Tests of Christian Profession (Remastered)

Devotional

Day 1: Faith and Love – Twin Pillars of Assurance

Paul’s gratitude for the Ephesian believers rested on two visible marks: their concrete trust in Christ’s lordship and their practical care for fellow believers. These weren’t abstract ideals but lived realities – faith anchored in the divine-human Savior, love expressed through radical kinship with flawed saints. True Christianity isn’t measured by moralism or vague spirituality, but by allegiance to the crucified Lord and tangible unity with His people. The order matters: doctrine fuels devotion, truth ignites love. [03:50]

“For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.” (Ephesians 1:15-16, ESV)

Reflection: Where does your confidence in Christ’s finished work most directly shape how you engage with a fellow believer who irritates or disappoints you?

Day 2: The Acid Test of Lordship

Faith in “the Lord Jesus” demands more than admiring a moral teacher. It means surrendering to the God-man who purchased rebels with blood. This confession dismantles self-reliance – no bargaining with partial obedience, no separating His salvation from His authority. To call Him “Lord” is to relinquish all other claims to righteousness, trusting His divine power to both forgive sins and transform sinners. Anything less reduces Christianity to self-help with a religious veneer. [19:20]

“For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh.” (Philippians 3:3, ESV)

Reflection: What practical decision this week would visibly demonstrate that your security lies in Christ’s lordship rather than your performance?

Day 3: Love That Proves New Birth

Natural affection gravitates toward the impressive; supernatural love embraces the unremarkable saint. Paul celebrated the Ephesians’ love for “all the saints” – not just the gifted or agreeable. This indiscriminate care mirrors the Father’s adoption of unlikely heirs. When costly patience with a believer’s immaturity feels more natural than judgment, it signals the Spirit’s work. Our new family ties run deeper than preferences – we love flawed saints because we recognize our shared redemption. [36:17]

“For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared…” (Titus 3:3-4, ESV)

Reflection: Which believer in your circle most challenges your patience, and how might serving them this week confirm your rebirth into God’s family?

Day 4: Doctrine Before Devotion

Modern spirituality often reverses Paul’s order: unity before truth. But the apostles prioritized “the faith” that defines “the saints.” Fellowship without shared confession becomes sentimentalism; love untethered from Christ’s lordship decays into tolerance. The Ephesian believers’ mutual care flowed from their common grounding in apostolic teaching. True unity isn’t found in lowering doctrinal gates but in rallying around the biblical Christ. [44:57]

“And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.” (Acts 2:42, ESV)

Reflection: Where have you been tempted to compromise clear biblical truth for the sake of superficial harmony with other professing believers?

Day 5: Sealed by the Spirit’s Signature

The Ephesians’ faith and love weren’t self-generated but Spirit-wrought. Their trust in Christ’s divinity and their love for saints marked by divine adoption. These twin fruits authenticate the Spirit’s residence – not mystical experiences, but Christ-centered conviction and cross-shaped community. Assurance grows not by introspecting our fervency but by observing the Spirit’s fingerprints: increasing alignment with Christ’s authority and compassion for His body. [39:15]

“We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death.” (1 John 3:14, ESV)

Reflection: How has your participation in the mundane life of your local church this month revealed the Spirit’s ongoing work in your heart?

Sermon Summary

Paul has at long last completed the mighty statement that runs from verse 3 to verse 14, and the word “wherefore” now joins that glory to the daily life of the Ephesians. The apostle does not leave doctrine hanging in the air as a mere theological disquisition. The apostolic way is to teach the doctrine and then apply the doctrine, because the strongest help for Christian people is a deeper understanding and experience of the truth already given in Christ.

Paul gives thanks for the Ephesians because they are participators in this great salvation. God has brought Gentiles as well as Jews into the inheritance, sealed them with the Spirit, and set them looking toward the redemption of the purchased possession. Christian prayer, therefore, contains both thanksgiving and petition: thanksgiving for grace already received, and petition that understanding and experience may increase.

The text then raises the question of assurance. Paul has heard of their faith in the Lord Jesus and their love unto all the saints, and these two things give him solid ground for thanking God. Mere profession does not prove a man to be Christian. Noble ideals, moral behavior, benevolence, or even belief in God do not reach the center. The acid test is faith in the Lord Jesus.

Faith in the Lord Jesus means that Christ stands at the center of the whole life. The Christian has no confidence in the flesh, no confidence in personal righteousness, and no hope anywhere except in the blood and righteousness of Christ. The Lord Jesus is not merely one who announces that God forgives. He is himself the Savior, and “in whom there is redemption through his blood” is the heart of the matter.

Paul’s precise phrase, “the Lord Jesus,” sets forth the whole person of Christ. The Lord is the eternal Son, the Lord of glory, God manifest in the flesh. Jesus is the true man, born under the law, tempted as man, crucified, buried, and risen. The two cannot be separated. There is no receiving Jesus as Savior while postponing his lordship, for the one who died for sins is the Lord.

