“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. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.”
(1 John 4:13-16)
John has been providing information and guidance, so we can define what a Christian is and isn’t. But, this is more than just gathering some facts about a particular subject. 2 Corinthians 13:5 says to examine ourselves, to see whether we are in the faith. We are to put ourselves to the test and determine whether we are in the faith. John gives us three tests – the theological test, the moral test, and the spiritual test.
The Theological Test.
We are required to believe that Jesus is the Christ (2:22), that He is God (or more specifically the Son of God) (4:15, 5:5 & 10), that He came in the flesh as a man (4:2), and that the Father sent His only Son to make propitiation for our sins (4:10).
The Moral Test.
We are to test our behavior. 1 John 3:6-10 requires us to stop sinning and practice righteousness. He tells us to keep God’s commandments (3:24) and repeatedly emphasizes loving our neighbor (3:10, 4:7-8, 16, 19-21).
The Spiritual Test.
The last test is the Spirit’s witness within our hearts (3:24, 4:13). He is the one who allows us to hear and obey the truth (2:20, 4:6).
What are your test scores? Is your doctrine correct? Are you living out God’s commands? Do you have the testimony of the Spirit affirming that you’re in the family of God? If you fail any of these tests, John gives us the answer to that problem. “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” (1John 2:1)