The Marks of Christ

Q: What does the Bible say about the marks of a Christian?

The marks of a Christian, as described in the Bible, include faith, hope, and love, which are indicative of true believers. The Bible outlines the marks of a Christian through various passages, notably found in the Beatitudes and in 1 Corinthians 13. The Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-12) illustrate qualities such as humility, mourning over sin, and a desire for righteousness, which reflect the ownership of Christ over a believer's life. Additionally, Paul speaks in 1 Corinthians 13:13 about three abiding marks: faith, hope, and love. These attributes are evidence of the work of the Holy Spirit in a believer's heart, demonstrating their transformation and relationship with Christ.

Q: How do we know our faith in Christ is genuine?

A genuine faith in Christ is evidenced by a deep commitment to Him, an understanding of His righteousness, and a transformation in character. The genuineness of one's faith in Christ can be understood through several indicators. Firstly, a true believer recognizes that they possess no righteousness of their own and relies entirely on Christ's righteousness for salvation (Philippians 3:9). This faith is active and committed, as seen in 2 Timothy 1:12, where Paul expresses confidence in Christ's ability to safeguard his faith. Furthermore, genuine faith produces fruit, such as a love for God, a longing for righteousness, and a heart that mourns over sin. When believers possess these attributes, it serves as a testament to the transformative work of the Holy Spirit in their lives.

Q: Why is the doctrine of perseverance important for Christians?

The doctrine of perseverance assures Christians that true believers will persist in faith until the end, as a reflection of God's faithfulness. Perseverance is a crucial doctrine in Reformed theology because it emphasizes that those whom God has genuinely saved will remain in faith and cannot lose their salvation. This assurance stems from the belief that salvation is entirely a work of God's grace (Ephesians 2:8-9). Romans 8:28-30 supports this, affirming that all things work together for good for those who are called according to God's purpose. A believer's perseverance is, therefore, both a work of God within them and an evidence of their true election. This understanding encourages Christians to rest in God's promises and remain steadfast in the face of trials, knowing that God will sustain them.

Galatians 6. Verse 17, Galatians chapter 6. From henceforth let no man trouble me, For I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus. Let's pray. Lord, how we thank you for your son, the Lord Jesus Christ, your only begotten son, the eternal son of God, the one who is God, our savior. We pray that we might be given a word from him that you would deliver us from hearing the words of a man, but that you would speak by your spirit through your word and reveal him to each of us and enable us to trust him only. Lord, we confess our sin, we pray for forgiveness and cleansing, we pray for you to unite our hearts together to fear thy name. May Christ be honored, be with all your people wherever they meet together, in Christ's name we pray, amen. The marks of Christ. This is where we get the word stigma from. A stigma is a negative perception, a sense of disapproval society places on an individual for some reason. The stigma of Christ, the marks of Christ.

Now, I think it's very interesting. No other epistle ends this way. Pretty intense. From henceforth, let no man trouble me. This is over. I'm tired of this division. Let no man trouble me. This book started with a tenseness about it. He said in verse 6 of chapter 1, I marvel. I'm amazed. that you are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel. He starts terse and tense with these people.

And this is the way he ends, from henceforth, let no man trouble me. He's saying, I've had it with this. Don't trouble me anymore about this for I bear in my body the marks, the scars of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now the word trouble is the noun form of the word that means to cut, to smite, to strike, to beat one's breast in grief. He says, do not trouble me anymore and cause me this grief. Now that's what he's saying to the church from Galatia.

I wanna read the amplified version. From now on, let no one trouble me by making it necessary for me to justify my authority as an apostle and the absolute truth of the gospel for I bear in my body the branding marks of Jesus. The wounds, the scars, and the outward evidence of persecution, they testify of his ownership of me." The marks, the scars he received for preaching the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. In other words, he said, you question, and they did question, You question whether I'm truly the servant of Christ.

The scars on my body, being stoned, being beaten with rods, five times having my back lacerated with the cat of nine tails. My scars speak of his ownership of me. These are my credentials. What are yours? They were always questioning Paul. He said, well, here's my credentials. What are yours? Now, I think it's amazing that religious mysticism speaks of the actual marks of Christ coming up in people's bodies. That was said of Francis of Sici, the wounds of Christ would appear in his hands and feet.

