Genuine Members of Christ's Body

ME: Intro - How can you tell if someone is truly saved.

I would like to start this morning with three different case studies followed by a question.

Case study one is a guy who first heard about Christianity at a youth group event in high school.

From that point on, he was hooked.

He always seemed to have this contagious joy.

He was known for telling everyone how much he loves God,

And became a zealous evangelist.

The way he said it,

He had a “willingness to do whatever it takes to have someone profess faith in Christ.”

With joy, he would report to people at his church whenever someone he tells about Jesus responds to his invitation.

All the while,

He would regularly go out with friends getting drunk and occasionally did drugs.

Case study two is another guy that admitted to struggling with a mid-life crisis in his late 50s.

He had never really went to church except for the occasional wedding or funeral.

But as he was forced to slow down at work and all his kids were now out of the house,

He began to wonder about church.

His wife thought it was strange,

Felt like things were fine,

But had no issues with him going.

So, he attended a church service at the big church in the city near his suburban home one day.

To his surprise he felt different than he ever had before,

In a good way.

So, at the end of the service,

The pastor invited anyone down who wanted to accept Jesus.

He couldn’t believe it,

But he walked down to the front of the church and prayed to receive Christ.

After that, he began regularly attending church,

He started praying to God every day about whatever came to his mind,

He even started sharing his faith with his wife, kids, and coworkers.

This went on for about a year.

But his wife never fully got on board and their marriage started to strain.

So, he slowed down on sharing his faith.

He also didn’t want to make her or others uncomfortable,

So, he figured he didn’t need to pray around them as much.

Slowly, his weekends started getting more and more full.

So, he missed church more often,

To the point that he stopped going to church altogether.

But by that time,

Him and his wife agreed that they had drifted into two different people,

So, they agreed to have an amicable divorce.

Third case study is a woman who was basically born in the church.

She confessed Christ at a young age,

Was baptized,

Became a member,

And anytime the church was open, she was there.

And this continued her entire life.

All through her teenage years,

As she worked through her adult years,

And even through her retirement years.

She was a sweet and kind lady.

No one said anything bad about her.

They knew she liked to be involved at her church,

But they never really knew why.

She prayed for people who needed prayer,

But in her entire life,

She never shared the gospel with anyone.

She would occasionally invite people to church,

She would tell them about how much she enjoyed church,

But she never wanted to make people feel uncomfortable,

So, she decided not to force Jesus or God or the Bible on people.

These are the three case studies,

Now based on their summaries, here is the question:

How can you tell if any of these three people are Genuine Members of Christ’s Body?

How can you tell if they are truly saved?

Truly converted into born again believers?

This year, as we focus on clarifying membership,

A good case can be made for beginning right here,

With Clarifying Genuine Members of Christ’s Body.

Why?

Because one study I found from 9Marks estimated potentially 40% of people had at one time been a member of a church but did not understand the gospel.

And this is not a recent phenomenon.

Back in the 18th century,

John Wesley writes about this being a widespread experience.

Slide

So, this morning we are looking at two places in the Bible to clarify Genuine Members of Christ’s Body.

A Converted Soul (Romans 8:5-8)

Know Your Soul (1 John)

Do you walk in the light or the dark? (1:6-10)

Do you love God? (2:15-23)

Do you love other members? (3:14-19)

Do you have the Spirit? (3:24; 4:13-14)

Do you overcome the world? (5:1-5)

Genuine Members are Truly Converted

WE: A Converted Soul (Rom. 8:5-8)

People who are a part of a church,

Or hold to Christianity in name only are referred to as nominal Christians.

And one of the reasons for nominal Christianity throughout the history of the church is a failure to both embrace and teach a biblical understanding of conversion.

Slide

So, this morning, we are seeking to piece together an understanding of conversion from the Bible.

To understand conversion,

We must understand that the Bible diagnosis all of humanity with an ailment.

And to apply the treatment conversion provides,

We must recognize our ailment.

So, what is this ailment?

Sin.

And it is not just that we all sin,

It is that we are all sinners by nature.

At the root, the core, the heart, of every person is this alienating hostility toward God.

