For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother. (Mark 3:35)
Christianity is not just being but, also, doing. While we are saved not by works but by faith, the genuineness of our faith is tested through our actions. Do we live according to God’s commands, follow His voice, and obey His will? Or do we insist on living on our own terms and following our own desires?
If we still insist on following our own will, then we have not truly understood that God’s commands are for our good, that His voice leads to the path of righteousness, that His will is always perfect. The genuine Christian understands that. The genuine Christian, therefore—the one who is truly one in Christ—is he who has died to himself, to his own desires, to his own will. There is no other measurement.