That is blasphemous. utterly blasphemous to think of something that foolish. But Paul is speaking of his credentials beaten up for preaching the gospel. Now, Paul was being questioned about his authority, but he was sent of God as any true God called preacher is, how should they preach except they be sent? Well, they can't preach except they be sent. Now, if I'm preaching the gospel as God's vessel, if I am, to not hear me is to not hear Christ himself. Now, somebody says, that's a bold statement. Well, it's what the Bible says. He that heareth you, heareth me. He that despises you, disregards you, disregards me. And that's what the Lord said. And these people were disregarding Paul. They were calling into question his authority. And he says, don't trouble me anymore by opposing my apostolic authority and the gospel I preach.

Look at the scars. These are the brand marks of the Lord Jesus Christ on me. This is his ownership of me. And actually, these marks were used to brand slaves. They would put a cut in them, and the scar would show who they belonged to. And it's very sobering, isn't it? Don't trouble me anymore. I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, why did he have these marks?

Because men hate the gospel. It really is that simple. Men hated the Lord, and men hate the Lord, the Lord Jesus Christ. And not many people will say, well, I hate Jesus Christ. Very few people would say that. But when they hear the gospel, that's when this hatred comes out. People don't even know they hate him until they hear the truth. And then they find out they really do hate him because the gospel takes away what they're hoping for. If you're hoping in your works, in any measure, to any degree, the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ says that hope is no good at all. You won't be saved. And that's what creates men's hatred for this.

From henceforth let no man trouble me, for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus, the stigma of the Lord Jesus. Now, I don't have any physical marks or scars on my body that bear the proof of the ownership of the Lord Jesus Christ. I dare say you don't either. I don't think any of us have been beaten up or whipped for the gospel, but if I'm his, and if you're his, there are marks of his ownership.

Now, the first thing that comes to my mind, the Beatitudes. There are the marks of his. ownership. If someone would say, what is a Christian? What is the mark of a Christian? Someone God has truly saved. The first place we ought to go is the Beatitudes where our Lord tells us what a believer is. Blessed are the poor in spirit. Here's what a believer is. He's somebody that doesn't have anything. He doesn't have anything to commend him to God. Not one single thing. Theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are they that mourn. They mourn over their sin. They don't mourn that salvation is by grace. They don't mourn that God has God our Savior. They don't mourn that Christ is everything in salvation, but I presently, right now, along with every other believer, mourn over my sin. I don't excuse it. I mourn over it. It's all my fault. I mourn over my present sinfulness. Every believer mourns over their sin.

And we're given this promise. They shall be comforted. Now that's a mark branded in every believer by the Spirit of God. They don't have any different attitude about sin. They don't have an apathetic attitude about their own sin. They mourn before God over their sin. Then the Lord says, blessed are the meek.

Who is a meek person? It's someone who believes that whatever God does is right. Whatever he sends my way is right. I might not enjoy it, but he sent it, it's for his glory and my good, and I bow, it's right. Now that's meekness before God. Whatever he does is right. I know I'm wrong and he's right. I know that. I believe that. That's meekness before God. And that is the branding mark of the Spirit of God. They're meek before God. What are my marks? What is every believer's mark? Well, I hunger and thirst after righteousness. Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness.

Now, the reason that you hunger and thirst after righteousness is you really believe you have no personal righteousness. And you hunger and thirst for the righteousness of Jesus Christ. Would that describe you? You believe that your righteousnesses are filthy rags. You don't just hear that quote in the scripture, you believe it so. And you hunger and thirst after his righteousness.

Paul said, oh, that I may win Christ and be found in him, not having my own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faithfulness of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith. Do you have that desire to simply be found in Christ, not having your own righteousness, but his only? Is that real to you? That's the marks of a believer.

Blessed are the merciful. This is the fifth beatitude. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. Now, if God has had mercy on you, you want to be merciful, don't you? You want to be a merciful person, and you are a merciful person. If God's had mercy on you, if you say with regard to anybody, I refuse to extend mercy to them, God's never shown you mercy. If God shown you mercy, oh, how beautiful is mercy. Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy. And then the sixth beatitude, blessed are the pure in heart. Blessed are the pure in heart.

