1 John 2:9-11
(9) Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister is still in the darkness. (10) Anyone who loves their brother and sister lives in the light, and there is nothing in them to make them stumble. (11) But anyone who hates a brother or sister is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness. They do not know where they are going, because the darkness has blinded them.
A litmus test is a pH chemistry test that determines alkalinity and acidity. When a drop is placed on blue paper it turns red to indicate that it’s acidic. When another drop lands on red paper and it turns blue, it means it’s alkaline. The test is simple straightforward decisive.
As an idiomatic expression (one that has a unique meaning from the usual meaning of each separate word), the litmus test means the most decisive moment. A moment when the final decision is made. A litmus test of who to employ after many interviews that are highly competitive.
A litmus test is a test or question that is placed and the answers will determine the final decision. No further questions after the litmus test. The litmus test is applied after all other tests have failed to give a decisive answer.
A litmus test to determine which company should provide us goods and services could be how far they can bring down their prices. The cheapest wins the litmus test. The cheapest price is the litmus test in that instant. A friend of mine while hunting a marriage partner had a litmus test. Any lady who accepted to fast and pray with him over a small matter was the lady. Many good ladies failed his litmus test. His current wife of now over ten years passed the litmus test.
The Bible tells us today that our spiritual life has a litmus test. What could be the litmus test of faith? What could be the litmus test of our relationship with God?
1 Peter 2:9
… who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
Salvation is being called from darkness into light. How do we know we are in the light and not darkness? What is the litmus test for being in the light? Without a litmus test, we may be in darkness while thinking and bragging about being in the light.
1 John 2:9
Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister is still in the darkness.
Our relationship with brothers and sisters around us is the litmus test of our spiritual life. If for any justifiable or otherwise reason, you hate any brother or any sister, your being in the light is a mere claim, while the reality is that you are in darkness. This is the spiritual litmus test!
Our text today expounds on this and emphasizes it in the clearest ways possible. If you are a spiritual person, God will cause you to relate well with people. If you are not relating well with people, you lack the power of God and you are not spiritual. You are in darkness. You have failed the litmus test!
Matthew 25:40
“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
Matthew 25:45-46
(45)“He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
(46) “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life. ”
How we treat others will be a subject of final judgment. It is the litmus test of our spiritual life. How you treat your spouse is the litmus test of our spiritual life. How we treat our parents and children is the litmus test of our spiritual life. How we treat workers who we can harm with impunity is our litmus test. How we treat our juniors and helpless people is our litmus test. How we treat desperate help seekers is our litmus test. If you don’t treat them with love, we have failed the litmus test!
How do you treat your neighbors? How do you treat your relatives? How do you treat strangers? How do you treat your teachers and your students? This is the spiritual litmus test!
Enable me Dear God, to positively pass the litmus test(s), in Jesus’ name, Amen!
- Rei Kesis YouTube Channel (subscribe, click on notification and share) –http://youtube.com/reikesis
- Rei Kesis books on Amazon (Amazon will sell and deliver anywhere in the world. For those in Kenya you can buy from any ABC close to you. ABC is Adventist Book Center) –https://www.amazon.com/s?k=rei+kesis&ref=nb_sb_noss
- Rei Kesis daily blog –https://reikesis.com/
Dear heavenly Father, help pass the litmus test in Jesus name amen.
Thanks Doc.
Amen!
Amen..
Amen
Amen pastor Rei
So empowering🙏🙏🙏
Hallelujah!
Dear heavenly God, enable me to positively pass the litmus test(s), in Jesus’ name, Amen!
Thanks doc. Be blessed
Hallelujah!