Marks of a Disciple

1. Love for God
2. Love for the People of God

Last week, we looked at the first mark of a disciple, a love for God. This week the second  mark of a disciple.

The second mark of a disciple is not just any   love, but a love for others. Jesus commanded,   “This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you (Jn. 15:12). To be a disciple of Jesus Christ, you must embody this love for other Christians. This is how the world will recognize our love for God. The Bible speaks loud and clear that a mark of a true disciple of Christ is their love for fellow believers, “By this, all will   know that you are My disciples if you have a love for one another (Jn.13:35).”

Paul is our great example of a disciple’s love for God’s people. Why did Paul suffer so much for the sake of the Gospel? He writes to the church in Philippi, “For it is only right for me to think this way about you all, because I have you in my heart, since both in my chains and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are fellow partakers with me in this grace. For God is my witness, how I long for you all with  the affection of Christ Jesus. (Phil. 1:7-8).”

Paul suffered whippings, beatings, imprisonments, stoning, and shipwrecks all for the sake of the Gospel.  His love for Jesus and His people allowed him to suffer for the sake of the Gospel. This is the call for every believer, to suffer for Christ (Jn.15:18-21). Love must be our motivation, not only for Christ but other believers.

Michael J. Gorman writes, “For those who confess the love of God in the death of Jesus, two existential corollaries automatically follow: suffering for others is inevitable, and suffering for others must be motivated by love in order to be worthwhile.”

To be a disciple of Christ means to love the body  of Christ. To love Christ is to love all those who love    Him. If we do not love fellow believers, we are self-deceived, and the love of Christ does not dwell within us (1Jn 4:7-8). In The Bible Knowledge        Commentary, the authors say it plainly, “Love stems from a regenerate nature and also from fellowship      with God, which issues in knowing Him. The absence    of love is evidence that a person does not know God. Love for other Christians is critical in the life of a believer. The absence of love is evidence that a person does not know God.

Your shepherd,

Pastor Mark