- believes in Him and is born again (In. 1:12-13);
- stays firmly on the Word of God, having his beliefs formed by the Scripture (In. 8:31). He/she reads (Revelation 1:3), studies (Facts 17:11), memorizes (Psalms 119:11), meditates (Psalms 1:2-3), speaks/listens (Romans 10:17) God’s Word;
- loves God more than anything or anybody (Luke 14:26). God’s love surpasses the affection that we have towards our nears. The love toward people would look like hatred if we would compare it with the love of God;
- shows love for all the people and especially towards brothers (In. 13:35). This love (1Corinthians 13:4-7) makes the difference between a religious (cold and disinterested) Christian and a full of life Christian;
- gives up everything of himself by his/her willingness to obey God's will (Matthew 16:24). Willingly obey God by taking his cross and following Christ;
- serves God and bear fruits in his walk with Jesus (In. 15:8). Having before him the image of Jesus washing the feet of the disciples (In. 13;1-17). Christ’s disciple will fulfill His Will through self-sacrificing;
- does not love the things from this world (Luke 14:33) because the passion of his/her life is Christ’s cause, he/she will give up from what this world offers to distract us from what is important. Jesus’ disciple will not love: money, the riches, glory, fame, reputation, pleasures etc. because he abandons all this for the sake of Christ (Philippians 3:7). His treasure is in heaven (Matthew 6:19, 20);
- invests his/her life in others by making them Christ’s disciples (Matthew 28:19);
- learns and obey Christ in all (Luke 9:35);
- does not oppose when is corrected (Matthew 16:22). Doesn’t look for justifications, but is honest enough to accept critics and to conform to the image of Christ ( Romans 8:29, 1 In 2:6);
- willingly obeys and listens to God and authorities (Ephesians 5:24, Hebrews 13:17). The obeying of God’s Word has to be immediate and cathegoric, because only then it will bring greater results than we wish (Luke 5:4-9). Regarding the obeying by earthly authorities (parents, chefs, civil or spiritual authorities), submit and obey has to be only „in God” (Facts 4:29), if it is contrary to what God says, he will not blindly obey;
- humbles and devoid from envy (Philippians 2:3). He is rejoicing for the success of others;
- seeks to please God first and then people. Doesn’t seek to be praised by people, but lives a life after God’s will (2 Corinthians 5:9);
- forgives others as Jesus forgave him/her and doesn’t hesitate to ask for forgiveness if he did do something wrong (Ephesians 4:32).
Discipleship (these
characteristics of Christ’s disciple) should not be seen as a method to escape
from hell, or a guarantee to get in heaven, but a kind of life fully devoted in
order to fulfill God’s will. This is not simple, nor easy, but exactly in this
way lived Jesus Christ and who remains in Him has to live and he/she as Jesus
Christ did. (1 In. 2:6).
