In AD 476 warriors attacked the city of Rome and ended more than eight hundred years of glory for the “eternal city.” This was followed by the Dark Ages. During the Dark Ages very few people could read or write. Most medieval homes were cold, damp and dark. Sometimes it was warmer and lighter outside the home than within its walls. For safety and defense, people in the Dark Ages formed small communities. The manors were isolated. In exchange for living and working on his land, the lord offered his peasants protection. The glory and knowledge and majesty of ancient Greece and Rome were lost. Lost were the achievements and splendor and progress of previous centuries.

My fear is that the modern church is entering another dark age. The church today is losing its understanding of the gospel. A Christian is a person who follows Jesus. Without action there is no faith. Faith without works is dead! The good news of Jesus transforms, empowers and changes. 1 Corinthians 15:1-3 spells out the plan of salvation. Jesus died for our sins. He was buried and rose again. As our substitute He died in our place. A person who believes these facts and commits to them receives eternal life. True saving faith always results in action. The Book of 1 John spells out the effects of the gospel on a person who truly believes. The vital signs of 1 John indicate spiritual life. Without these vitals signs there is no spiritual life. A person who is truly saved will exhibit these vital signs in his life.

One vital sign is compassion for believers (1 John 2:7-11). A believer loves others especially his fellow Christians. Verse 9 says, “He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now.” No one ever loved like Jesus. The night He was betrayed He demonstrated love by washing the disciples feet. On the cross He asked the Father to forgive those crucifying Him. John said, “Again, a new commandment I write to you….” (verse 8). The new commandment is spelled out in John 13:34. Jesus said, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.” A believer loves the way Jesus loved. The gospel changes the direction of your life. It results in love and action. A saved person loves others.

A second vital sign is a change of affection (1 John 2:12-17). John warned, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him” (verse 15). The Bible uses the term world in a number of different ways. Sometimes it refers to the rocks, trees, lakes and continents. The term world is used this way in Genesis 1-2. God made the world. Other times it refers to the people in the world. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world….” But in this case the term refers to the world system and the false values and wrong philosophies that Satan uses to keep people from the truth. A Christian marches to the sound of a different drummer. He lives his life for an audience of one- Jesus. A saved person does not focus upon entertainment or materialism or self-satisfaction or popularity. The gospel changes a person’s life. The result is a different focus. John says, “For all that is in the world- the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life- is not of the Father but is of the world.” These things drive the world system but not the person who understands the gospel.

A third vital sign indicating eternal life is comprehension of the truth (1 John 2:18-27). The regenerating work of the Holy Spirit enables a person to understand spiritual truth. In verse 20 John said, “But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things.” The Holy Spirit is our spiritual radar. He provides discernment. A Christian understands the person and work of Jesus. He is the second member of the Trinity. He is equal to God the Father. His death on the cross won our forgiveness.