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To Heaven For Sure! You Can Know!
1 John 5:13
"I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life." All references are taken from the NIV unless otherwise indicated.
1 John 1 IntroductionScholars believe that the book of 1 John was written by the apostle John toward the end of the First Century from the city of Ephesus. At that point in his life, John would have been a very old man, probably approaching 100 years of age. By the time John writes this material, most, if not all, of his closest friends had died. John was arguably the best friend of Jesus, yet in spite of their intimate relationship, it seems that John was among the last to be reunited with the Lord. Because of John’s long life of suffering, the nearness to the end of his life and the unique relationship he shared with Christ, John is perfectly qualified to explain the hope that kept him faithful and can give us assurance of our own eternal life. Many books in the Bible depend upon the reader to do much study before they can understand the central purpose of the writing. Not so with the book of 1 John. It is as if the apostle wanted so badly for his readers to understand the confidence he had in Christ that he removed all mystery from the purpose of his writing. Notice the purpose of this book as stated in the author’s own words, "I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life." (5:13) From this important verse, we learn at least three things about eternal assurance: 1. We learn who can have this assurance. The book was written to those "who believe". This book was not written to tell us how to be saved, it was written to tell us how to remain saved. If you are not a Christian, it is vitally important that you make that decision. You cannot keep what you do not have. 2. We learn the source of a believer’s assurance. Confidence can only come to those who have placed their faith "in the name of the Son of God". For assurance to be sure, Jesus must be more than just a great prophet. He must be nothing less than "the Son of God"! 3. We learn why the book was written. By John’s own words, we know that the primary purpose of this marvelous book is to give believers total confidence in their salvation. Not guess, not wonder, not worry, we can "know" we have eternal life. Within the first chapter of 1 John, we will learn the ingredients to the assurance formula. John will describe the God/man, Jesus, explain the components of fellowship, and provide a three-question quiz so that we can know if we are walking in the light. If you are a Christian, this study is sure to provide new energy for your daily battles against Satan. If you are not a Christian, it is my prayer that this study will draw you into the Savior’s embrace. How much better could you sleep at night if you knew for certain that you were walking in the light? How much better could you function during the day if you had absolute confidence in your salvation? The book of 1 John was written for the very purpose of giving you that assurance. Let’s get started! 1 John 1:1 "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched - this we proclaim concerning the Word of life." John opens this marvelous book in much the same way that he opens the Gospel of John. Jesus was "from the beginning". (See John 1:1) Jesus became tangible to His human creation by being "heard", "seen" and "touched". (See John 1:14) Jesus is called "the Word" because He is the Divine communication of God’s love. (See John 1:1) John, who was arguably the closest friend of Jesus, wanted desperately to communicate to his readers the glimpse of Christ that he had seen. He wanted us to know Jesus like he knew Him. It seems, that to John, the mystery of the God/man was the core of the message of God’s love. "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son...". (John 3:16) In the final phrase of this verse, John refers to the God/man as the "Word of life". Few things are more compelling to us than questions about the origin and future of life. Every mature person wants to know where they came from and where they are going. These mysteries drive us. They haunt us in the moments before a surgery and they nag at us in the moments after a funeral. We run from the answers when they do not validate our life-style and we run after the answers when our life-style exhausts our hope. Life is the one thing we cannot replace. It defines us. It gives us purpose and existance. It is why we are. With that small phrase, "Word of life", John launches us into a study of man’s greatest hope and all of the answers to man’s most pressing questions. Because "the Word of life" became tangible, the assurance of our eternal life can also be understood. Last night, as Gabriel, age 5, was laying on my chest trying to fall asleep, I held his small hand and caressed his little blonde head. While he was being carried inside his mother’s womb I knew about him, but now that he has lived among us, I can say with certainty, I know him. I have heard him. I have seen him. I have touched him with my own hands. He is the evidence and communication of the love Cindy and I share. "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." (John 1:14) Can the world see the evidence and communication of God’s love when they look at you?
