Love Not the World - 1 John INTRODUCTION A. The Definition First John 2:3-11 tells us how we can know we are Christians. If you were to conduct a man-on-the-street interview, asking people what it means to be a Christian, you would probably get several different answers. There are many opinions of what a Christian is. The basic definition is one who believes in the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. The one who does not believe is not a Christian. Jesus stated that definition very simply when He said, He that believeth on him is not condemned; but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God (John 3:18). B. The Difficulties 1. The appearance of salvation The issue of determining who is a Christian becomes difficult when considering people who claim to believe. Many who profess to believe in Christ may act like Christians to a certain degree, but turn out to be impostors or are simply misinformed about the nature of salvation. Either way, it becomes obvious that they did not really know the truth. For example, 1 John 2:19 identifies some people who claimed to be Christians but eventually left the fellowship: They were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us; but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us. One way you can identify false Christians (who are called tares in Matt. 13:38) is when they abandon Christianity. But while theyre interacting with true believers, it is difficult to tell them apart. 2. The assurance of salvation A further difficulty comes in the lives of people who wonder if they are saved. Many of them have doubts and need evidence. Unfortunately, some of them who arent Christians have wrongly been told that their superficial beliefs are sufficient to save them, so they assume that theyre Christians when they really arent. In 2 Peter 1:9-10, Peter explains how a believer can be assured of his salvation: He that lacketh [the qualities of spiritual maturity] is blind and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure; for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall. Peter was not talking about the loss of salvation, but the assurance of salvation. There are certain Christians who cant remember that they have been saved. They lack the confidence of knowing theyre saved because they lack faith, virtue, knowledge, self-control, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love (vv. 5-7). The manifestation of godly works in our lives assures us that something has transformed us. If we dont see those things, we may question whether any change took place. Therefore, Peter encourages us to make sure those qualities are in our lives so we can have the security of knowing were saved. How do you know youre really a Christian? That is a crucial question. The Scriptures give several elements of assurance that can show us were truly saved. They can be categorized under the topics of objective assurance and subjective assurance. a) Objective assurance Objective assurance comes from outside us; it is based on the godly things the Spirit produces in our lives. Thats what Peter was talking about in 2 Peter 1. If you see those things in your life, it will confirm in your mind that youre truly saved. b) Subjective assurance Subjective assurance is based on something within us, namely, the witness of the Spirit. Whereas the former type of assurance is visible, the latter is invisible. Our internal assurance is described in several passages in the New Testament. (1) 2 Corinthians 1:12--Paul says, Our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom but by the grace of God, we have behaved ourselves in the world. Paul was saying, I know whats going on in my life because of the testimony of my conscience. Something rings true in my conscience that my behavior is pleasing to God. (2) 1 John 5:10--He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself. That indwelling witness who bears testimony to Christ is the Holy Spirit. He attests to the validity of a believers salvation. (3) Romans 8:14-16--As many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage [legalism] again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father (vv. 14-15). Abba is the equivalent to daddy, a very endearing term. It implies that we can relate to God like a child talks to his loving father. Verse 16 tells us that the indwelling Spirit gives us the confidence to enter Gods presence: The Spirit himself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God. The internal witness of the Spirit in our lives is of little help to others because no one can read our hearts. But that kind of confirmation is helpful to us. The apostle John deals with objective assurance in 1 John 2. The visible proof to the individual, the church, and the world that you are a Christian is the attitudes and actions that are produced by the Holy Spirit in your life. When anyone tells me they have doubts about their Christianity, the first questions I usually ask are: Have you applied yourself to godliness? Are you reading the Word? Are you spending time in prayer? Are you learning the Word of God? Are you desiring to draw near to God and to obediently follow the Holy Spirit? If you can answer yes to those questions, you will have confirmation that youre a believer because the fruits of salvation are visible in your life. That is the theme of 1 John 2:3-11. He provides two tests by which we can evaluate the claims of a person who professes to be a Christian. Two Tests That Tell the Truth 1. The doctrinal test a) Do you confess Christ? A persons beliefs about Christ will validate his claim to be a Christian. The Greek word translated confess means to say the same thing. The first part of the doctrinal test asks about the person in question: Does he say the same thing about Christ that God says in the Bible? If he says, Im a Christian, but I dont believe Christ is God, then hes not saying the same thing about Christ that God said. He is not confessing Christ. (1) 1 John 2:22-23--Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son. Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father; He that confesseth the Son hath the Father also. (2) 1 John 4:2--By this know ye the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God. (3) 1 John 5:1--Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God. Being truly saved is a matter of confessing or agreeing that Jesus is the Christ. b) Do you confess your sin? A Christian says the same thing about his sin that God says. If someone comes along and tells me hes a Christian but doesnt acknowledge his sin, I dont believe him. (1) 1 John 1:6, 8--If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie .... If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. (2) 1 John 1:9-10--Verse 9 tells us that if we are confessing sin, then we are the ones being forgiven--we are the true Christians. Verse 10 says, If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. 2. The moral test a) Do you obey Gods Word? First John 2:3 says, By this we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. b) Do you love others? First John 2:10 says, He that loveth his brother abideth in the light. The issue in 1 John 2:3-11 is the objective moral test of true Christianity: obedience and love. The Christians John wrote to were being influenced by false teachers or antichrists, according to 1 John 2:18. Therefore, John exhorts his readers to test the spirits (4:1), rather than naively believe their claims. If they could see obedience and love in the lives of the teachers, those qualities would attest to their spiritual life.
Posted on: Mon, 21 Oct 2013 04:08:22 +0000
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