Love unto all the saints is the second acid test. Love proves life, because the natural man has no real affinity with the people of God. The Spirit produces this love, and love for the saints proves love for God, who has made them what they are. Yet the order must stand: first faith in the Lord Jesus, then love to all who truly belong to him.

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Key Takeaways

1. Doctrine serves daily Christian living [01:36] Paul’s letter is pastoral precisely because it is doctrinal. The apostolic method does not set truth against usefulness, as if doctrine were remote and practice were real. Doctrine becomes practical when it is pressed into the soul until thanksgiving, assurance, prayer, and obedience begin to arise from it. [01:36]
2. Faith rests in the Lord Jesus [19:20] Faith is not a vague religious temper, nor admiration for noble ideals, nor a general belief in God. Faith has its object in the Lord Jesus himself, and everything depends upon that object. The Christian stands where self-confidence has been stripped away and Christ alone is trusted as Savior. [19:20]
3. The Savior actually saves sinners [22:17] The cross is not merely a moving announcement that God is willing to forgive. The Lord Jesus came to do what helpless sinners could not do, and redemption is through his blood. Salvation therefore rests not on sentiment about divine love, but on the finished work of the Son of God on behalf of the guilty. [22:17]
4. Love proves a new nature [35:37] Love unto the saints is not natural sociability dressed up in religious language. The natural man finds the saints dull, strange, and unattractive, because there is no shared life. When the saints become dear because they belong to God and are going to glory, that affection witnesses to the Spirit’s own work within. [35:37]
5. Doctrine comes before fellowship [43:28] The apostolic order is not sentiment first and truth afterward. Faith in the Lord Jesus comes first, and fellowship follows only with those who truly belong to him. Love without truth becomes vague sentimentality, while truth without love denies the life that truth creates.

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Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:43] - From the Great Statement to Application
[01:36] - Doctrine Applied Pastorally
[03:50] - Thanksgiving and Petition in Prayer
[06:40] - Paul’s Grounds for Assurance
[09:12] - The Need for Valid Tests
[11:07] - The Two Acid Tests
[14:29] - Faith First, Not Moral Reputation
[19:20] - The Lord Jesus as the Acid Test
[22:17] - Christ Himself Saves
[25:07] - Why Paul Says Lord Jesus
[32:05] - Savior and Lord Cannot Be Separated
[35:05] - Love Unto All the Saints
[40:32] - Loving All the Saints
[43:28] - Doctrine Before Fellowship

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Ephesians 1:15-16
“For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers,” [00:16]

1 John 3:23
“And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us.”

1 Corinthians 12:3
“Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says ‘Jesus is accursed!’ and no one can say ‘Jesus is Lord’ except in the Holy Spirit.”

Observation questions

In Ephesians 1:15-16, what are the two things Paul has heard about the Ephesians that lead him to give thanks for them? [11:07]
What two parts of prayer appear in Paul’s words here, and how are both of them seen in these verses? [04:21]
What kinds of things are ruled out as the main test of being a Christian before Paul gives the true test of faith in the Lord Jesus? [15:13]
When Paul speaks of love toward “all the saints,” what does the word “all” add to the picture? [40:46]

Interpretation questions

Why does Paul move from the great truths of salvation in Ephesians 1:3-14 to thanksgiving and prayer in verses 15-16? What does that suggest about how doctrine is meant to shape ordinary Christian life? [01:36]
Paul does not simply mention faith in God, but faith in the Lord Jesus. Why is that difference so important, and what does it protect the church from confusing Christianity with? [18:35]
What does it mean to say that the Lord Jesus does not merely announce forgiveness, but actually saves sinners through his blood? How does that change the way a person thinks about the cross? [22:17]
Why is love for the saints such a strong sign of new life? What does that reveal about the work of the Holy Spirit in a person? [38:47]

Application questions

Paul’s thanks rest on faith in the Lord Jesus, not merely on religious interest or moral decency. When you examine yourself, what do you tend to lean on for assurance: your habits, your reputation, your feelings, or Christ himself? [21:27]
Faith in the Lord Jesus means having no confidence in the flesh. Where is self-confidence still strongest in your life right now? In what situations do you find it hardest to rest in Christ alone? [21:07]
The Lord Jesus cannot be received as Savior while his lordship is put off for later. Is there any area of life where you want his help but resist his rule? What would it look like to yield that area to him? [32:05]
Christian prayer includes both thanksgiving for grace already given and petition for deeper understanding. How could your prayers for other believers grow in those two directions? Who could you begin praying for in that way this week? [05:55]
Love for the saints is not based on personality, background, or usefulness, but on belonging to God. Which kinds of believers do you find easiest to love, and which do you quietly keep at a distance? [41:22]
Love toward all the saints includes those who are difficult, weak, or unlike us. What would practical love look like for someone in the church you would not naturally choose to spend time with? [43:05]
Fellowship must follow faith in the Lord Jesus, not replace it. In a time when truth is often treated as secondary, how can a Christian hold firmly to doctrine without becoming cold, and show love without drifting into mere sentiment? [43:46]