Our nature as humans is to satisfy our sinful cravings,

Our desires over honoring and worshiping God.

We are so entrenched in this that the Bible describes us as slaves to sin.

Slide

The Apostle Paul contrasts this sinful nature against the new way of life that comes from a converted soul in Rom. 8:5-8.

But just before this,

Paul wrote in Rom. 7:5-6,

Romans 7:5–6 ESV

For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death. But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code.

So, Paul already began comparing life in this old fleshly nature against new life in the Spirit.

Presenting two conversely different attitudes or mindsets.

The old mindset is under the influence of the flesh,

That is, our sin nature.

The new mindset, however, is under the influence of Christ through the Spirit,

Who lives in the members of Christ’s body.

Slide

These are the same two kinds of people Paul describes in Rom. 8:5.

When we are categorizing humankind.

The two broadest categories are these:

The saved and the unsaved.

Paul is not talking about two kinds of Christians here,

As some have taught.

There are not nominal (or carnal) Christians and spiritual Christians.

Paul is contrasting the unsaved,

Those who live according to the flesh,

Who set fleshly things as their goals,

Who can be in the presence of, yet live apart from, the body of Christ.

And the saved,

Those who live according to the Spirit of God,

Who set spiritual things as their goals.

Who are united to the body of Christ by the Spirit.

Those who live according to the flesh do not have the Spirit of God.

They both live in the flesh and for the flesh.

The mind of an unsaved person is centered on the things that satisfy their fleshly desires.

But because genuine members of the body have the Spirit of God,

They live an entirely different existence.

A genuine member fixes their mind on the things of the Spirit.

Now, this does not mean an unsaved person can never do anything good,

Nor does it mean a genuine member never does anything bad.

It simply means the bent of their lives are different.

One lives for the flesh,

The other lives for the Spirit.

Slide

Those who live for the flesh are alive physically,

But dead spiritually.

As vs. 6 says, the mindset of the flesh is death.

This means an unsaved person’s mental attitude is dead toward God.

They do not respond to the things of the Spirit.

Again, yes, they can be a moral person,

Or even a religious person.

But at their core,

They are separated from God.

They need the Spirit of life and peace that only comes through Christ Jesus.

This is true life.

Slide

Again, vs. 7 warns about the mind that is set on the flesh,

Saying it is hostile to God.

This is similar to James 4:4,

Which warns about friendship with the world making us an enemy of God.

This hostility Paul is talking about is a pure anti-God mentality.

And the reality is, it is incapable of being anything else.

Anyone who does not have the Spirit has this mindset.

Any person who does not have a converted soul is an enemy of God,

Because a mind that is set on the flesh does not submit to God,

It can’t!

The old nature rebels against God.

Paul says in 1 Cor. 2:14,

That the natural person does not accept the things of God,

Because they are foolish to him.

He can’t even understand them because they can only be discerned by the Spirit.

Slide

This is how Paul concludes his warnings in vs. 8,

Saying those in the flesh cannot please God.

Because this person is opposed to God.

The unsaved person lives for self,

And rarely, if ever, thinks about pleasing God.

Many Bible scholars argue that the essence of sin is selfishness,

Essentially saying that every sin boils down to this mentality that says,

“My will be done.”

Rather than “God (or anyone else’s) will be done.”

I think this makes a lot of sense.

But also, at the end of the day,

Romans is clear that regardless,

An unsaved person does not obey God because they lack God’s Spirit.

The Spirit is what makes submission possible.

Slide

In fact, Paul continues in vs. 13, saying,

Romans 8:13 ESV

For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

So, the Bible is clear,

By nature, we humans are sinners.

And because we are sinners,

We sit guilty before a perfectly righteous and holy God.

So, our guilt is deserving of punishment.

Meaning, we are all doomed to judgment...

If...

There is not a radical and profound change in our soul.

Because when our minds are set on the flesh,

Our souls do not even want to please God.

So, we need a radical changed.

We need a new heart,

We need a converted soul.

Slide

This radical change is what conversion is.

It is a complete change of life.

It is not merely a decision.

It is not just a shift in morals,

It is not some self-help philosophy,

It is not behavior modification.

