Pastor Chris’ Corona Quarantine Epistles to the Flock of AIC Ngong Road, in Dispersion and Isolation. 97th. Edition.
Dear Heirs with Christ of the Kingdom of Heaven,
Today’s passage (1 John 5:10-13) is one of the clearest statements on assurance in the Bible. The truths in this passage separate the Christian faith from all other religions. Unique to faith in Jesus is the solid assurance that he offers eternal security. Others can hope, desire, work towards, but never quite have it in their grasp. We on the other hand, already have it in the bag.
Possession (v. 10). The false teachers (remember them?) were trying to lure the believers into a cultic group that claimed to possess special knowledge. John says, Too late, we already have it! Not only that, but you pretenders are guilty of calling God a liar. We have seen already that the Holy Spirit in us confirms to us that we are in Christ (3:24). We now have this truth reiterated. Again, it echoes the words of the Apostle Paul in Romans 8:16, that the Holy Spirit witnesses to our spirit that we are children of God. Anyone who says anything to the contrary is a liar, who also calls God a liar. This is how we started (1:6, 8, 10). If we insist on anything other than what God has said, we not only lie, we call him a liar.
Proclamation (vv. 11-12). The truth of assurance is really very plain and simple. It all hinges on having Christ. God has provided eternal life through his Son. We can think of the Son, in a sense, as the receptacle of eternal life. There is no having the Son without also having what the son bears in himself – eternal life. Equally true, there is no having eternal life without the Son.
Profession (v. 13). Assurance is a certainty, not guesswork. If a person has yielded his life to Christ, he has eternal life, period. This is a matter of supposition, guesswork, or “hope” but one of “knowing.” If we did not have this assurance, then our faith would be no different from the other religions. Assurance sets us apart. Please note that what God gives those who put their faith in his Son is eternal life. Another word for that is everlasting life. This means lasting forever. It cannot be lost because, by its very definition, it should last us forever. So what of those who fall away? John already addressed that earlier (2:19).
They were fakes! If they had made a true confession of faith in Christ, there is no way they could have fallen away. How sure are you of where you stand?
Your loving Pastor Chris.