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1 John 1:2 "The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us." As in the first verse of this book, John here, parallels the opening to his Gospel account. John uses the word "life" twice in this second verse as a description of Christ. Notice how he opens his Gospel account. "In him was life, and that life was the light of men." (John 1:4) Just as John longed for his readers to see Jesus as the tangible Divine communication of God’s love (see notes on 1 John 1:1), he also wanted us to see the Christ as a deliverer. He wanted us to understand that Jesus did far more than just communicate God’s love, He became the Divine personification of love upon the cross. It was nothing less than the God/man which gave us "life". Whenever a biblical writer uses the same term twice within the same context, it is important that we take note. In the first phrase of 1 John 1:2, the apostle tells us that "life" came. In the second use of this term, he tells us that "life" was proclaimed. Because of His coming, our proclamation takes on new importance. No longer is our announcement limited to a coming Savior, we tell of One Who has already been here. In addition, the second time the word "life" is used, we find that it carries with it the very important modifying word "eternal". Ours is not just a hope for this life, but a confidence in the life to come. Notice the words of John toward the end of this book, "I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life" (5:13) By John’s own admission, the very purpose of the book of 1 John is to give us certainty of eternal life through the God/man, Jesus Christ. Yesterday, while carrying Gabriel on my back through the parking lot at Lowes, the frigid air stung my lungs. Even with gloves, my hands felt the cold as the arctic breeze raced around me. Some of it found its way up my coat and a shiver raced down my spine. Gabriel buried his head in the back of my neck while the wind pulled at my ears. I felt the strain from his weight and thought about letting him down. He loves to ride on my back and I love to carry him, but sometimes this old life makes even the joys hard to bear. That is why I so love the book of 1 John. To be honest, my present life isn’t all that bad, but when I think of the "eternal life" to come, this life seems like little more than a teaser. I can’t wait! Are you going? Do you "know that you have eternal life"? 1 John 1:3 "We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ." As a man who has spent most of his life around ultra-conservative Christians, occasionally even Pharisaical legalists, the word fellowship prompts thoughts of division. Terms like "disfellowship" and "lines of fellowship" are common subjects. Fellowship is often seen more as a distinguishing mark of separation than it is a Divine invitation. In 1 John 1:3, the apostle John does something marvelous with the word "fellowship". In fact, he spends much of the book developing this same point. Fellowship, says John, is not based upon human boundaries or self-righteous doctrines. Fellowship is based upon a discovery and submission to God. It was never intended to be a wall behind which God’s people should retreat. It is a door through which God’s people make an invitation. Notice again John’s words, "We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us." A second thing we should notice about the word "fellowship" is where the fellowship originates, "...our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ." Our spiritual bond must include both the "Father" and the "Son" in order for it to be the same fellowship experienced between the apostles and the tangible God/man, Jesus. Last night after mid-week services, we dropped Cindy and Gabriel off at the house and Bryson and I made a run to Wal-Mart. While bouncing around the food section, we bumped into two of his friends. I was immediately drawn into the conversation. Bryson gives me connection. Because we are close, his friends become my friends and my friends are his. In 1 John 1:3, the Holy Spirit says that fellowship with the Father equals fellowship with the Son. In addition, fellowship with the Father and Son results in fellowship with the early apostles who actually had the privilege of hearing, seeing and touching the very God/man Himself. Wow! That is a fellowship worth sharing! Let’s stop erecting human barriers that keep people out and start issuing the Divine invitation that will draw people in. 1 John 1:4 "We write this to make our joy complete." In the first 3 verses, we have seen that the aim of John is to bring his readers into full fellowship with the Divine nature. In verse 1, he speaks of Christ as the tangible "Word". In verse 2, he further describes Jesus as "eternal life". In verse 3, John invites his readers into a relationship with more than just those who personally saw, touched and held the Savior. He invites them into a very real fellowship with the God/man and His Father. In verse 4, John summarizes his introduction by speaking of a completed joy that comes through the sharing and receiving of this marvelous news. This is not the only time John uses such a phrase. In 2 John 12 the apostle writes this, "I have much to write to you, but I do not want to use paper and ink. Instead, I hope to visit you and talk with you face to face, so that our joy may be complete." Again we see John speaking of a completed joy that comes through communication about the good news of the God/man. But the use of this phrase is not original with the apostle John. Another John in biblical history also spoke of the completed joy. In John 3:29, John the Baptist, the original proclaimer of the God/man’s coming, says this, "The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom's voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete." Can you imagine the great joy John the Baptist must have received from being the one chosen to prepare the way for the Lord? How gratifying it must have been to finally announce the arrival of the Messiah. In 1 John 1:4, the apostle John claimed to share in that same fulfilling joy. Just as John the Baptist announced the arrival of Christ, John the apostle gains a completed joy by adding his experiences to the story. But that is not the climax to this passage. The climax is this, you and I, some 2,000+ years later, can also share in this completed joy. The God/man continues to be the tangible "Word of life" (1:1) through the lives and the testimony of His people. Each time we share with the world our own personal experiences with the God/man, we too can have a completed joy. Last night, the Childs family clebrated a late Christmas with our close friend, Cathie. You see, Cathie has been a very real part of our family for a long time. Over the holidays, schedules and travel kept us from exchanging gifts with her. Last night, life finally slowed down enough to make our joy complete. I wish you could have seen the smile on Cathie’s face when she opened all her gifts. It was an evening worth waiting for. Do you receive that same fulfilling joy when you share the good news about Jesus? Do you anticipate the reaction? Are you anxious to share? Don’t ever let the message become just another line of religious rhetoric? Make it personal. Share your good news experiences. Make your joy complete.