It does not happen through any outward displays or religious practices like walking the aisle, raising a hand, praying a prayer, or even being baptized.

No human effort can accomplish conversion,

Only the power of God can.

Because conversion is such a radical change,

It demands the intervention of God in the Holy Spirit.

In conversion,

The Spirit grants repentance and faith to sinners who turn from sin,

And turn toward God through faith in Christ.

This is the way we word it in our statement of faith:

“We believe in the universal depravity of mankind; therefore in the necessity of regeneration through the Holy Spirit of God and faith in Jesus Christ.”

Slide

Our discussion on conversion has broken down this statement in three parts.

First, you have the universal depravity of mankind,

Which is the natural sin state of us humans.

It is the reason we need a radical change.

Therefore, as our statement says,

We believe in the necessity of regeneration through the Holy Spirit,

Which is the radical change of soul through repentance.

Part of the the ministry of the Spirit is conviction of sin.

It is the Spirit taking our calloused hearts,

And giving them a sensitivity toward sin,

That stirs us in such a way that we turn away from sin.

This is repentance.

But repentance does not just turn away from sin.

As the third part of our statement says faith in Jesus Christ,

We turn away from sin,

And turn toward God through faith in Christ.

We rely on Christ alone for salvation.

This is true conversion.

Which is required to be a genuine member of Christ’s body.

GOD: Know Your Soul (1 John)

So, now that we know what a converted soul is.

If you claim to be a member of Christ’s body,

Then you must Know Your Soul.

You must consider the inward implications of conversion,

And ask if your soul has been radically changed by God’s grace through faith in Christ.

A self-examination like this is good for your spiritual health.

Multiple times members are exhorted to do this in the NT.

A few examples include,

2 Cor. 13:5; Phil. 2:12; 2 Pet. 1:5-11.

So, are you trusting in the finished work of Christ alone for salvation?

Is there evidence of God’s grace in your life?

Are you growing in Christlikeness?

1 John is a helpful book to examine the work of God in our souls.

It provides a framework you can use to know your soul.

John gives several tests to help members have assurance of their salvation in Christ.

Slide

So, we are going to go through these tests relatively quickly to examine ourselves.

Do You Walk in the Light or the Dark? (1:6-10)

The first question comes from 1:6-10.

Do you walk in the light or in darkness?

John says,

1 John 1:6–7 ESV

If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.

How does the blood of Jesus,

God’s Son,

Cleanse us from all sin?

Because under the law,

Blood is a purifier.

Hebrews says, without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.

The incredible thing about Christ’s blood, specifically, being shed.

Is that He, as the Son of God, did it voluntarily.

He was the substitutionary sacrifice for all who trust Him.

So, unlike the blood from sheep or goats,

His sacrifice is of infinite value.

Slide

It fully paid God’s penalty for our sin.

Heb. 9:27-28 explains,

Hebrews 9:27–28 ESV

And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.

This last part is talking about when Christ returns.

But knowing this first part,

Genuine members who have been truly converted grieve at their sin.

They hate their sin,

As John says it,

They no longer desire the darkness,

They desire to live in the light of Christ.

They desire to walk in integrity and righteousness.

Slide

John goes on in vs. 8-10,

1 John 1:8–10 ESV

If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

You see, God’s forgiveness has already been accomplished.

It is right there ready for all to receive.

Here it says, the way we receive this gift is to simply admit we need it,

To confess our sins.

To bring our sins to light.

God does not forgive us on the basis of any good deeds we do to earn His forgiveness.

No, it is solely given because of His grace.

With this free gift of forgiveness,

John says, comes purification from all our unrighteousness.

This is true grace!

Not only does He freely and willingly forgive us,

But He takes our unrighteousness and casts it off us,

Giving us His righteousness instead!

Because He took our unrighteousness upon Himself on the cross!

But, John says,

The opposite of admitting our need for God’s forgiveness,

Is pretending we have not sinned,

Continuing to keep our sins in darkness.

Claiming we do not need God’s forgiveness.

This is such a proud and stubborn refusal of the Great Physician’s diagnosis,

Followed by a rejection of His treatment.

Imagine a doctor diagnosing you with a fatal disease,

It is guaranteed to kill you at any moment...