Now, the only way that you can understand having a pure heart is being given a new heart. That's the only way to understand that. Do you feel like you have a pure, my heart's pure? You don't even know what a pure heart is then. If you think that, your heart belches with iniquity just like mine does, just like everybody else does.

The pure heart is that new heart, that clean heart given in the new birth. And every believer has that. The reason you believe is because you've been given a pure heart. That faith comes from that pure heart. The love you have for God comes from the pure heart. The repentance you have comes from the pure heart.

This is a mark of a believer. Every believer has this branding of the Spirit of God. Blessed are the peacemakers. You preach the gospel of peace. You believe the gospel of peace. Blessed are the peacemakers. You're not trying to be contentious and stir up a hornet's nest. You're a peacemaker.

Blessed are they that are persecuted for righteousness sake. Now, that's not just talking about going out and picketing some moral cause and people throwing rocks at you and making fun at you for doing that. That's talking about believing that the righteousness of Christ is the only righteousness there is. And you calling upon all men to say, you don't have a righteousness. His righteousness is the only one. That's where the persecution comes from. Now here are the marks of Christ. Here are the brandings of Christ, the Beatitudes. Now turn to first Corinthians chapter 13. Last verse, first Corinthians chapter 13. And now. abideth." And here is the brand marks of the believer. This is what abides, not these gifts of the Spirit as to being able to heal.

They could do that. They had these supernatural gifts when the Holy Spirit was given to them where they could speak in other languages. they could heal the sick, they even raised the dead. You think of these great marks that they had, well, they passed away. When that which is perfect has come, the full canon of scripture, that which is in part should be done away with. Let me remind you in Acts chapter six, it was only through the laying on of the apostles' hands that the Holy Ghost was given to perform these miracles. They're no longer needed. I thought, well, I'd like to be able to do these things, to verify God's hand on me. Heal sick people, raise dead people.

Well, people would believe then, wouldn't they? No. No. They don't believe the word. They don't believe anything else. But here are the marks, the identifying marks of every true believer. This is what abides with every believer. And now abideth faith, hope, charity. These three. Now here is what every believer can say are my marks. branded on me by the Spirit of God. And I say that carefully, I say that, I wouldn't say this presumptuously, but I know that every believer has these three marks branded in them by God the Holy Spirit, and they are really there that identify them as true children of God. Faith, hope, and charity.

These three, and Paul says the greatest of these is charity, because in heaven, there's no need for faith. You're experiencing it. There's no need for hope. Hope's something far away. I'm experiencing that hope right now, so these things are not necessary in heaven, but they are here. Faith, hope, charity, these three.

Now, by faith, he means faith in Christ. It's so simple. What is the evidence that you're one of God's elect? Faith in Christ. As a matter of fact, we shouldn't be saying, I need proof of my election. No, you're called upon to look to Christ. Not to figure out whether or not you're one of the elect, but to look to Christ. As many as were ordained to eternal life, what? They believed. They believed, they believed the gospel. Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, listen to this scripture.

2 Timothy 1.12, I know whom I have believed and I am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed to him against that day. Faith.

I know. Knowledge. There is no faith without knowledge. You can't believe what you do not know. I know. Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they might be saved. I bear them record. They have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. I know.

Paul said, we know that all things work together for good to them that love God to them who are called according to his purpose. Somebody says, I don't know that. Well, then you're not part of the we. We know. And I love the way he says this, I know whom. Not I know what. I know what I believe. Well, okay. Do you know whom? That is the issue, who he is. I know whom I have believed. He's God. He's man. He's the God man. He's the creator of the universe. He's the son of God. He's the only savior of sinners. His righteousness is the only righteousness there is.

I know whom, not I know what, but I know whom. I know whom I have believed. I know whom I have trusted. I know whom I have relied on. Faith, this is the mark, faith. I know whom I have believed and I'm persuaded that he is able. I'm convinced of this. I've been persuaded. The reason Paul was persuaded is God persuaded him. And if you're persuaded of the truth, it's because God himself has persuaded you. What a blessing to be persuaded of the truth. I know whom I have believed and I'm persuaded that he is able. That's what I'm persuaded in his ability. I am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I've committed to him.