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1 John 1:5 "This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all." After climaxing the introduction to this book by telling of a complete joy that comes from sharing the God/man good news, John launches into a word picture about fellowship with God - "God is light". John admits that the description is not his own. It is a "message" he and the other disciples had "heard from him", meaning Christ. Who better to describe God to man than the God/man Jesus. There is a very good reason Jesus is called "the Word" (1 John 1:1). Christ is the ultimate communication of God to man and, according to 1 Timothy 2:5, He also facilitates the communication of man to God. Within the Divine word picture, "God is light", we find a reference point often used in Scripture to help readers locate God. Light represents that which is good, pure and holy. On the other hand, darkness represents that which is bad, corrupted and unholy. To find God, we must go toward the light. In John’s Gospel account, he records Christ’s explanation of this word picture. "This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God." (John 3:19-21) But, one might ask, "How can I know if the light is truly from God? Doesn’t scripture also teach that ‘Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light’?" (2 Corinthians 11:14) Yes, that is true, but notice again John’s description of the light, "in him there is no darkness at all." God’s Light is completely light. There are no shadows, He does not flicker. His light is purely holy and without even the slightest hint of evil. Within the God/man Jesus, this pure light found a human dwelling place. (See Colossians 1:19, 2:9) Jesus is the "light"! (See John 1:4-5) But get this! The Colossians passage mentioned above does not just say that within Jesus dwells the fullness of God, it also says, "...and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority. 11 In him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature, not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ, 12 having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead. (Colossians 2:10-12) Did you get that? Not only does the fullness of God dwell within Jesus, those who have experienced spiritual circumcision through baptism are given "fullness in Christ". What could possibly happen during baptism that could provide such a "fullness"? Notice the words of Peter in Acts 2:38 "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." Notice also the words of Paul in 1 Corinthians 2:12, 16 "We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us." Verse 16 "’For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him?’ But we have the mind of Christ" At baptism Jesus circumcises the heart and fills us with "the Spirit who is from God" so that we might "understand what God has freely given us." (I Corinthians 2:12) That enlightenment comes to the believer because "we have the mind of Christ" (1 Corinthians 2:16), or put another way, we have been given "fullness in Christ" (Colossians 2:10). "God is light" (1:5) and by using the light as our reference point, we can navigate the course to a place of perfect fellowship with Him. (1:3, 7) 1 John 1:6 "If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth." In the last verse we learned that "God is light". (1:5) Unlike Satan, who can only masquerade as light, (2 Corinthians 11:14) in God there is "no darkness at all." (1:5) In verse 6, John explains the character of one who wishes to have fellowship with that pure light. His pattern of life must not be "in the darkness". Just as light and darkness cannot coexist in the physical realm, God and evil cannot coexist in the spiritual realm. To have fellowship with "light", one must live within the governing factors of its power. John goes on to explain the grave consequences of claiming to have fellowship with God while living in the dark - "...we lie and do not live by the truth." John uses the word "truth" frequently in his writings and often links it to the God/man, Jesus. Notice John 14:6, "Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’" Jesus is the personification of truth. In other words, one cannot have a dark pattern of life and live in Christ ("truth") at the same time. Truth may well be one of the least appreciated qualities of the Christian walk. In today’s modern world of relative truth, the ancient words of Pilate ring louder than ever, "What is truth?" (John 18:38) According to William Lobdell of the LA times, "Only a minority of born-again adults (44%) and a tiny proportion of born-again teenagers (9%) are certain that absolute moral truth exists." (William Lobdell, "Pollster Prods Christian Conservatives," LA Times, September 14, 2002, at: http://www.latimes.com/features/religion/ ) As the world divides its loyalties between "darkness" and the "light" (1:5), it is the Christian’s responsibility to point them to the "truth". Yet, if the statistics above are accurate, even many Christians are not confident of the "truth". In other words, in spite of the fact that many Christians have allowed their spiritual values to be diluted by the humanistic "darkness" of this world, they still claim to have fellowship with God. In such matters, John would say, they "lie and do not live by the truth." What about you? Do you believe in absolute "truth"? Can you define absolute "truth"? Can you name one absolute truth found in 1 John 1:6?
