A Genuine Christian

(Philippians 2:19-24)

If we are to follow Jesus Christ there can be no half-measures. We are either in all the way or not.

There is no sitting on the fence in Jesus Christ. We can’t continue to live as the world does and be a part of Christ. We cannot continue to live in sin and be with Christ.

There are any number of scriptures that show this principle, this “either/or” approach and this scripture I am looking at today reinforces that fact that we must be genuine in our faith.

What is a genuine Christian?

The obvious answer to this is that a genuine Christian is one who is genuine about their faith. They are truly committed to the faith and they follow Christ in full accord with His processes. But what does this mean in a day to day sense?

This is what these scriptures have to say in this section today.

19 I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, so that I may be cheered by news of you. 20 I have no one like him, who will be genuinely anxious for your welfare. 21 They all look after their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. 22 But Timothy’s worth you know, how as a son with a father he has served with me in the gospel. 23 I hope therefore to send him just as soon as I see how it will go with me; 24 and I trust in the Lord that shortly I myself shall come also. (Philippians 2:19-24)

In these verses Paul is telling the Philippians that he would send Timothy to help and comfort them. His description of Timothy is one of a genuine Christian with a deep and abiding faith.

In verse 20 we see that Timothy would be “…genuinely anxious for your welfare.” Timothy showed concern for the people of the church and how they were travelling in Christ. This is clear evidence of Timothy’s love for the brethren and for the Lord as he was seeking and hoping for the best for the people of the Lord. It is a testament to his love of the brethren that Paul should describe him so.

In the next verse (vs. 21) we note that Timothy, unlike some other preachers and teachers in the church, was not someone who was looking after his own interests but that of the people in the church. He was looking after the interests of the Lord Jesus Christ by looking after the people of the Lord.

Timothy was an evangelist, as we are told elsewhere, and so his role was to preach the gospel so as to bring people to the Lord. And he did not do this for personal profit or gain but because he truly wanted the people to have a relationship with Christ for their own benefit. He was genuine in his faith and the work the Lord had called him to do.

Sadly today there are some preachers and evangelists who seem to be keen to look after themselves and that the church is only a means by which they can line their own pockets. And I must stress that it is not all ministers of the Lord who take this path, in fact the majority are not like this at all. But there are a prominent few who are more focused on the wealth of this world for themselves and who have rejected the call of God to the ministry. They are clearly NOT genuine Christians and what is more unfortunate is that those who are caught in their congregations are being hurt.

As we move on in these verses we see that Timothy served with Paul like a son with a father (vs. 22). What this tells me is that Timothy was obedient, and obedience is a critical factor for a genuine Christian. We are to learn obedience and to obey the word of the Lord so that we can truly be sons and daughters of the Father.

Signs of a genuine Christian

So what can we say from all of this? What are the true signs and marks of a genuine Christian?

A genuine Christian is deeply grounded and rooted in the love of Christ. They have learned that the most important aspect of both the Old and the New Covenants is love.

Under the Old Covenant of law, Jesus showed that the two most important laws are based on love and that the true love of God does no harm to anyone.

36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” 37 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 first commandment. 39 And a second is like it, You shall love your neighbour as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets.” (Matthew 2236-40)

Jesus identified these as the two great commandments of the law and stated that all of the rest of the law was based upon these two. If we consider the rest of the laws, all 650-plus of them, we find that they do indeed rest upon a basis of love. The aim of the law was to temper the passions of the flesh so as not to do harm to anyone and to build relationships with both God and other people.

Then when we jump across to the New Covenant we see that we have been set free from the laws under the Old Covenant through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. However, He made the point that He was giving His people a new commandment.

34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:34-35)

This new commandment is essentially restating the commandments of love that were enshrined into the law. And His commandment is to love.

A genuine Christian is one who takes these things to heart and learns the ways of God’s love, applying His love in their life to love others.

This is the sign and seal of a genuine Christian. It was certainly the basis of Timothy’s walk with Christ as evidenced in the words of Paul, and it is the walk to which we should all aspire.

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