Just imagine that you’re
sitting in a jury box and the verdict is about to be delivered by the foreman.
You have heard all the evidence and testimonies and now it’s time to give
the verdict. As you wait for the judge to enter, your mind wanders back
over the trial. You and the rest of the jury had to come up with a
decision that made sense beyond a reasonable doubt. You think to
yourself, “Did he kill her?” You saw the pictures of the body and the
blood. His DNA was on the weapon. Neighbors testified of screaming
coming from the apartment. Her blood was on his hands. The evidence
and testimonies weighed in the favor of guilt but you still have some doubts.
“How did it happen exactly?” you wonder. “Did he shove her
first, then hit her with the weapon, or did he hit her with the weapon first,
then shove her? Why did he do it? Was it a jealous rage. Was
it from paranoia?”
These are questions
you’re not able to answer. But you know that you have no doubts large
enough to convince you that he didn’t do it. And you don’t have the
option of not giving a verdict. It’s not like the event never happened.
You can’t just ignore it so that it will somehow go away. You would
not be a just and good person if you walked away. So, you’re glad you
made a decision. You’re conscience is clear. You’re brought back to
the reality of the moment as the Judge enters and everyone stands.
Then comes the verdict, “We the jury find that John Smith is guilty of the crime of murder.” After the foreman makes her statement the judge slams the gavel and the verdict is “guilty of murder.”
Why would I share a story like this? It is because it has something to do with our confidence in knowing that we have eternal life. The evidence and testimony is overwhelmingly in favor of the trustworthiness of the Bible. The fulfilled prophecies and historical accuracy builds up your faith. And you’ve experienced something inside that you cannot quite explain. It’s the testimony of the Holy Spirit inside of you.
The idea of a witness and of a testimony are all throughout the New Testament. We also find it in 1 John 5:9-12:
“We accept man’s testimony, but God’s testimony is greater because it is the testimony of God, which He has given about His Son. Anyone who believes in the Son of God has this testimony in his heart. Anyone who does not believe God has made Him out to be a liar, because He has not believed the testimony God has given about His Son. And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.” 1 John 5:9-12
And this is where we come to our passage today: “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.” 1 John 5:13.
The word “know”, or some form of the word “know”, appears 38 times in the NIV ‘84. In my opinion, 1 John was probably written for men. We have to be told 38 times before something usually sinks in. I’m terribly forgetful. You can ask Miriam. As I was preparing for the sermon I had an example to share with you guys. But I forgot what it was before I could write it down.
How can someone really know that they have God’s forgiveness? I could stand up here and talk about it. But, hopefully, this video will help in answering that question.
A common question that comes up is, “How can you say that you know God? How is it possible to know someone who is infinite and immeasurable?” One of my answers to that question is this, “I know my wife, Miriam. We’ve been married for over seven years. But even though I know her, I don’t know everything about her. I don’t have to know everything about her to say that I know her. I found out very early in our relationship that she didn’t like the toilet seat left up. I learned that our sense of humor has similarities that no one else would probably understand. When it comes to knowing God there’s a starting place for everyone. It’s similar to marriage. After a couple says “I do”, or as Miriam said “I sure do”, they enter into a covenant relationship. Your knowledge of that other person will grow and grow.
If we lack the confidence that we are in a relationship with God, then other areas of our lives will be affected. John says that a lack of confidence will become a barrier to a better prayer life.
“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of Him.” 1 John 5:14-15
If someone is lacking confidence that they know God, then they’re not going to see much answered prayer. But if we know God then we can learn more about what God wants. There are general things that He wants for everyone.
“He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9
“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16.
“It is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.” 1 Peter 3:17.