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1 John 1:7 "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin." Among the many key words contained in this verse, two in particular must be discussed at this point in our study - the words "walk" and "purifies". Every Bible student should take note that John uses the word "walk" not the word step or even experience. To have fellowship with God and His Son, (1:3) a person must journey in the light. John’s description of walking in the light helps dispel the religious myth that a simple encounter with God is enough to save them. Salvation is a process, not a moment in time. Although the threshold of rebirth (John 3:5) can certainly be used to mark one’s entrance onto the path of light, crossing that threshold is certainly not the entire process. One must remain in the light to remain in the state of salvation. That leads us to a second myth dispelled by the word "walk". For some, the state of salvation is viewed as a permanent condition. They argue that if a person ever loses their salvation, they were, in fact, never saved to begin with. John, on the other hand, paints a word picture suggesting that the walk and the purifying come as a package experience. While we "walk in the light", Christ "purifies us from all sin." So what happens if a person decides to leave the light? If it means they were never saved to begin with, then it also means that "the blood of Jesus" was not working while they were in the light. How could a person be in the light without the blood working? According to 1 John 1:5-6, God cannot have fellowship with any darkness (evil). "God is light" (1:5) and anyone who walks in that light must be saved or purified from "darkness". (1:6) Yes, a person can choose to walk outside the light and in the process they also choose to forfeit their salvation. It was for that very reason that the Holy Spirit inspired so many warnings about that tragic decision - Galatians 6:1, Philippians 2:12-13, Hebrews 2:1-3; 10:26-31, 2 Peter 2:17-22 and others. The second key word from 1 John 1:7 is the word "purifies". Verses 5-6 tell us that in God "there is no darkness at all". In verse 8, John will tell us that "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves..." (1:8) In other words, "God is light" (1:5) but part of us is dark. How then is it possible for us to have fellowship with that perfect Light while being tainted by the imperfections of sin? That is, of course, the great mystery of the human experience. God became flesh, lived a perfect life, died in our place and, through His perfection, solved the riddle. The Creator’s perfect blood purifies us while we are on the journey. Through this ongoing cleansing, fellowship can be maintained and salvation secure as long as we "walk in the light". Yesterday, Gabriel decided to brush his teeth without help from his parents. By standing on his stool and lifting himself on to his tippy toes, Gabriel can almost reach the toothbrush cup without causing a chain reaction of destruction within the medicine cabinet. The key word is "almost". Yesterday, his "almost" caused quite a mess! Some time later, I discovered that mess and helped him clean it up. During the clean up, I noticed that several of the toothbrushes had fallen into the dark shadows behind the sink. Now, I don’t know about you, but the thought of putting a toothbrush into my mouth that had spent a significant amount of time in the dark, nasty shadows behind the sink just isn’t very appealing. And so, as you have guessed, this morning, several toothbrushes found themselves in the trash can rather than in their sanctified (set apart) place in the medicine cabinet. Their journey outside the light cost them their place inside my fellowship. 1 John 1:8 "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us." Did you know that the very purpose of the book of 1 John is to give Christians confidence in their salvation? "I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life." (5:13) How much better could you sleep at night if you knew for certain that you were walking in the light? How much better could you function during the day if you had absolute confidence in your salvation? Don’t you wish there was a test or a formula Christians could use in order to know at any given moment where they are in their relationship with God? Well, if having that kind of certainty would mean that much to you, then I am about to make your day. In 1 John 1: 8-10, the Holy Spirit provides just such a formula. The first ingredient is honesty, the second, confession, and the third, application. In verse 8, John offers the first question on the test of assurance - are you being honest about your sin? Much like an alcoholic cannot journey toward recovery until he concludes that he has a problem, a Christian cannot remain on the journey of salvation until he is honest about his condition. Anyone who demonstrates pious self-righteousness and looks down upon the sins of others with a pharisaical satisfaction can be assured they are neither on the path nor a benefit to God’s work. As was mentioned in the comments about verse 7, salvation is not a point in time, it is an ongoing process. (See Philippians 2:12) This process continues both in the hearts of men and in the presence of God. He went to great lengths to purchase our salvation and in return He expects, no, God demands that we are honest about our continuing struggle with sin and that we acknowledge the One upon Whom we depend for cleansing. It is also important to note that walking in the light does not require sinlessness. In fact, according to the first ingredient in the formula for assurance, the only way a person can be in the light is if they admit they are a sinner. Salvation does not depend