There's no faith without this commitment. All of my eggs are in this basket. If who he is and what he did is not enough to save me without any contribution from me, here's my only hope. My only hope is that he lived for me, that he died for me, that he was raised for me, that he did it all, that I have no contribution to make, he did it all. All my ends are in that basket, and if that's not so, I won't be saved. Now that's commitment. You're not looking anywhere else. You're not looking to your works, you're not looking to your evidences, you're not looking to your intentions. All your hope is committed in him doing it all.

I'm persuaded that he is able to keep that which I've committed to him against that day. I'm persuaded that on judgment day when my name is called, he will answer for me. No different than the thief. Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom. Now there's the mark.

Now abideth faith, hope. Hope, this is a mark of every believer, hope. Now you'll remember in Romans chapter eight, Paul said, hope that is seen is not hope, for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for it? Hope is something you don't see with regard to the future. Now here's my hope. I have a hope that when I stand before God in judgment, I'm going to be declared by Him to be justified.

Without guilt, without sin, He's gonna say to me, well done, thou good and faithful servant. And I know the only reason that's going to be said is because what Christ did was well done. He's the good and faithful servant, and I'm in him, and if he did well, I did well. If he was faithful, I'm faithful. If he's the good servant, I'm the good servant.

I have a hope that on judgment day, I'm going to stand before all the universe, justified by God himself. Can you see that? Can you see how right now you're standing before God just? Well, no, but I believe it. Faith is the evidence of things not seen.

I believe it. And with regard to everything else in the future, I have this hope. And we know that all things work together for good. To them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose. Now, can you see how that's so? No, but I believe it because God says it.

I have a hope that everything God brings my way, no matter how good it may feel or no matter how bad it may feel, whatever the experience it is, God is using it for His glory and my good. What a hope! A hope of being justified before God on judgment day, and a hope that everything between now and then is working together for my good. What a hope.

Now that is the experience of the believer. That is the mark of the believer. And the third thing, charity. Now abideth faith, hope, and charity, or love. Do you know only the believer has this? Now, every unbeliever has some kind of love. Not this love, but we love ourselves. We love people who are connected with us. I love my kids. I love my wife. I love anybody that's gonna help me.

That's the way every natural man is, but only the believer has this kind of love that's the gift of God's grace. He that loveth not knoweth not God. Only the believer has this love or this charity, and it's the result of being born of God It's the fruit of God the Holy Spirit. The fruit of the Spirit is love. Now let me begin here. There's a love for the Word of God. There's love for the Bible. Because of what the Bible says about the God of the Word. You gotta begin here, we love the Word of God. I do love the Word of God.

I'm so thankful for this revelation that God has given Himself that reveals to us His character, His Son, how He saves by His grace. I love the way He saves. I love the way He's made a way to be just and yet justify somebody like me. I love that Christ is all in salvation. I love that I'm saved by His righteousness and not my own. I love salvation by grace. I love it that salvation is all of grace from the beginning to the end.

He did it all. I love that. You know, people who love Christ, I love them. That's all it takes. If you love Christ, I love you. That is the way every believer is because somebody that loves somebody we love, we're fans of theirs, aren't we? Somebody that sees Christ as altogether lovely. I love that person.

And we love men. Men who are unbelieving men. We love men. We want them to be saved. We want them to know the Lord. We want them to bow to the same Lord we bow to. We preach the gospel to them. We love them enough to tell them the truth. We love men.

Now abideth faith, hope, Love these three, and every believer has these marks. There's probably other places I could go in the scripture that would speak of the marks of a believer, but these are two very clear, evident marks, the Beatitudes and faith, hope, and charity. Amen.

The Marks of Christ

Key Quotes

What does the Bible say about the marks of a Christian?

How do we know our faith in Christ is genuine?

Why is the doctrine of perseverance important for Christians?

Sermon Transcript

About Todd Nibert

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The Marks of Christ

Key Quotes

What does the Bible say about the marks of a Christian?

How do we know our faith in Christ is genuine?

Why is the doctrine of perseverance important for Christians?

Sermon Transcript

About Todd Nibert

Comments

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