In The Hands of the Refiner

Are you a true Christian? Does your walk back up your talk? Here is a test for all of us to measure the stature of our profession of faith.

The following lists the inward and outward characteristics of a true believer in Jesus Christ:

1. Love for God – Matthew 22:37, “And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.”  Romans 8:7, “For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot.”

2. Repentance from sin – 1 John 1:9-10, “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.”

3. Transformation of your life – 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”

4. Devotion to God’s glory – 1 Corinthians 10:31, “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

5. Continual prayer – James 5:26, “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.”

6. Selfless love – 1 John 2:9; 3:14; 4:7, “Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness.”  “We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death.”  “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.”

7. Spiritual growth – Ephesians 4:12-16, “…to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.”

8. Obedient living – 1 Peter 1:2 & 22, “…according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood: May grace and peace be multiplied to you.”  “Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart..”

9. Separation from the world – 1 John 2:15-17; 5:5, “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. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.” “Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?”

10. Hunger for God’s Word – 1 Peter 2:2, “…like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation..”

11. Genuine humility – Matthew 5:1-12, “Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”