upon our goodness, it depends upon our honest submission. The legalism of the Old Law could not save and it certainly does not lead to salvation under the New Law either. Walking on the path of light does not involve a continuous check-off list of righteous acts (church attendance, hospital visitation, communion consumption, etc.), it involves a continuous honesty about our sin and the hopelessness of trying to save ourselves. Jesus once said, "If you love me, you will obey what I command." (John 14:15) In other words, a follower of Christ should obey in order to offer Him a heart filled with love, not a check-off list of completed duties. To stay on the path of light, obedience must be born of love for Christ not legalistic servitude. Gabriel, age 5, has discovered the power of the word "No!" Recently, he has been experimenting with this newfound power by using it in response to his mother’s commands. Unfortunately for him, the results have not been what he had hoped. Several sore bottoms in isolated time out has begun to curb his use of such a powerful word. Although Gabriel’s obedience in this matter is important, his submission is not born out of love, it is born out of the dread of punishment. He submits not because he wants to, but because he has to. Is your Christian journey a painful struggle of "have to’s" or is it a fulfilling adventure of "want to’s"? If your walk is filled with drudgery and your path seems almost too steep to climb, it might be because you are not being honest about who you really are and what you really need. You cannot save yourself. You are a hopeless sinner. Check-off lists won’t work. Church attendance won’t save. The first ingredient to the formula of assurance is brutal honesty about who you are and your desperate need for the Savior. Serve Him because you love Him. Submit to Him because you trust Him. You can know that you have eternal life. Do you?
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Gabriel likes to brush his teeth without help from parents.
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1 John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." In the last verse, we learned the first ingredient to the formula for assurance - honesty. In verse 9, John gives us the second ingredient - confession. For Christians to "walk in the light", (1:7) we must do more than just draw an honest conclusion that we are sinners. We must act upon that personal assessment. Confession moves us beyond ourself and into the realm of others. In this case, confession takes a Christian into the very realm of God. Our honesty leads us into admission and our admission leads God to "forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." Guilt is a very difficult thing with which to live. It destroys our confidence and distracts us from the love of God. Because "God is love" (4:16) and guilt distracts us from Him, guilt is one of Satan’s favorite weapons in an arsenal specifically designed to destroy our assurance. Satan really does not care if we apply the first ingredient of the formula for assurance. In fact, he is happy for us to conclude that we are sinners because that alone results in guilt and guilt can cripple us. It is most certainly the second ingredient that Satan fears the most - Christians who act upon guilt by reaching out to God in confession. Confident Christians are dangerous and Satan knows that he cannot defeat such an army. On the other hand, uncertain Christians are easily defeated and, through their pitiful example, often drag many others down with them. The blessed assurance spoken of in the book of 1 John is without question one of the most important weapons a Christian can take into his daily battles with Satan. Early this morning, I received a phone call telling me that a dear friend had passed on to her reward. Did you ever sit through a funeral service, hear all the glowing references made about the one who had died and know in your heart that most of them were just excessive embellishments of the truth? Well, on Tuesday, that will not be the case. On that day, I will have the great honor of speaking at the funeral service of a very gentle, loving Christian woman. There will be no excessive embellishments, no over elaborate descriptions, just the simple truth that her example of patient endurance while walking in the light has changed me. As I write this, I know where she is and I deeply want to be with her. Because of her example of steadfastness and the love of our Father, I know that I too can make it. Before closing this glimpse into 1 John 1:9, I want you to notice one other important phrase - "...he is faithful". Do you, like me, find it to be nothing short of amazing that even in that which we least deserve, our forgiveness, and that which He has every right to withhold, our purification, "...he is faithful". Since He is faithful, shouldn’t we be also? 1 John 1:10 "If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives." In the previous verses, we learned about the first two ingredients to the formula for assurance - honesty and confession. In verse 10, John gives us the third ingredient - application. In verse 10, John reminds us of our sinful condition and the blasphemous ramifications of denying that truth, "If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar..." Perhaps the greatest tragedy of the human experience is not that we selfishly choose to live a life in opposition to the Creator, but that in the process we actually implicate Him of wrongdoing. For the honor of God we must remain in the light. For the honor of God we must exhaust ourselves in the work of drawing all men into that light. Verse 10 concludes with the third ingredient to the formula for assurance, "...his word has no place in our