In our culture, it has become popular to include everyone no matter their particular religious convictions. We welcome the idea that says, “You believe what you want to believe and I’ll believe what I want to believe and we can work and worship together anyway…” John would have much to say about such misguided inclusiveness.
John claims in the first chapter that we cannot claim to be right with God and live any way we want (see 1 John 1:5-7). There are no exceptions to this rule. Your lifestyle matters and it reflects your convictions, or lack thereof. To profess the Christian faith in sincerity and authenticity is to live by it. To do any less is lamentable and the local church has a responsibility to not allow it to continue. We are bound and tethered to one another, and our duty is to reach out and help others not continue living in sin.
John says in chapter two that he is writing that his readers may not sin (see 1 John 2:1). At the same time, he acknowledges that they will stumble and sin. The point is not absolute perfection, it is about intentional purpose. The Christian does not continue to live a sinful lifestyle, we are striving to be better than that. But when we mess up, and make the inevitable mistake, we humbly repent. True Christians do not continue to live in sin. Authentic Christianity will teach and preach that message, despite the lack of appreciation our culture has for it.
John advocates true Christianity is about loving one another (see 1 John 2:7-14). The topic of love has been twisted and maligned against authentic Christianity. Culture says, “True love supports and never speaks against…” John, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and advocating true Christianity, says otherwise. True love seeks what is best for another. The highest good possible for another is removing sin, which separates them from life found in God. Thus, the loving thing to do is to help identify anything that harms a person’s relationship with God. If we see a person walking in darkness, we should tell them. If we see a brother or sister, especially, choosing a path darkened by sin, our duty is to go and tell them so they can make corrections. This is not an excuse for unkindness or meanness, as it should be done out of kindness, compassion, and true love (cf. Eph. 4:15).
John warns against materialism, among other things, in 1 John 4:15-17. True Christianity advocates living for the next world, not for the here and now. Like the Apostle before us, we long for the reality of our faith and endure the hardships of this present reality until then. Paul wanted to continue preaching for the sake of the Philippian brethren, but at the same time was conflicted because he wanted to go and be with Christ (see Phil. 1:19-26). Christians live like there is no tomorrow because one day all of our tomorrows will be replaced by the eternal unending days of heaven. Thus we do not strive to anchor down here, instead, we seek to do “the will of God” so that we can “continue to live forever” (1 John 2:17).
Among other things, these are some of the tests for true Christianity as detailed by John in his first epistle. If we want to be found practicing true, or authentic Christianity, we will settle for no less than true doctrine.