”  Those who do not know God and those who do not obey the gospel.  Now it is not surprising that each of these writers agree on the necessity of obedience, because they are all writing by the inspiration of God.  Jesus while He was here on earth agreed wholly with them as well.  In John 3:36, Jesus says,

   36 “He who believes in the Son has eternal life;  but he who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”

From the biblical standpoint if a person really believes in God then they will obey the will of God.  And if they will not obey the will of God, then they really do not believe in God.  In another Berean Break, we looked at the many things that work together for our salvation.  A few of the things that we mentioned were:  God’s grace, God’s mercy, the blood of Jesus, our belief, our repentance, our submitting to immersion in water for the forgiveness of sins, and our continued faithfulness.  It seems that man can and does distort each of these things though and when they distort them, then they no longer pass the test of obedience that proves authentic Christianity.

     I hope that you will sincerely take these tests because passing them is eternally important.  Do you really believe in Jesus as the Bible teaches?  That He is God come in the flesh and as the Son of God?  Do you pass the test of Love, for your fellow man and for God?  And do you pass the test of obedience?  Have you heard the word and developed faith?  Then based on that faith have you repented of your sin, confessed Jesus, been immersed in water for the forgiveness of your sins, and continue to live faithfully?  If you need help to pass any of these tests, we would be glad to help you.

[review: Three Tests of Christianity - part 1]