lives." Although, at first glance, John’s words may seem negative, when we view them as a warning, we understand the third positive step we must take to remain on the path of light. Not only must we be honest about out sinful condition, we must confess that condition, then make a place for "his word ... in our lives." It is not enough to conclude we are sinners, or even to admit it, we must also take positive steps to improve upon it. To do this, application of "his word" is essential. In James 1:22-25, the Holy Spirit uses the following word picture to explain this process. "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25 But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it - he will be blessed in what he does." Honesty and confession are important, but it is only when a Christian commits himself to making positive change that the assurance formula complete. We must make a place for His word in our lives. Like most teenagers, Bryson’s bedroom looks like a tornado touched down and never decided to leave. Clothes, books, games, papers and a thousand other items are randomly scattered everywhere. The journey to his bed can be quite treacherous and one day we fear that he might fall in and never be heard from again. However, in spite of his chaotic surroundings, there is always one thing he knows exactly where it is - the cell phone. As a homeschooled teenager who travels all across America with this ministry, Bryson keeps connected with friends through endless text messaging and conversations on his phone. It is a definite priority in his life. He keeps it with him at all times, he pays the bill in order to keep the service active and he even protects it with a cell phone sock! Have you every heard of such a thing - a cell phone sock?! This life-line to his friends is very important to him and there is little question that Bryson has made a place in his life for the phone. Does your life-line to the Father mean as much to you as your cell phone? Do you take His word with you everywhere you go? Can you find it even when the chaos of life swirls around you? Do you honor it and protect it like a treasured possession? Does God’s word have a place in your life?
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Do you protect the Word of God as much as you do your cell phone?
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1 John 1 Review In the first 4 verses of this marvelous chapter, we learned that the aim of John was to bring his readers into full fellowship with the Divine nature. In verse 1, he speaks of Christ as the tangible "Word". In verse 2, he further describes Him as "eternal life". In verse 3, John invites his readers into a relationship with more than just those who personally saw, touched and held the Savior. He also invites them into a very real fellowship with the God/man and His Father. In verse 4, John summarizes his introduction by speaking of a completed joy that comes through the sharing and receiving of this marvelous news. In the next 3 verses, we learned about the unique components of that fellowship. In verse 5, John describes the magnet of fellowship as being perfect "light" in which there is "no darkness at all." In verse 6, John warns that the perfect "light" can only fellowship those who abide in the absolute "truth" that "God is light". (1:5) Those who wish to fellowship Him must not "walk in the darkness". In verse 7, we learned that walking in the light does not mean sinlessness, it means that "the blood of Jesus ... purifies us from all sin." In the final, climactic verses of 1 John 1, the Holy Spirit explains the formula for assurance - honesty, confession and application. One could also view this section of scripture as a three-question test to determine if we are walking in the light. Verse 8 forces us to ask the question, "Am I being honest about my sinfulness?" Walking on the path of light does not involve a continuous check-off list of righteous acts, it involves a continuous honesty about our sin and the hopelessness of trying to save ourselves. Verse 9 begs the question, "Am I confessing my sin?" For Christians to walk in the light, we must do more than just draw an honest conclusion that we are sinners. We must act upon that personal assessment. Our honesty leads us into admission and our admission leads God to "forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." Verse 10 concludes the test by forcing us to ask, "Am I applying the word of God so that it can have a place in my life"? It is not enough to conclude that we are sinners, or even to admit it, we must also take positive steps to improve upon it. To do this, application of "his word" is essential. Honesty and confession are important, but only when a Christian commits himself to making positive change in his life can a passing grade on the assurance test be awarded. We must make a place for His word in our lives. Summary: In order for us to be certain of our salvation, we must be walking in the light. If during this journey we continue to be honest about our sin, confess that sin and make a place in our life for the word of God, we will remain in the light. As we continue making room in our life for the word of God, exposure to the light will reveal more sin. When it does, we must be honest about the sin, confess the sin and return to making a place in our life for the word of God. Do you see the cycle being described in this passage? That cycle is called walking in the light. If we stay in the cycle, we stay in the light. If we stay in the light, we can be certain of our salvation. John summarizes this marvelous book with these words, "I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life." (1 John 5:13) Do you know?
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