John makes a strong case for our “knowing” we are in Christ. He uses the word FORTY times in this short book. That’s around eight times each chapter … more than once every three verses! Ya think he wanted to get this point across?
You can also go through the whole book of 1 John and underline every occurrence of “know." John wants there to be NO DOUBT amoung the people he writes to that they stand on firm ground and believe what is right and, well, act accordingly!
“So that you may know…”
1 John 2:3, 5, 29
1 John 3:2, 5, 14, 16, 24
1 John 5:2, 13
As he says in the close of 1 John, “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 – all caps are mine).
Now go back and look at the three statements at the beginning of this post (also HERE in the previous one) and see if anything has changed. Writing in gentle love, yet with deep cutting sternness, John reaches out to refute error, yes, but also to rekindle that love, and then to reinforce confidence in salvation through Jesus, the Christ.
So there you have it. Should be easy, but we’re human, right? We humans often tend to make it more complicated than it IS. I’m going to channel my dad here, but in noticing that the acronym is ACK, maybe, “Ack!” is something I can say when I’ve forgotten that assurance, confidence, and KNOWLEDGE that He wishes to inspire in every believer. Eternal life is a present possession. Plus, He encourages me to manifest in life the righteousness of a child of God.
Now here are some questions for YOU to consider.
1. Do you agree with John that assurance and confidence are necessary for living the Christian life?
2. You were asked to focus on the “assurance passages” and to note what John said about these Christians. Do you believe that present-day Christians can be described in the same manner?
3. Which of the beginning statements in this review of 1 John do you have the most difficulty accepting as a description of yourself? To review they were:
“I can know with complete certainty that I am saved and have eternal life.”
“I am not sure that I have eternal life and am saved, although I used to and I think I should be sure.”
“I will not know that I am saved and have eternal life until the Day of Judgment.”
John makes a strong case for our “knowing” we are in Christ. In fact, he uses the word FORTY times in this short book. That’s around eight times each chapter … more than once every three verses! Ya think he wanted to get this point across?
You do not have to answer below unless you feel inspired, but they are questions we could continue to ask ourselves to maintain assurance and confidence of the knowledge of God indeed as we continue to REMAIN IN HIM.
You can also continue in this confidence-booster by going through the whole book of 1 John and underline every occurrence of “know." John wants there to be NO DOUBT amoung the people he writes to that they stand on firm ground and believe what is right and, well, act accordingly!
Anyone who has a problem with wrapping their mind around salvation needs to know this one thing! John's message from our maker is simple it kinda make me giggle. You know the feeling of having something really difficult and challenging to do (I mean really, REALLY complicated and daunting) and then someone offers to do it for you do that it's all off your shoulders completely? I know I do!
Such it is with salvation.
Thanks, Jesus! ;)
And that is all.