“But,” the doctor says,

“The good news is I have the cure right here for you,

And it doesn’t cost you anything,

I already paid for it,

All you have to do is accept it.”

Then you look at him and say,

“I don’t have this disease.”

And you get up and walk out,

Leaving behind the cure to your certain death.

That is what vs. 10 is saying it is like to walk in darkness.

It is denying what God says is true about all of us,

That we have sinned,

Then rejecting His free offer of forgiveness, healing.

Resulting in our certain death.

And people who live this way, habitually live in sin.

They are unrepentant,

Denying that they are sinners,

And are not truly converted.

Do You Love God? (2:15-23)

Slide

The next question comes in 2:15-23.

And the question is simply,

Do you love God?

Some people may say,

“I love Jesus!”

He is loving, meek, mild-mannered, and sweet!

But God?

No way!

He is full of wrath and judgment, they think,

He is not loving like Jesus.

Many like to convince themselves of a Jesus who only knows tolerance and acceptance.

As a result,

They do not believe that God would judge sin or condemn a sinner.

They think God is a tyrant,

Especially in the OT.

So, they reject God because they think this concept of God being a righteous judge is out-of date, unsatisfying, or just downright offensive.

So, John includes love for God,

Specifically, God the Father,

As a test of genuine faith.

1 John 2:15 ESV

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

This command to not love the world is very practical,

Because this world is passing away.

So, love for the world goes back to the desires of the flesh, the eyes, and pride in possessions.

To put it simply,

Those who love the world are short-sighted.

They want satisfaction and they want it now!

So, because they love the world,

They do not love God.

But John is clear the world will not last.

It has already been marked for judgment and destruction.

Those who love God over the world have a long-term perspective.

They desire to wait for God’s greater reward.

Slide

But Paul warns about people who seemed like genuine members but did not love God in vs. 19,

1 John 2:19 ESV

They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us.

Just because a person attends church or has their name on a membership list does not mean they are truly converted.

If you have this inward apathy or hostility toward God,

You can mask it with outward conformity.

In John’s case here,

Those false members eventually revealed their inward hostility,

Not just by leaving,

But by the way they left.

They went out and opposed God.

They renounced the church and it’s message.

But genuine members, vs. 20 says, have been anointed by the Holy One.

Just like Jesus was anointed by the Holy One.

So, all who trust Him are anointed by the same Spirit.

Slide

John says this in vs. 22-23,

1 John 2:22–23 ESV

Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also.

John’s point is very simple,

If you deny that Jesus is the Christ, you are a liar.

To separate Christ the Savior from Jesus the man was a pervasive false teaching during this time called docetism.

Think like the word, docile.

That is what this taught,

That Christ was not actually human,

Rather, Christ was God appearing docile like a human.

This would mean that the incarnation was not real,

And that Christ only seemed to die on the cross,

Because He only seemed to be a human.

It would mean that God never took on flesh,

Was never truly born,

Never lived the life of a human on this earth,

And was never tempted in every respect as we are.

So, let me be clear as John sought to be clear:

Anyone who teaches this is a liar,

Because by denying the humanity of Christ,

You deny salvation through Christ,

And because Christ, the Spirit, and the Father are all one God,

You would also deny God and His Word.

Jesus is the Christ,

Fully God and fully man.

The incarnate God who took on flesh,

Was born as a baby,

Lived in this world,

Was tempted in every way as we are,

Yet never sinned,

And died on the cross to pay for the sins of all humankind.

So, the question is,

Do you love Him?

Do you love God, the Father, the Son, and the Spirit.

You cannot accept Christ without accepting the Father.

Neither can you come to the Father without trusting Christ.

They are one in the same.

So, love for God is a test of true conversion.

Do You Love Other Members? (3:14-19)

When you do love God,

You have a personal relationship with God.

But this personal relationship over-emphasized,

To the point where you think you can live this Christian life as a lone wolf,

And have no genuine affection or concern for other members of the body.

Slide

So, the next question is,

Do you love other members?

John addresses this question in ch. 3, vs. 14-15,

Saying,

1 John 3:14–15 ESV

We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death. Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.

