“TRUE CONVERSION”

“Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous.”

1 John 3:7

Saffron is the most expensive spice in the world. Depending on the supply and demand, it can cost as much as  $12,000 per kilo. It comes from a flower called “crocus sativus,” commonly known as the “saffron crocus.” Why does this spice cost a fortune? Because each flower produces only three threads and blooms only once per year. It takes up to 1,000 flowers to produce only 1 ounce of saffron. Because of its value, saffron is now being faked, using corn silk threads or horsehair to adulterate a small amount of it. A casual buyer can easily purchase fake saffron without even knowing it.

Why are we talking about costly spices? Because just like saffron, Christianity is eternally valuable, and as such, is also being faked. Unless you know the truth, you can easily be tricked into believing a counterfeit message.

Let’s continue our study on 1 John.

The writer affirms his loving concern for his readers, referring to them as “little children” (Greek “teknion,” a word used as a term of kind address by teachers to their disciples).

Because of the false teachers’ efforts in attempting to twist the essentials of the Christian faith, true believers could be fooled by what they were teaching. To keep his readers from being deceived (Greek “planao,” which means “to lead into error”), John reminds them of the importance of love, obedience, and the right view of Christ.

John tells his audience that a genuine believer practices (Greek “poieo,” which means “to do, to perform”) righteousness (Greek “dikaiosune,” a feminine noun that refers to the condition acceptable to God). In other words, a Christian behaves in a manner that is agreeable to the Lord.

One of the possible reasons why John pointed this out is because of the people’s confusion between sin and righteousness. The antichrists assumed that sinning was natural because the body was sinful. They also believed that what the body performed did not in any way affect the spirit. This licentiousness is not taught in Scripture. In fact, it is heavily condemned.

Determining whether you are a true convert or not isn’t as hard as some might think. Your life choices, behavior, words, and actions are the fruits of your beliefs. As a Christian, you are considered a child of God, who is righteous in all He does. You prove your inclusion into God’s family by doing what God does.

And according to the Lord Jesus,

“So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit.”

Matthew 7:17-18

Why do you consider yourself a true convert?

Pursue the Savior today!