And there are specific things in our lives that we want to see changed by praying to God. Some may want to know whom to marry. Others may want to know what job to take or what major to declare. Parents may want to know how to approach certain situations with their children. Those things may not be very clear at the beginning and we struggle knowing what God’s will is in these situations. A helpful thing I found to do in these situations is to say something like this, “God, help me to want what You want. I know what I want, but I truly want to want what You want. Please let Your will be done in my life as it is in heaven.” If God wants it to happen and the people involved want it to happen then it will happen. If He doesn’t want it to happen and the people involved don’t want it to happen then it won’t happen. There are certain things God has said in the Bible that show that God is going to do something no matter what we do. I’m not talking about those things. I’m just talking about the things that may not be quite so clear to us.
John goes on to say, “If anyone sees his brother commit a sin that does not lead to death, he should pray and God will give him life. I refer to those whose sin does not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death. I am not saying that he should pray about that. All wrongdoing is sin, and there is sin that does not lead to death.” 1 John 5:16-17
What is this “sin that leads to death”? William MacDonald shares some of the varying views on this issue. He does a better job of summarizing than I could.
“It is impossible to say with finality just what sin leading to death is, and so perhaps the safest course to follow is to list various accepted interpretations and then tell which one we feel is most correct.
1. Some feel that the sin leading to death refers to sin persisted in by a believer and unconfessed by him. In 1 Corinthians 11:30, we read that some had died because they partook of the Lord’s Supper without judging themselves.
2. Others feel that the sin of murder is referred to. If a Christian should, in a moment of passion, murder another person, then we should not feel at liberty to pray for his release from the death penalty, because God has already stated that it is His will that "whoever sheds man’s blood, by man his blood shall be shed."
3. Still others feel that the sin referred to here is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. The Lord Jesus said that those who attributed His miracles which were done in the power of the Holy Spirit to Beelzebub, the prince of demons, had committed the unpardonable sin, and that there was no forgiveness for this sin either in that age or in the age to come.
4. Others believe that it is some special form of sin such as that committed by Moses or Aaron, Ananias and Sapphira, and which God visits with summary judgment.
5. A final explanation is that the sin of apostasy is in view, and we believe that this is the explanation which fits in best with the context. An apostate is one who has heard the great truths of the Christian Faith, has become intellectually convinced that Jesus is the Christ, has even made a profession of Christianity, although he has never been truly saved. After having tasted the good things of Christianity, he completely renounces them and repudiates the Lord Jesus Christ. In Hebrews 6 we learn that this is sin leading to death. Those committing this sin have no way of escape, since "they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame." In this entire Epistle, John has been speaking with the Gnostics in view. These false teachers had once been in the Christian fellowship. They had professed to be believers. They had known the facts of the faith, but then they had turned their backs on the Lord Jesus and accepted a teaching which completely denied His deity and the sufficiency of His atoning work. A Christian cannot have liberty in praying for the restoration of such because God has already indicated in His word that they have sinned unto death.” (MacDonald, Believers Bible Commentary, 2325).
Lastly, John says, “We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the one who was born of God keeps him safe, and the evil one cannot harm him. We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one. We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know Him who is true. And we are in Him who is true—even in His Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. Dear children, keep yourselves from idols.” 1 John 5:18-21
When John says that “anyone born of God does not continue to sin”, does that mean that a Christian will never sin? Based on some of the logical interpretations of this passage, I don’t think that John is saying that a Christian will never sin. It wouldn’t make any sense to say that God expects a Christian to be without any sin after conversion. In 1 John 2:1, he says, “My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.” Why would John say that we have someone like a lawyer, Jesus Christ, to defend us if we sin, when in fact those who are saved don’t ever sin. In chapter five, I think John is either talking about the idea of someone who continually practices sin or of someone who is an antichrist.
Before I became a Christian, I didn’t have a strong desire to stop sinning. I felt helpless to stop sinning. But once I became a Christian God changed my desires. God is telling us in 1 John and other letters in the New Testament, that a Christian should be a changed person. The NLT writes 1 John 3:4-10 this way:
Then comes the verdict, “We the jury find that John Smith is guilty of the crime of murder.” After the foreman makes her statement the judge slams the gavel and the verdict is “guilty of murder.”
