When you work out your salvation, you will have these 15 marks of a true disciple of Jesus.
Not everyone who thinks he or she is a Christian actually is a Christian. Jesus taught that (Matthew 7:21–23). The apostle Paul taught that (1 Corinthians 6:9–11). The apostle John taught that (1 John 2:3–6). The apostle James taught that (James 2:14–26). Therefore it is essential we do what the word of God says in 2 Corinthians 13:5: “Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves.”
That implies we can know. We can find the answer to the question.
How do you test yourself? What is the standard you must meet?
In this series of articles I have taught that the standard for a true Christian is that he or she is a true disciple of Jesus Christ. None of us will be a perfect disciple of Jesus Christ; each of us is at a different stage in our maturation as a disciple—some are spiritual newborns and others spiritual elders; but every true Christian is a true disciple of Jesus who has begun a lifelong process of learning from him, as evidenced by his or her works. Like the apostle Peter, we will have our failures, but we will repent and resume following Jesus.
Does every true, mature Christian have in some measure all 15 marks, even if only in a small way in some marks? That is a question only God can answer, for as we have seen in this series Jesus speaks in black-and-white terms, not in shades of gray. We must follow his black-and-white standards of discipleship as he spoke them; he framed them as he did for a reason. Our approach should never be to do the bare minimum to be saved; rather, we should always earnestly give our utmost to walking closely with the Lord and keep growing to the end (2 Peter 1:2–11). When we do that, we can have deep assurance in our faith. Believers who do what they think is the minimum required are certainly in a precarious position and can have little assurance of what the verdict will be for them on Judgment Day. Again, Jesus spoke his parables and stated what he expects from believers for a reason.
In this series I have taught there are 15 marks of a true disciple of Jesus. I could sum up all fifteen marks with one mark: true, living faith in Jesus. We are saved through genuine faith in Christ (Ephesians 2:8–10), who graciously gives us the gift of righteousness apart from any good works of our own. What then is the point of the other 14 marks? The point is, they specify what true, living faith means.
This is necessary because many so-called believers have a sort of faith that falls short of being a saving faith. They are self-deceived. They may acknowledge intellectually that Jesus is Lord and that he rose from the dead, but by the way they live they deny those confessions. Titus 1:16 says, “They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works.” When we are true disciples with all 15 marks on display in our lives, we show that our faith is real. The 15 marks are the fruit of true faith in Jesus.
The criteria for the 15 marks
I did not choose these marks arbitrarily. I selected them based on three criteria.
1. Jesus explicitly names the mark as a characteristic of true disciples. For example, see John 8:31.
2. Jesus teaches that anyone who lacks the mark will be excluded from the kingdom of God or rejected by him. For example, see Matthew 25:1–13.
3. Jesus teaches the mark as a fundamental command. For example, see Luke 22:19–20.
Saved by Grace
It is crucial for me to emphasize that these 15 marks are not 15 ways we must work our way into heaven or earn God’s favor. You cannot earn God’s favor through these 15 marks. Even true faith does not earn God’s favor. True faith is simply the way we receive God’s gift of salvation and righteousness through Jesus Christ. Salvation is always by God’s grace, always because of the atoning work of Jesus on the cross, always because Jesus takes our sins upon himself at the cross and graciously gives us his perfect righteousness. We are righteous because Jesus’ righteousness is imputed or credited to us as a free gift, if we truly believe in Jesus. Faith is not merit in God’s sight; it is simply the way sinners stretch out their hands and receive the gift of salvation.
But God’s grace is not cheap, nor is genuine faith superficial. The gift of God’s saving grace cost him his son, whom he sent to the earth to redeem us by suffering and dying on the cross and taking the penalty we deserved. In turn, true faith will always pivot from the love of the world and of sin to the love of God. That’s because true faith trusts in who God is and what God says. And if we believe what God says we will do what God commands. We will never do it perfectly, but we will do it inevitably.
