Marks Of A Disciple

And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.” Luke 9:23

Over the next six weeks, I will share six marks of a disciple of Christ.

Love For God

The first mark of a disciple of Christ is their Love of God. When Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees gathered and decided to test Jesus. One asked, “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 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.’ 38 This is the great and foremost commandment ’ (Matt. 26:36-38).” As followers of Christ, we will love God.

A Christian must have a genuine love for God. John MacArthur wrote, “Genuine Love of the Lord is intelligent, feeling, willing, and serving. It involves thought, sensitivity, intent, and even action where possible and appropriate. God has never sought either empty words or empty ritual.”  We love God because He first loved us (1 John 4:19), and because of that love, we can love Him. Someone who has not been born again cannot, will not love God. We were enemies of God incapable of loving Him (Rom.5:10, Col.1:21), but everything changes when an individual comes to saving faith. Once we hated God, we love Him now.

Before Christ, man hates God. John H. Gerstner said it well, “Man as sinner hates God, hates man, and hates himself. He would kill God if he could. He does kill his fellow man when he can. [And] he commits spiritual suicide every day of his life.” However, when Jesus becomes Lord and Savior in someone’s life, they become a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17). Every believer has been freed from the slave   block of sin and now is a slave of righteousness (Rom. 6:20-22). Christians will love God because He is the author of their  salvation. If someone claims to be a disciple of Jesus but does not love Him, he is a liar and an enemy of God, not a disciple.

Your shepherd,

Pastor Mark