Why would I share a story like this? It is because it has something to do with our confidence in knowing that we have eternal life. The evidence and testimony is overwhelmingly in favor of the trustworthiness of the Bible. The fulfilled prophecies and historical accuracy builds up your faith. And you’ve experienced something inside that you cannot quite explain. It’s the testimony of the Holy Spirit inside of you.
The idea of a witness and of a testimony are all throughout the New Testament. We also find it in 1 John 5:9-12:
“We accept man’s testimony, but God’s testimony is greater because it is the testimony of God, which He has given about His Son. Anyone who believes in the Son of God has this testimony in his heart. Anyone who does not believe God has made Him out to be a liar, because He has not believed the testimony God has given about His Son. And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.” 1 John 5:9-12
And this is where we come to our passage today: “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.” 1 John 5:13.
The word “know”, or some form of the word “know”, appears 38 times in the NIV ‘84. In my opinion, 1 John was probably written for men. We have to be told 38 times before something usually sinks in. I’m terribly forgetful. You can ask Miriam. As I was preparing for the sermon I had an example to share with you guys. But I forgot what it was before I could write it down.
How can someone really know that they have God’s forgiveness? I could stand up here and talk about it. But, hopefully, this video will help in answering that question.
A common question that comes up is, “How can you say that you know God? How is it possible to know someone who is infinite and immeasurable?” One of my answers to that question is this, “I know my wife, Miriam. We’ve been married for over seven years. But even though I know her, I don’t know everything about her. I don’t have to know everything about her to say that I know her. I found out very early in our relationship that she didn’t like the toilet seat left up. I learned that our sense of humor has similarities that no one else would probably understand. When it comes to knowing God there’s a starting place for everyone. It’s similar to marriage. After a couple says “I do”, or as Miriam said “I sure do”, they enter into a covenant relationship. Your knowledge of that other person will grow and grow.
If we lack the confidence that we are in a relationship with God, then other areas of our lives will be affected. John says that a lack of confidence will become a barrier to a better prayer life.
“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of Him.” 1 John 5:14-15
If someone is lacking confidence that they know God, then they’re not going to see much answered prayer. But if we know God then we can learn more about what God wants. There are general things that He wants for everyone.
“He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9
“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16.
“It is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.” 1 Peter 3:17.
And there are specific things in our lives that we want to see changed by praying to God. Some may want to know whom to marry. Others may want to know what job to take or what major to declare. Parents may want to know how to approach certain situations with their children. Those things may not be very clear at the beginning and we struggle knowing what God’s will is in these situations. A helpful thing I found to do in these situations is to say something like this, “God, help me to want what You want. I know what I want, but I truly want to want what You want. Please let Your will be done in my life as it is in heaven.” If God wants it to happen and the people involved want it to happen then it will happen. If He doesn’t want it to happen and the people involved don’t want it to happen then it won’t happen. There are certain things God has said in the Bible that show that God is going to do something no matter what we do. I’m not talking about those things. I’m just talking about the things that may not be quite so clear to us.
John goes on to say, “If anyone sees his brother commit a sin that does not lead to death, he should pray and God will give him life. I refer to those whose sin does not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death. I am not saying that he should pray about that. All wrongdoing is sin, and there is sin that does not lead to death.” 1 John 5:16-17
What is this “sin that leads to death”? William MacDonald shares some of the varying views on this issue. He does a better job of summarizing than I could.
“It is impossible to say with finality just what sin leading to death is, and so perhaps the safest course to follow is to list various accepted interpretations and then tell which one we feel is most correct.
1. Some feel that the sin leading to death refers to sin persisted in by a believer and unconfessed by him. In 1 Corinthians 11:30, we read that some had died because they partook of the Lord’s Supper without judging themselves.
