My wife and I had just finished enjoying a cup of coffee at a local cafe and were heading back home. As I turned out of the parking lot and began to accelerate, I noticed the traffic ahead of me quickly grinding to a halt. Naturally, I began scanning left and right to figure out the cause of the slowdown. That is when I first saw him – a man lying face down on the pavement in the middle of oncoming traffic. The pieces of the puzzle began coming together as I noticed just up the road a mangled motorcycle thrown to the side, half on the curb and half in the street. I hastily made the decision to stop and offer assistance. I exited our car and began making my way towards the man’s body.

The closer I drew to the scene, the more details I began to process. I noticed a green SUV stalled nearby with a splintered grill and a dented hood. I observed a lady sobbing hysterically, her face buried in her hands. As I approached the injured man, I saw his right hand severed and lying next to his body. As this entire event was unfolding in my mind, I was also frantically trying to recall the limited first aid training that I had received. I immediately concluded that the first thing I must do is look for vital signs of life. Is he responsive? Is he breathing? Does he have a heartbeat?

So, I first called to the man. No response. Next, I listened at his mouth for breathing patterns. Everything was still. Finally, I checked for a pulse. No rhythm of blood movement. This man was in serious condition. He showed no true signs of life.

To be considered alive a person is said to possess vital signs of life. They are able to respond to surrounding stimulus, they breathe, and their heart is beating. But, when these vital signs cease to exist, we declare a person to be dead. In a similar way, our spiritual lives must exhibit the vital signs of life. This is exactly the picture the Apostle John is painting when he writes in his first epistle, "These things I have written unto you so that you can know that you have eternal life (1 Jn 5:13)." In his short letter, John outlines 3 spiritual vital signs of every true Christian: 1) a Christian responds to Jesus, 2) a Christian breathes truth, 3) and a Christian has a heart that beats with love. These vital signs are non-negotiable. Everyone who possesses eternal life has them. Everyone who is without them is spiritually dead.

The previous article that I wrote for the Oak Leaf called upon parents to keep up the pursuit of evangelism in the life of their teenager. (See previous article at ewo.org) The ensuing articles are a follow up to that same subject and are intended to help you determine whether or not your teen is in need of evangelism. I hope to answer this central question, "Does my teenager show true signs of spiritual life?" If the answer to this question is "no", then parents, please don’t stop evangelizing your teenager!

Before I proceed with the 3 spiritual vital signs from 1 John, I would like to offer a warning to parents. Don’t give in to the temptation to settle for artificial or incomplete signs of spirituality in the life of your teenager. What do I mean by this? I am convinced that it is far too easy for us to be satisfied with "signs of Christianity" that Scripture does not give. In fact, if we are not careful, Scripture may even condemn some of the very acts of spirituality that we commend. I can’t help but wonder if this is, at least to some degree, part of the problem that our American church is experiencing with the amount of teens walking away from church after graduating high school. Is it possible that we are settling for a pseudo-spirituality rather than a biblical and thriving Christianity? Is it possible that we are affirming some of our teenagers as Christians using an unbiblical standard? Have we set the Christian bar too low? You see, if we allow ourselves to be satisfied with vague signs of spirituality rather than a biblical definition of authentic Christianity, then we will ignore the need to continue evangelizing our teens when in fact they may desperately need it. So, what might these artificial or incomplete signs of spirituality look like? Let me mention a few examples:

• Don’t be satisfied that your teen agrees with Christian truths. Scripture gives us firm warning that we cannot be satisfied with a mere approval of Biblical truth. James 2:19 tells us, "You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!" So, even demons can affirm the truths of God and tremble at its implications. But, simply knowing and agreeing with truths about God is not proof of faith. Parents, if the spiritual condition of your teen is in question, please don’t become content that your son or daughter knows and can agree with orthodox Christian truths.

• Don’t be satisfied that your teen fits in with the "Christian lifestyle." A passage of Scripture that has always fascinated me is found in John 13. Jesus has finished washing His disciples’ feet and then proceeds with a prediction about which disciple would betray Him. He even singles this disciple out by handing him a morsel of food. But, for some reason, the other eleven disciples in the room could not bring themselves to suspect this man, Judas. Amazingly, Judas must have blended in so well with the lifestyle of a follower of Jesus that he avoided all suspicion. This passage is a lesson for us that it is possible to take on a Christian lifestyle, yet not be a true Christian. So, parents please don’t look for the proof of your teenager’s faith in the fact that they can blend in with the Christian lifestyle. It is possible for your teenager to bring a Bible to church, speak and act like a Christian, enjoy hanging out with Christian friends, wear Christian t-shirts, or even listen to Christian music, yet not be a true Christian. These are commendable qualities to be sure, but again they are not biblical proofs of saving faith.

• Don’t be satisfied that your teen participates in Christian ministry. One of the saddest passages in the Bible is found in Matthew 7:21-23. Jesus speaks these words, "Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness’." This passage explains that it is possible to participate in ministry, and yet not be a true Christian. Jesus condemned these unbelievers for being participants in Christian activity, but missing the most important part – knowing Christ. Parents, though it may bless your heart to watch your teen get involved in Christian ministry, please don’t let their willingness to help others be your verification of their Christianity.

• Don’t be satisfied that your teen has made a past profession of faith. In his book Skeptics Answered, D. James Kennedy makes some remarkable claims about a couple of men who made a profession of Christ in their early years – Adolph Hitler and Charles Darwin. These two names are a shocking reminder that a profession of faith does not always constitute a possession of Christ. Scripture never counsels us to look back at a past profession for assurance of our salvation. Instead, we are commanded to examine our present faith (2 Cor 13:5), asking questions like, "Are we walking in the faith, are we trusting in God, are we loving Christ?" It is a danger to ignore one’s present spiritual condition in favor of a past profession. Parents, please don’t give into the temptation to draw a conclusion about your teenager’s faith based upon a profession they made years ago.

Though all the examples I listed above are good and even encouraged in Scripture, God does not use any of them as the benchmarks of a true Christian. Instead, He probes deep into our heart examining our motives and our affections. He examines us for vital signs, not external activity. Imagine if I had approached the man lying in the road and began inspecting his ears, or shoelaces, or fingernails to determine if he was alive. I would have been looking for the wrong indicators which, in turn, would have led me to a wrong conclusion. Parents, what criteria are you using to evaluate the spiritual condition of your teenager? Have you fallen prey to measuring them with incomplete or artificial signs of life? Stay tuned for the next issue of the Oak Leaf. We will examine the first of three authentic, spiritual vital signs from the book of 1 John.