Welcome to episode 136 of Grasp the Bible. In this episode, we conclude our study in the Book of 1 John, covering chapter 5:13-21. The series is called “Unshakable.” Today, we will cover:
- The thing that every Christians knows (v. 13)
- Knowing God (vv. 14-21)
Key takeaways:
- Did you know that you can know that you have eternal life? You can know that you are saved. You don’t have to doubt it, guess about it, or wonder about it. God does not want His children to worry, doubt, or lack assurance about whether they are Christians or not. This is why John wrote this letter.
- Not only can a believer have assurance of salvation, but he also can have assurance that God will hear his prayers and answer them.
- John affirms that we know God hears when we request, not that we have unerring discernment as to what we should be requesting.
- The sin that leads to death, therefore, is the sin of rejecting Christ’s atonement, the sin of calling God’s testimony a lie. Those whose sins do not lead to death commit sins unwittingly and which do not involve rejection of God and his way of salvation.
- John does not forbid praying for those who have left the church and are still in need of God’s transforming grace in Christ; that is just not the situation he is addressing here. It is clear that he is in doubt about the efficacy of such a prayer.
- While the powers of evil may tempt, entice, and otherwise influence the believer, even to the point of lapses into sin, the evil one cannot take hold of a child of God to remove them from the light and life and drag them back into darkness and death.
- One cannot know the Father without belief in His Son, who is the revealer of the truth.
Quotable:
- There are only two possible positions. Everyone is either “of God” or “under the control of the evil one.” Neutrality is not possible.
Application:
- Sometimes our desires are not God’s desires for us. Sometimes what we want is not what our heavenly Father wills. Faith will accept that God’s will is best, and it will trust His plan and purpose, even if it does not understand at the time.
- Since in any given situation we may not know whether what we’re asking is in God’s will, whenever it seems God has not answered, we must receive that in the confidence of knowing we were heard. We do have what we ask according to His will even if His will is “No” or “Not yet.”
- The sin that does not lead to death is the sin of the believer … the sin that does lead to death is most likely that of the unbeliever.
- Any understanding of God incompatible with John’s teaching in this letter would be considered idolatry, defined as false teaching based on a nonexistent spiritual reality.
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