The Distinguishing Characteristic of the Believer

Living Out Our Faith Through Action and Humility

Key Outward Sign of Our Faith

The love of believers should be observable, noticeable, and obvious. This love is not an emotion, but an action showed through service and humility. God commands us to love one another, so it is not just a suggestion.

A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. John 13:34.

Our ability to love directly results from experiencing God’s transformative love. We understand His love for us and apply it to others. In the same way Jesus loves us, we love sacrificially and unconditionally. We even love those who are difficult to love, just as Jesus does. This love, a powerful testimony to the world, is not just a feeling, but a force that can transform lives and relationships. It’s a love that doesn’t compromise on Biblical principles but empowers us to live them out.

We love even when it is hard to love as a testimony to the world of God’s love. The Holy Spirit, our constant companion, empowers us to love. With the Holy Spirit’s guidance, we can love unconditionally and sacrificially, just as Jesus did.

Christian love seeks to build up others and contribute to their spiritual growth. We do not love in words only.

Love is characterized by forgiving and bearing one another’s faults.

Sign of true Salvation

There are signs of true salvation. The signs are not external, doctrinal, or verbal, but the one Jesus emphasized was love.

The perfected love of God

But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. 1 John 2:5.

This verse emphasizes that a sign of true salvation is the perfection of God’s love within an individual. Obedience evidences this perfection to God’s word. Keeping God’s commandments enables a person to fully realize and perfect God’s love. This obedience is not merely about following rules but about a deep, transformative relationship with God, where His love influences and guides one’s actions and decisions.

You show who you are

In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother. 1 John 3:10.

Our actions are a mirror of our true spiritual identity. Those who practice righteousness and love their brothers and sisters are manifesting their identity as children of God. This teaching reassures us that our salvation is not a mystery, but something that is clear through our righteous living and genuine love for others. It’s a confidence that distinguishes us as believers in a world that often lacks such clarity.

How do we know that we are saved?

We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.  1 Jn 3:14.

If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?  1 Jn 4:20.

Love for fellow believers is a critical sign of transitioning from spiritual death to life. This love is not superficial but profound and selfless, and mirrors Christ’s love for humanity. This verse further asserts that true love for God is inseparable from love for others. One cannot claim to love God while harboring hatred for others, as genuine love for God will naturally extend to love for fellow humans.

Even the world knows we are different.

The primary mark of true believers is that they love their brothers and sisters in Christ beyond anything this world can understand.

Jesus said this was the outward sign of our faith in Him. This love should be noticeable. It is a sacrificial, unconditional love one for the other, not just for those from your local church but for all believers everywhere, even those who do not do everything like we believe they should.

We love not just by saying it but by how we act and what we do.

My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. 1 John 3:18.

Our love is the gold standard for living out out faith.