Title: The Assurance of Our Faith

Text: 1 John 5:18-20

We've covered a lot of important Scripture in1 John over the past 6 months. There was doctrinal emphasis on the nature of Jesus - that He is the Christ come in the flesh from God (1 Jn 4:2). We saw how John used that passage to teach both the humanity and deity of Jesus. John also wrote, as he did in his gospel, concerning the earthly ministry of Jesus - He came to take away sins (1 Jn 3:5,8), He was our propitiation or substitute (1 Jn 2:2; 4:10). In other words God's righteous standard has been broken by sin and because of His righteousness and His holiness God cannot act as if it hasn't happened and He can't just accept us as if we had done nothing there must be an atoning for sin. In the Old Testament we see this atoning taking place constantly, daily because human sacrifices are imperfect that can never pay the price for sin. But, Jesus who because He was sinless (1 Jn 3:5,8) becomes that perfect sacrifice. It is by His shed blood we are cleansed and He is our Advocate with the Father (1Jn 2:1).

Concerning sin and salvation John wrote - we are all sinners, to think anything else or deny that truth makes not only us but God a liar as well(1 Jn 1:8-10). He also taught us it is the blood of Jesus that cleanses us from sin not works. (1 Jn 1:7).

The practical application of salvation was also emphasized - once we become His children we are to manifest His life in our own lives by being different from the world in how we think and how we act. We are to examine and judge the moral and ethical views of life advocated by our culture in light of the truth of God's Word. We are to be obedient to the commandments of Christ. We are to love one another not just with words, but in truth and deed, just as Christ loved us. We are to grow in Christ likeness seeking to become like Him, seeking to daily live according to His will.

As we come to the end of chapter five John summarizes what he has taught in verses 18 through 20. First in verse 18 we read: "We know that no one who is born of God sins; " (NAS) The construction of the first part of this verse is almost identical to the first part of 3:9 where he wrote: "No one who is born of God practices sin," (NAS) The grammatical construction according to Dr A. T. Robertson is the same - ( Lineal present active indicative, which means "does not keep on sinning," from Robertson's Word Pictures in the New Testament)

John prefaces each of these verses with the phrase "we know". There is certainty and assurance in what John writes. We know that a person who has been cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ, who has the presence of God resident within their life by the indwelling of the Spirit of God does not and will not continue the habit of sin without repentance. Indeed we do sin, in this world there are none of us perfect, we all make mistakes, we all stumble. But, for the person who has been born of God, the position in regard to sin is one of resistance, rejection, and repentance. It is an affirmation of the truth new conduct follows new birth.

He goes on to write, "but He who was born of God keeps him and the evil one does not touch him." (NAS) Here is another doctrinal emphasis on what we as Baptists refer to as eternal security, or once saved always saved. Both the grammatical construction and biblical context clearly reveal "He who was born of God" is a reference to Christ, not the believer. The believer in this sentence is designated by the pronoun him. He who is born of God is set against the evil one who is the devil or Satan. So we have three actors in this verse. He who was born of God, Jesus Christ, keeps Him, the believer, who is born of God.

This keeping refers to the eternal destination of the believer. In his gospel John records the words of Jesus in 10:27-29: "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they shall never perish; and no one shall snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given {them} to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch {them} out of the Father's hand. (NAS)

The Bible says in Heb 7:25: "Hence, also, He is able to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them." (NAS)

Sin must be taken seriously. We know sin has consequences, physically and spiritually even for the believer. We may suffer physically in our body because of sin, or we may suffer spiritually when our fellowship with God or with other believers is destroyed by sin. We know that many believers actually lose their lives because of their faith. The disciples of Jesus all paid physically because of their faith. But the believer is secure in the grace of God, and Satan can not take their salvation from them. They are saved forever.