2. Others feel that the sin of murder is referred to. If a Christian should, in a moment of passion, murder another person, then we should not feel at liberty to pray for his release from the death penalty, because God has already stated that it is His will that "whoever sheds man’s blood, by man his blood shall be shed."
3. Still others feel that the sin referred to here is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. The Lord Jesus said that those who attributed His miracles which were done in the power of the Holy Spirit to Beelzebub, the prince of demons, had committed the unpardonable sin, and that there was no forgiveness for this sin either in that age or in the age to come.
4. Others believe that it is some special form of sin such as that committed by Moses or Aaron, Ananias and Sapphira, and which God visits with summary judgment.
5. A final explanation is that the sin of apostasy is in view, and we believe that this is the explanation which fits in best with the context. An apostate is one who has heard the great truths of the Christian Faith, has become intellectually convinced that Jesus is the Christ, has even made a profession of Christianity, although he has never been truly saved. After having tasted the good things of Christianity, he completely renounces them and repudiates the Lord Jesus Christ. In Hebrews 6 we learn that this is sin leading to death. Those committing this sin have no way of escape, since "they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame." In this entire Epistle, John has been speaking with the Gnostics in view. These false teachers had once been in the Christian fellowship. They had professed to be believers. They had known the facts of the faith, but then they had turned their backs on the Lord Jesus and accepted a teaching which completely denied His deity and the sufficiency of His atoning work. A Christian cannot have liberty in praying for the restoration of such because God has already indicated in His word that they have sinned unto death.” (MacDonald, Believers Bible Commentary, 2325).
Lastly, John says, “We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the one who was born of God keeps him safe, and the evil one cannot harm him. We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one. We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know Him who is true. And we are in Him who is true—even in His Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. Dear children, keep yourselves from idols.” 1 John 5:18-21
When John says that “anyone born of God does not continue to sin”, does that mean that a Christian will never sin? Based on some of the logical interpretations of this passage, I don’t think that John is saying that a Christian will never sin. It wouldn’t make any sense to say that God expects a Christian to be without any sin after conversion. In 1 John 2:1, he says, “My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.” Why would John say that we have someone like a lawyer, Jesus Christ, to defend us if we sin, when in fact those who are saved don’t ever sin. In chapter five, I think John is either talking about the idea of someone who continually practices sin or of someone who is an antichrist.
Before I became a Christian, I didn’t have a strong desire to stop sinning. I felt helpless to stop sinning. But once I became a Christian God changed my desires. God is telling us in 1 John and other letters in the New Testament, that a Christian should be a changed person. The NLT writes 1 John 3:4-10 this way:
“Everyone who sins is
breaking God’s law, for all sin is contrary to the law of God. And you know that Jesus came to take away our sins, and
there is no sin in Him. Anyone who continues to live in Him will not sin. But anyone
who keeps on sinning does not know Him or understand who He is. Dear children, don’t let anyone deceive you about this: When
people do what is right, it shows that they are righteous, even as Christ is
righteous. But when people keep
on sinning, it shows that they belong to the devil, who has been sinning
since the beginning. But the Son of God came to destroy the works of the devil. Those who have been born into God’s family do not make a
practice of sinning, because God’s life is in them. So they can’t keep
on sinning, because they are children of God. So now we can tell who are children of God and who are
children of the devil. Anyone who does not live righteously and does not love
other believers does not belong to God.”
John finishes by saying that we should keep ourselves “from idols.” Our culture confuses us about what God is like. Search the Bible. Find out what God is really like and what He really wants. Because any wrong view of the Father, the Son or the Holy Spirit can become an idol. So, He warns us to stay away from any wrong view of God or any other thing for that matter that would come between us and God.
John finishes by saying that we should keep ourselves “from idols.” Our culture confuses us about what God is like. Search the Bible. Find out what God is really like and what He really wants. Because any wrong view of the Father, the Son or the Holy Spirit can become an idol. So, He warns us to stay away from any wrong view of God or any other thing for that matter that would come between us and God.
No comments:
Post a Comment