Slide

So, John then turns his attention to where love comes from in vs. 16-17, saying,

1 John 3:16–17 ESV

By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him?

John’s point is that we know love by Christ laying down His life for us.

Christ accepted the excruciating death on the cross,

To save us from eternal punishment.

So, we ought to love one another by laying down our lives for each other.

However, our love for one another never even comes close to being as costly.

But there is a cost.

John gives an example in vs. 17,

The cost of sacrificing our worldly goods for other members in need.

You see, love is not just a word or a feeling.

Love is an action.

Slide

John teaches this as he continues in vs. 18-19, saying,

1 John 3:18–19 ESV

Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth. By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him;

John teaches that a true love for Jesus flows out into a love for the members of His body.

If we have a coldness toward other members,

Then we must examine whether or not we are genuinely members of Christ’s body.

Do You Have the Spirit? (3:24; 4:13-14)

Next question is,

Slide

Do you have the Spirit?

John ends ch. 3 saying,

1 John 3:24 ESV

Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us.

So, God has not left us without a testimony of his love.

He gives us assurance, not just of being members,

But also of our adoption into His family.

As Gal. 4:6 says,

Because you are children of God,

He has sent the Spirit of his Son, Jesus, into our hearts,

Crying, ‘Abba! Father!’

So, this assurance comes from God Himself,

From His presence dwelt within us,

The Holy Spirit assures us.

We know that we live in God,

That we are genuine members of Christ’s body,

That we are His children,

And that God lives in us because we receive the Holy Spirit when we are truly converted.

Slide

John continues to teach this in 4:13-14, saying,

1 John 4:13–14 ESV

By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.

God the Father specifically sent Christ the Son to be the propitiation for the sins of the whole world.

John first said this back in 1 John 2:2.

Christ’s sacrifice is sufficient for everyone anywhere in the world!

And His sacrifice does not require anything else!

All who trust in this have the Holy Spirit!

Do You Overcome? (5:1-5)

Slide

The final question comes in the final chapter of 1 John,

Do you overcome the world?

John says,

1 John 5:4–5 ESV

For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

Every genuine member of Christ’s body has been born of God.

And as vs. 4 says, everyone born of God overcomes the world.

This means every genuine member overcomes the world.

Remember earlier,

John talked about how the world opposes God.

But here he is saying,

There is certain victory over this opponent for all genuine members.

Those who trust Christ and continue to trust are those who overcome the world by faith.

So, genuine members persevere in faith.

This does not mean that hard things in life don’t cause doubt or discomfort.

But it does mean that genuine members press on in faith,

Trusting in God’s good and perfect and pleasing will.

After all, the same Spirit whom genuine members receive also seal and keep members through the world till the end.

Members are empowered to resist temptation and remain faithful to God’s Word.

This contrasts against the way the human race was first defeated at the fall in Gen. 3.

Adam and Eve did not resist the serpent’s temptation,

They did not remain faithful to God’s Word against eating from the tree of knowledge.

So, now here, John is saying this victory in the battle against temptation has already been won.

Because, as genuine members of Christ’s body,

Our union with God cannot be broken.

Therefore, we overcome the world.

YOU:

Before going through these questions,

I introduced them as self-examination questions,

And they are great for that purpose.

But John presented these questions for the entire body to examine within their fellowship.

Other committed and growing members can help you see yourself even more fully.

So, that you can find this healthy middle ground where true conversion lives.

One extreme is this complacency that resists any careful consideration of your soul.

But the other extreme,

Is a great temptation toward despairing doubt of your salvation.

In the context of Christ’s body,

We love each other by asking tough questions about our walk with God,

Guarding us from complacency.

And by testifying to the evidence of God’s grace in our lives so that we do not despair.

WE: Conclusion

As we close this morning,

Think back on those three case studies we started with.

At the end of the day,

None of us really know if they are genuine members of Christ’s body.

But what we do know,

Is that for them,

And any other person who considers themselves a member of Christ’s body,

It is absolutely essential to examine ourselves,

And to have other members examine us,

To know our souls,

By holding them up against the evidences of conversion that God gives in His Word.

Because the evidence shows us that genuine members are truly converted.

Pray.