Sermon Clips

"But finally, I want to emphasize this, that you cannot separate the Lord and Jesus. The person is one and indivisible. He is always the Lord. There is no such thing as coming to Jesus. It's impossible. You can't come to Jesus. You can't come to Christ. In a sense, you can only come to the Lord Jesus. If this doctrine is true. You can't accept him as your savior only and then perhaps later decide to accept him as your Lord. He's always the Lord." [00:31:55]

"What the New Testament means by saying that he is our savior is this in whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, faith in the Lord Jesus means then that I cast my entire hope upon him and what he has done on my behalf, that I have no confidence in my own life, my own actions, nor anybody else's, that I realize that I'm a hopeless and a last sinner, and that I am saved only because of Jesus' blood and righteousness." [00:23:33]

"Faith in the Lord Jesus first. And if a man doesn't believe that he's the Lord of glory, though he calls himself a Christian, I cannot cooperate with him. Faith in the Lord Jesus, then only then, but definitely then love unto all the saints. And a man is not a saint unless he believes and has faith in the Lord Jesus. Put them in the right order, keep them in the right order, and then insist upon both. The first commandment is not that we should love one another, but that we should believe in him." [00:44:09]

"we can take nothing for granted today. He alone is a Christian who believes that Jesus of Nazareth is the eternal son of God. He believes in the incarnation. He believes in the virgin birth. He believes in the whole miracle that is involved in that. He believes in the eternal generation of the Son. He ascribes to him no less a term than this, the Lord. Elsewhere you'll find the apostle referring to him as our great God and savior. That's the one in whom we have faith and in no one less." [00:28:14]

"We mustn't put our life in the first position. We mustn't put conduct and behavior in the first position. You can waste a tremendous lot of time in discussing with people as to whether they're christians or not, or whether you are a Christian. Or not. If you're merely talking about the kind of life that is lived, the world has many, many good people in it this morning, very moral people, very benevolent people, but they are just not Christian." [00:15:07]

"How do we know that we are Christians? How can anybody else know that we are Christians? What are our grounds for thanking God this morning that we are Christians? And why should we thank God for anybody else? Now, there must be some reasons for that. The mere fact that a man may say that he's a Christian doesn't prove that he's a Christian. The history of the church throughout the centuries proves that is perhaps one of the greatest fallacies into which we can ever fall." [00:09:35]

"To have faith in the Lord Jesus means that you trust him utterly, entirely and absolutely. To have faith in the Lord Jesus means that you believe that he came into this world to save you, and that it is he himself who really does save you. That's the point." [00:21:51]

"This is the thing. Your faith in the Lord Jesus, he comes in and he's got to be in at the center, he himself, this blessed person. This test, you see, really includes all the other tests. If a man believes in the Lord Jesus, he must believe in God. His ideas must be right. This is an all inclusive test, so the apostle doesn't worry with all the others. He says, let's come at once to the very center." [00:18:35]

"Therefore, you see, if it can be said of a man that he loves the saints, you can be absolutely sure that the man's been given a new nature. He's been born again. And this is something which is quite inevitable. Like attracts like. We are drawn to one another. Blood, we say, is thicker than water. Yes, exactly. You'll forgive things in people who are related to you which you wouldn't forgive in others. Why? Well, you've got the same blood in you. You belong together. There is this community of interest." [00:37:09]

"But the New Testament tells us that the Lord Jesus is himself the savior, that he came into the world in order to save us himself. It is he and what he has done on our behalf, that really is the means of our salvation. That's what faith in the Lord Jesus means." [00:22:52]

"Well, the apostle says, your faith in the Lord Jesus, a Christian, is a man in whose life and in whose whole being the Lord Jesus Christ is at the center." [00:19:40]

"The epistle of James says exactly the same thing. Faith without works is dead. It's no use talking about it. It's nothing but an intellectual belief. The proof of true faith is that it's practiced, that it shows itself in action." [00:13:06]

"But it's very interesting to observe that here at this point, the apostle reduces them all to just two, and we can be quite sure that when he does that, that they are the true tests and what we may call the acid tests, so that we needn't trouble to apply all the various tests to ourselves. All we really need do is to come at once to the two tests that are here suggested by this great men of God. And if we can pass these two tests, then we can be perfectly happy." [00:11:07]

"It's an essential part of the christian life. No man can be a Christian without rejoicing that others also become christian. There is nothing that should gladden the heart of the believer more than to know that others also are in a like position and in a like situation." [00:05:11]

"Now, how important it is to realize this. This is, of course, the most vital thing of all. This is what you may call, to use the technical jargon, the differentia of the Christian Faith. This is the central vital acid test. And I say we must always come back to this." [00:14:36]

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