Long before social media took up the mantle as spokesman for cliché Christianity, the church sign attempted to carry the torch.  Church signs are notorious haunts for heretical theology, inflammatory rhetoric, and worn-out puns.   Like the writer’s empty page, church signs are literary tyrants, always demanding concise, profound, and engaging posts.  Rarely does one hit this mark.  Often, they do not even hit the target.   But not too long ago, I saw a church sign that resonated with me.   “If God is our Father, then shouldn’t there be a family resemblance?”

While not a novel thought, it is a powerful word.   The scripture reminds us that it is God’s will for us to be conformed to the image of Christ, the only begotten and beloved Son.  We are also called to be “imitators of God as dearly loved children.”  And in John 8, Jesus calls out the Pharisees when he points out that the testimony of their lives contradicts their claim to be children of Abraham and Sons of God.  Like a skillful prosecutor, Jesus builds the case that they resemble Satan more than God and then makes a stunning summation.

You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

John 8:44

How well do we resemble our Heavenly Father?  As others examine our lives what conclusion will they draw about our Father’s identity?  While imitating someone does not make us their child, being someone’s child will inevitably lead to imitation.   Imitation goes deeper than mere appearance, it reflects the reality of relationship.   And while it is important for others to observe a family resemblance, it is even more important for us to see it in ourselves.  

John’s first letter was written to refute an early heresy that Jesus was not a real man, but only appeared to be so.  This heresy, if true, would not only destroy any possibility of salvation for believers, but also any assurance believers might have as to their condition before God.   As John assures us of Christ’s true humanity, he also reveals where we are to find assurance of our faith – assurance demonstrated most clearly through a family resemblance to Jesus.  

Most Christians struggle with assurance.    The Psalmist aptly noted, “I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.”   Grace is hard to believe, especially when applied to our own lives.   Assurance can be elusive.  We look for it in mountain-top experiences or powerful feelings.  But it is found in the common places of the Christian life; avoiding sin, pursuing righteousness, practicing fellowship and loving one another.  All things that are the fruit of grace, not it’s root.  Grace produces gratitude.  Gratitude fuels sanctification.  And sanctification brings conformity to the image of Christ.  And this family resemblance forms the foundation of solid assurance.  F. F. Bruce’s comments on 1 John 3 express this well.

The words used to denote relationship to God carry with them also the connotation of likeness to God; the two ideas are inseparable, for likeness is proof of relationship….  John makes it clear that membership in the family of God is to be recognized by the family likeness; since the Father of the family is righteous, the children will practice righteousness….   In Genesis, God declares His intention of bringing into existence beings like Himself, as like Himself as it is possible for creatures to be like their Creator.   But Genesis 3 tells how man, not content with true likeness to God which was his by creation, grasped at the counterfeit likeness held out as the tempter’s bait.  In consequence, things most unlike God manifested themselves in human life: hatred, darkness and death in the place of live, light and life.  The children of God, who enter His family through faith in His son, display their Father’s likeness, because of their conformity to Him who is the perfect image of the invisible God.   

FF. Bruce, The Gospel and Epistles of John

Are you struggling with assurance?  Where will you find it?  John warns us against morbid introspection, encouraging us instead to look to the reality of Christ and the mundane realities of the Christian life – walking in fellowship, fleeing from sin, practicing righteousness, and loving one another.   Join us this week as we examine 1 John 2:28-3:10 and consider how a family resemblance to Jesus gives us much needed assurance of faith.

We meet on the square in Pottsville, right next to historic Potts’ Inn at 10:30 am for worship.  Get directions here or contact us for more info.  Or join us on Facebook Live @PottsvilleARP or YouTube.