The truly Born Again will have love growing at the center of the character. It will be the central part of their new nature. Yes, God will make each of them an exhibit of His own holiness through them, but He will also bring each to places where this love for one another will be expressed in ways unimagined in the unregenerate (John 13:35; Romans 5:5; 1 Thessalonians 4:9). The practicing of this type of love for one another is a marker of the New Birth. 

1 See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. 2 Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. 3 And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure. 1 John 3:1-3 (NASB) 

It is imperative that Christians have a correct and viable theology of suffering. These health, wealth, and prosperity preachers in our time will disagree of course, but let them. We have God’s Truth, His Word, held in objective context up against their subjective, ear-tickling smoke and mirrors false religion. Oh, there may indeed be some “spirituality” going on in there, but to proclaim, “God is here!” or “God is in this!” or “We are having a Revival, come and join us!” is the very act of man elevating himself above God, telling Him what to do and when. However, I digress; God has always used suffering in the lives of His people to sanctify them, to draw them to prayer, to purify them, to grow them spiritually, and to direct their paths. I am convinced that this Covid-19 Pandemic and how it is affecting all our lives is being used by God to do that very thing. Paul called some of his suffering a thorn in the flesh, a messenger from Satan (2 Corinthians 12), but allowed by God to keep him from exalting himself because of his great knowledge. When we learn to view the seriousness of our sin as Paul did and God’s glory as imperative then we will begin to understand that I am convinced that God is using this Covid-19 Pandemic to do a mighty work in the Body of Christ. sin in the life of a Christian is an anathema in a realistic, daily sense rather than in some sort of abstract give and take. 

4 Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness. 5 You know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin.

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