True faith changes everything. “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17) Faith transforms the soul: desires, disposition, affections, spirit, mind, and will.
15 ways to test yourself
Therefore these 15 marks are the way you test yourself to see if your faith is superficial or genuine. Is your faith like a parachute riddled with holes, useless on the day you need it? Or is your faith alive and robust, sure to bring you entrance into the eternal kingdom of heaven? Here is a summary of the marks. I recommend you click the links and reread the articles daily for the next two weeks.
1. True disciples trust in Jesus for the forgiveness of sins, not in their own goodness.
2. True disciples devote themselves, ultimately and absolutely, to Jesus.
3. True disciples abide in Jesus and his words.
4. True disciples are growing to be more like Jesus. Part 2: True disciples are growing to be more like Jesus.
5. True disciples bear the fruit of love.
6. True disciples are spiritually awake and ready for the return of Christ.
7. True disciples are faithful managers of their kingdom responsibilities.
8. True disciples help suffering, needy Christians, as well as their neighbors.
9. True disciples forgive those who wrong them.
10. True disciples repent of wrongdoing, iniquity, unrighteousness, lawlessness, idolatry, evil.
13. True disciples join Jesus in his mission and work.
14. True disciples humble themselves like children.
15. True disciples participate deeply in a local church and receive the ordinances of baptism and communion.
Blessed are the disciples
Do not be casual or careless about these things. Rather, be earnest, because the welfare and happiness of your soul depends on it both now and forever.
Jesus was always serious about these matters.
He said, “Take care then how you hear, for to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he thinks that he has will be taken away” (Luke 8:18).
He said, “Watch out” (Mark 8:15).
He said, “The gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few” (Matthew 7:14).
He said, “Be careful lest the light in you be darkness” (Luke 11:35).
He said, “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?” (Luke 6:46)
He said, “Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning” (Luke 12:35).
He said, “If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear” (Mark 4:23).
What to do if we are missing the mark
A missing mark reveals a failure of faith, repentance, and love for God. If we see a shortfall in our life, we first need to renew our foundational act of surrender to the Lord and of repentance of known sin. We need to focus on the scriptures related to our area of failure and believe what the Lord says about it. And then we need to trust him to help us believe and obey him wholeheartedly. In other words, we don’t need most of all to try harder in an area of failure but rather to get right with God at the deepest level.
And then we should focus attention on the mark we are missing and see what it is we are failing to believe or obey. We need to repent and ask God to give us grace to grow in this area. We need to earnestly pursue obedience. As the apostle Paul wrote, we need to work out our salvation. “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure” (Philippians 2:12–13). The marks of a true disciple of Jesus are the evidence that someone is working out his salvation. If marks are missing, he is failing to work out his salvation sufficiently.
Working out or working for
As we consider the marks of a true disciple of Jesus, it is crucial that we understand the gospel correctly. We cannot work for our salvation; but we must work out our salvation. We cannot work for our salvation, because salvation is a gracious gift from God received by faith. If we think we are working for our salvation, then we do not regard ourselves as already saved; we are trying to be saved in the future as a result of our work. Working for your salvation is an attempt to earn it. Someone could mistakenly see the marks of a true disciple as a way of working for salvation.
But if we regard ourselves as working out our salvation, then we know that we have already been saved by faith in Christ; we have already been justified by faith; we are already God’s son or daughter; we are already forgiven; and now we are working out the repentance, holiness, love, obedience, and righteousness that living faith and spiritual regeneration produces.
We are born again in a moment. We work out our salvation for the rest of our lives. The marks of a true disciple are likewise worked out for the rest of our lives.
Inheriting eternal life
So then, we have come to the end of an important series of articles about testing our lives by the standards given by Jesus to see whether we are genuine Christians who can have a confident assurance that God will joyfully welcome us into his Kingdom on Judgment Day. If you are wise, being ready for that day is your highest priority. There is nothing more important to you than being sure you pass the test of being a true disciple of Jesus. I pray that you do.