In verse 19 John again writes we know. "We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies in {the power of} the evil one." (NAS) John wants the believer to be comforted in the fact they have God as their Father and they are kept by His power. He also affirms the reality that a clear distinction exists between kingdom values and beliefs which are from God and the values and beliefs of worldly culture and society which is under the power and influence of Satan.

Time and again the Bible has warned us of that distinction. That's why we are commanded to be salt and light, because the world remains in darkness. The prophetic truth of the Bible is clearly evident in our world today. In our society we only need to look as far as the upcoming Christmas holiday, which is only four months away, to see how society is attempting to remove any Christian significance from it's celebration. In our public schools we are taught to be open minded about anything and everything except Christianity which is taboo. We are told to demonstrate tolerance for all kinds of behavior and thought except Christianity. If you think that's an extreme view of what's happening you can check out the American Center for Law and Justice web site and see some of the cases they are handling. It's not just speculation, as John said it's fact.

John gives believers a 3^rd basis for confidence and assurance. Ultimately our salvation is grounded in the person and the work of Jesus Christ.

The third verse, verse 20 says, "And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us understanding, in order that we might know Him who is true, and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life. (NAS)

How do we "know" the Son of God has come? First of all we have the historical reality that Jesus of Nazareth existed. John opened this letter by giving personal testimony to having seen, heard, touched Jesus. His personal testimony also reveals that Jesus of Nazareth was in fact the Christ. He is life and that life was manifested or made known in the flesh (1 Jn 4:2).

In his gospel he recorded the words of Nicodemus (Jn 3:2) to Jesus that he knew He was from God because of the miracles or signs he did.

In I Jn 5:5-8 John wrote: "And who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? This is the one who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ; not with the water only, but with the water and with the blood. And it is the Spirit who bears witness, because the Spirit is the truth. For there are three that bear witness, the Spirit and the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement. (NAS)

John's personal testimony is that Jesus is the Son of God, but he made it clear there was a greater witness and that is the witness from God.

There is some confusion concerning the meaning of water and blood in this passage. However, the most reliable and most conservative biblical scholars agree that it is reference to his baptism which inaugurated His earthly ministry and His crucifixion which culminated that ministry. The New Living Translation and the TEV make that clear in their translations of verse 6.

John makes this point in particular to refute the claims of the gnostic teachers, who denied the incarnation. There are some today who still teach Jesus was born a man and the Spirit of Christ came upon Him as a special messenger of God at His baptism but left Him before He died on the cross.

John says the historical witness is Jesus of Nazareth was the Christ. He was revealed and confirmed to be the Son of God come in the flesh in the waters of the Jordan River when He was baptized by John the Baptist. He was further affirmed as the Son of God on the cross where He shed His blood to redeem humanity, who asked forgiveness for those who crucified Him and who declared "it is finished."

Furthermore John says in verse 20, not only has the Son of God come, but He ". . .has given us understanding, in order that we might know Him who is true, and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ." This echoes his words in from verse 6 that "it is the Spirit who bears witness because the Spirit is the truth."

The grammatical construction of verse 6 means that the witness of the Spirit is a continual witness. The Spirit not only bore witness in the past, but continues to bear witness in the world and more specifically in the life of those who have been born of God, that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.

In 3:24 and 4:13 He wrote about the Spirit's witness of His abiding in us and our abiding in Him. In 2:27 he wrote concerning the ministry of the Spirit in teaching or confirming in us the truth.

This understanding John refers to is not intellectual knowledge of certain facts, but experiential knowledge that comes from the Spirit's presence. That presence is a result of our confessing Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God come in the flesh, that He is the true God and He is Life.

The letter closes with a final word of warning. The meaning is clear and simple - "Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God's place in your hearts." (TLB)

Let me ask you this morning, do you know beyond a shadow doubt that Jesus Christ, God in the flesh has come to take away your sin, that you have been born of God through faith in Him, that you are His, and there is a change in you life that sets you apart from the world? If you don't have that certainty this morning we invite you to commit you life to Him surrendering you all to Him in faith. (#275)