(1 John 2:3-6 ESV)
"And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked."
Many Christians often wonder if they can know for certain if they are really saved. As said in a previous post 1 John gives a few tests one can look at to see if they are true Christians or not.
This verse is clear that one of the ways we can know we are a child of the King is whether we are obedient to our Master.
I have had countless Christians ask me if I believe that once a person is saved does that mean they can go and live any way you want and rebel against Christ. I think the question has a "false assumption" packed into it. I think the scriptures teach that if one is truly been born again from above are going to be faithful to the Master.
That being said I am not saying Christians can not fall into sin because we see examples of this not only of Godly men in the scriptures, but also our own lives.
That being said I am not saying Christians can not fall into sin because we see examples of this not only of Godly men in the scriptures, but also our own lives.
Lets look at these verses and break them down.
Verse 3 "And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments."
How can we know that we are saved? One of the ways is to look at our lives and see if we are obedient to the word of God. Do we live for ourselves or are we slaves of Jesus Christ?
Great book on what it means to be a Christian!
(1 Corinthians 7:22)
For he who was called in the Lord as a slave is a freedman of the Lord. Likewise he who was free when called is a slave of Christ.
For he who was called in the Lord as a slave is a freedman of the Lord. Likewise he who was free when called is a slave of Christ.
" But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life."
(Ephesians 6:6 )
(Ephesians 6:6 )
"Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but like slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart."
So does saying a simple prayer and "Asking Jesus in your heart" make a person a Christian? Sadly this is what is common in American Evangelicalism that one just needs to say a simple prayer and now they go live there merry way and do not give another thought about Christ because after all, they are covered now
(1John 3:7-10)
"Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God. By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother."
Here we see that why we as believers will not be perfect and we still sin, we are not to make a PRACTICE of sin.
The verses are very clear that to walk blatantly in sin and to make a PRACTICE of sin, demonstrates that you are not a follower of Christ.
Verse 5-6 " but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked."
As a Christian you are free from being a slave to sin and unrighteousness and are now a slave to Jesus Christ. Our salvation is free in that there is nothing we can do to merit or earn our salvation, however when Christ regenerates us he has given us a new heart and a love for the Triune God and his word.
Verse 4 "Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him"
So does saying a simple prayer and "Asking Jesus in your heart" make a person a Christian? Sadly this is what is common in American Evangelicalism that one just needs to say a simple prayer and now they go live there merry way and do not give another thought about Christ because after all, they are covered now
We all break the commandments and sin everyday. We covered this in earlier chapters.
"Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God. By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother."
Here we see that why we as believers will not be perfect and we still sin, we are not to make a PRACTICE of sin.
The verses are very clear that to walk blatantly in sin and to make a PRACTICE of sin, demonstrates that you are not a follower of Christ.
Verse 5-6 " but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked."
We can have assurance of our salvation by looking at our walk with Christ. If you have a life of constant disobedience to the Master and refuse to submit to His Lordship then I would not say you can have assurance and would urge you to continue to repent of your sin and live a life pleasing to Christ. I know these verses are not easy but they are there and we must heed them.
The good thing is that if you are God's elect you have the power of the Holy Spirit who dwells in you to help fight sin and die to yourself.
(Romans 8:15)
(Romans 8:15)
"For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father."
(John 14:16)
"And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever-"
(1 John 4:4)
Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
Here is a great sermon by John Macarthur on what it means to be a slave of Jesus Christ.
I pray that this Bible study is a blessing to you. I am trying to be faithful to the text and deal with the theological issues that come up and at the same time do not want to go to deep or to long because I want this to be a daily devotion for you where you are getting into God's word and thinking about some of these theological issues you may not have thought much about before.
(1 John 4:4)
Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
So to sum it up, we can have assurance of our salvation and our obedience to Christ points to a life regenerated by God. While works can not save us they are a testimony to a change transformed life marked with Holiness and obedience to the Master.
Here is a great sermon by John Macarthur on what it means to be a slave of Jesus Christ.
I pray that this Bible study is a blessing to you. I am trying to be faithful to the text and deal with the theological issues that come up and at the same time do not want to go to deep or to long because I want this to be a daily devotion for you where you are getting into God's word and thinking about some of these theological issues you may not have thought much about before.
I pray you are blessed and are growing in grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ!
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