The conclusion of 1 John

In finishing my series on 1 John I didn’t preach on the last paragraph in 1 John 5.  Here are thoughts on 1 John 5:13-21.

1.  John desires to conclude with some practical thoughts on being assured of our salvation and what his audience should do about it.  Remember his audience has experienced a group of so-called “Christians” leaving the church (or the particular churches – basically starting their own groups) and denying that Jesus was God and that he had come in the flesh.  John has been writing to assure them of eternal life so that they can stay in fellowship with fellow Christians and John and so that they can avoid sin and not mistakenly follow these false teachers out of the church.    So what should they do?

2.  They need to be praying.  This is the second time John connects assurance and answered prayer (See 1 John 3:21-22).  John must see an inevitable link between being confident of God’s love and acceptance and prayer.  Makes sense to me, too, when I think about it.  True children of God are constantly going in prayer to their Father because everything comes from him.  John also assures his readers that they will be answered when they pray in the Father’s will.  This isn’t a mysterious thing but simply a revealed truth.  God will do what is best for us all the time.  We can know what His will is by learning more about His character and His desire in His Word.    The amazing thing is that we can be assured that He answers us – where without Christ we would never have that assurance.

3.  They need to be praying for sinful Christians.  Much discussion has been made through the years about what is the “sin unto death.”  In context, this sin seems best explained by what the false teachers were guilty of:  actively promoting another Gospel.  John says we need to pray for other Christians esp. as we see them stumbling in sin (even being influenced by false teaching) that God will restore them.  We aren’t supposed to pray the same for false teachers necessarily.  For other examples of being instructed not to pray or not praying for someone, see Jer. 7:16-8, Jer. 11:14, Jer. 14:11, John 17:9.   The reverse is true: we have an obligation to pray for Christians stumbling in sin.  God may not always answer by restoring them in this life.  Some he takes home to be with him prematurely.  So you can’t judge this by how they respond (not that you’re supposed to be judging anyway!).  But you can be assured that he will hear and answer your prayer, giving you what you desire – their restoration to Himself.

4.  They need to remember certain truths:

a. True believers don’t remain in sin but are protected by Jesus Christ from the devil.

b. True believers are children of God and the whole world is under the control of the devil and will be opposed to them (yet they are protected).

c.  True believers know that Christ has revealed the Father to us and made us one with Him because Jesus is God and eternal life.

5.  We need to remember these truths and stay away from anything that teaches otherwise and seduces otherwise (keep yourselves from idols).  Teaching otherwise is pretty straightforward most of the time. Anything that teaches that there is some other way to God except through Jesus Christ is to be avoided.

But John is also concerned about the seduction of the world (1 John 2:15-16).  We should be concerned with anything that seeks us to love it for itself alone and not for how it increases our joy in and love for God.   True believers actively seek in all areas of their lives to promote love for God and submission to His will so that they can love others.  Anything that seduces away from this is to be spurned.   Common areas of temptation in today’s world include video games, friends, education, partying, relaxing, careers, children, and on the list goes.  All of these can exist in our lives for their own pleasure rather than for our desire to love God.  We must live for God because we are His.

So there you have it:  Be in prayer with confidence always and keep seeking to avoid the world’s influence by keeping Jesus Christ as the one you love and serve in all things.  These are marks of true Christians.  May you know that you have eternal life because you are trusting in Christ and God is working these truths into your character on a daily basis.

Your thoughts?

Emotions: Can you change them?

We consider God’s Word in Ps. 61 and consider its effect on our emotions.  There’s a great quote from John Piper’s book on How to Fight for Joy on this, “The third reason we should make much of joy and the pursuit of joy in God is that people do not awaken to how desperate their condition is until they measure their hearts by Christian Hedonism – or whatever you may call it.  I have found for thirty years that preaching and teaching about God’s demand that we delight in Him more than in anything else breaks and humbles people, and makes them desperate for true conversion and true Christianity.  Oh, how easy it is to think we are what we ought to be when emotions are made peripheral.  Mere thoughts and mere deeds are manageable by the carnal religious mind.  But the emotions – they are the weathercock of the heart.  Nothing shows the direction of the deep winds of the soul like the demand for radical, sin-destroying, Christ-exalting joy in God.”

Listen in!

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A Good Healthy Walk

Pastor Scott preached this week on Col. 2:4-7.  Listen in!

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God’s Love grows your obedience

God’s love helps you obey and gives you delight in it.  Listen in!

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growing without fear

God uses his love to help us grow in confidence.  Listen in!

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Desiring God’s Pastors Conference 2010

Desiring God’s Pastor’s Conference was this week.  Lee Abuhl was able to go, though I wasn’t.  But I’m still benefiting from the audio, etc. from the sessions.  I’d encourage you to do the same even if you’re not a pastor.

For Your Joy

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Easily Pleased

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The Role of Suffering in Sanctification

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Biblical and Theological Foundations for Christian Hedonism: Seven Theses

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Lessons from an Inconsolable Soul

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The Practical Sin-Killing Power of Christian Hedonism

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Christian Hedonism—The Missionary Advantage in Desiring God

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The Pastor, the People, and the Pursuit of Joy, Q & A

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