1 John – Certainty in Christ • 05.12.24
Certainty in Christ
1 John 5:6-21
Resting in the truth about Jesus
- Believe the testimony of God about His Son
- Rejoice in the confidence you have in Jesus
- Stand firm in the truth
Good morning church family! Welcome guests + introduce self + series.
Dismiss 4th + 5th graders
Ushers + Bibles (1 John 5; Page 1213)
Today we close out our study of 1 John and prepare to move into 2 and 3 John over the next two weeks. In some ways, we are ending the letter where we began… with testimonies about the truth that is in Jesus. John has made his case for Christ. That Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, the source of eternal life, the one who saves His people from their sins. He has testified that this belief in Jesus is necessary to have fellowship with God. Today, John will present another set of witnesses who proclaim this same testimony.
Why is he doing this? Because the churches he is writing to are hurting. The people within them have watched as their former friends and co-laborers have deserted them, claiming to have a better truth/revelation. And they have been incredibly unloving in the process!
And it really is quite believable, isn’t it? Spend enough time in church, and you’re bound to have hard experiences like these. People you cared about, poured yourself into, shared important moments of life with… are now gone. For one reason or another, they have left the church, perhaps claiming a different truth, perhaps leaving in sin, the possible reasons are many. The point is that life in community is not always easy. Yet, we are called to it! As we will hear yet again today, God has designed His people, the church, to care for one another as they pursue the truth together. So, even when it is hard, even when relationships are broken by sin and false teaching, we press on in the faith and we seek to care for and protect one another. And as we will emphasize today, it is possible to be…
Resting in the truth about Jesus
There is certainty in Christ. John is going to provide great reassurance to his beloved churches. They can know with confidence that the truth is in Jesus. They can know that they are the One, True God’s children. They can rest in the promise of eternal life. Let’s turn our attention now to the text.
1 John 5:6–12 (ESV)
6 This is he who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ; not by the water only but by the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. 7 For there are three that testify: 8 the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree. 9 If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater, for this is the testimony of God that he has borne concerning his Son. 10 Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning his Son. 11 And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.
John is continuing his argument about the necessity of belief in Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God. As we’ve heard throughout our study of this letter, this is one of the primary concerns he has with the false teachers and deceivers – they deny the doctrine of the incarnation. They do not believe Jesus was God in human form. Which, as we’ve pointed out many times before, completely undermines the Christian faith. If this were true, no longer is Jesus a perfect sacrifice for our sins, no longer can he atone for all our sins, no longer do we have any hope of peace with God or eternal life with him.
So, John once again calls forth witnesses to the truth about Jesus. You probably noticed the word testify or testimony is repeated A LOT in these few verses. John is making his case for believing the truth about Jesus. It begins by stating that there are three key witnesses to Jesus being the Christ. The water, the blood, and the Spirit.
Now, you may notice, that John also says, “Not by the water only but…” When John says that, he is pointing out the incomplete nature of the deceivers beliefs/argument. There were religious sects at that time teaching that Jesus only received the anointing of the Christ at his baptism, but that anointing left him before his crucifixion. By bringing them up here, John is saying that this is an incomplete testimony! The truth is that Jesus is the Christ for his entire life, conception to death, and now, into eternity.
That Jesus came by water and blood is pointing to his ministry’s inauguration by baptism and its culmination in his death on the Cross. Of his baptism, we read in the Gospel of Matthew:
Matthew 3:13–17 (ESV)
13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. 14 John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” 15 But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented.
16 And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; 17 and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”
This was the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry as an adult. God the Father sent God the Holy Spirit to anoint God the Son as he began the work of salvation for his people.
Of his crucifixion, we read in John’s Gospel:
John 19:16–19 (ESV)
16 So he delivered him over to them to be crucified.
So they took Jesus, 17 and he went out, bearing his own cross, to the place called The Place of a Skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha. 18 There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, and Jesus between them. 19 Pilate also wrote an inscription and put it on the cross. It read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.”
Jesus’ death on the cross was the fulfillment of God’s redemption plan to provide a perfect sacrifice for our sins. This was not plan B, C, D, or E after all the other plans failed… This was always God’s plan from the beginning, to send His Son to save his people from their sins. The author of Hebrews highlights that Jesus Christ shed his own blood as the perfect sacrifice for our sins.
Hebrews 9:11–12 (ESV)
11 But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) 12 he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.
In chapters 9-10 of Hebrews, the author does a fantastic job of helping us understand how both the Old and New Testaments link together through the perfect sacrifice and ministry of Jesus Christ. The Scriptures clearly teach that those who sin earn death. They are justly judged by a Holy God, but the same Holy God had a plan to show mercy and grace through His Son’s perfect life and substitutionary death in our place.
Titus 3:3–7 (ESV)
3 For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. 4 But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us,
not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
How great is the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior!
John’s argument is that both Jesus’ baptism and crucifixion testify to the reality of who He is and what He has done. But there is another witness as well – the Holy Spirit. John has brought up the indwelling Holy Spirit multiple times throughout his letter. Those who are in Christ have the Holy Spirit within them, testifying to the truth. He agrees and confirms to every Christian that Jesus is the Christ. This is exactly what Jesus said would happen:
John 14:25–26 (ESV)
25 “These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.
Jesus reveals it was always God’s plan to give His people the Holy Spirit to help them believe and know what is true, as John points out in his letter. And with three witnesses, the case was air-tight. There are both objective witnesses (the water and blood) and a subjective witness (the internal Spirit).
However, as if these three witnesses were not enough, John then makes an argument from lesser to greater in verse 9. “If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater, for this is the testimony of God that he has borne concerning his Son.”
If you’re willing to believe mere men’s testimonies, then how much more should you believe the testimony of the Creator God! Exponentially more! John is saying that what he is teaching is not of his own making. This is the testimony of God that he is putting before the people! And they should believe it. Which brings us to our first opportunity to rest in the truth about Jesus…
- Believe the testimony of God about His Son
There is great confidence that comes when you know you are in agreement with God! As John said in verse 10, “Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself.” When you have faith in Jesus Christ, you are agreeing with God. You are a witness to the truth about His Son. And, as John gloriously points out in verse 11-12, you have eternal life!
What could be more restful than knowing that your eternal destiny is secure in Christ? Salvation is not dependent on working your way to righteousness, as if that were even possible! Just as you did not earn your salvation, neither can you lose it. It is secure in Christ! There is both present and eternal rest that comes from having this settled certainty.
In the present, you do not have to fear judgment, but instead focus on growing in love for the Lord and others. In previous chapters, John spoke of being perfected in love, meaning growing in your love for God and others such that it drives out fear. Your life can be shaped around the joy of fellowship with God and his people.
Now, let me address a misconception about this, this is not an excuse to laziness in our walk with God. Secure salvation is not to be viewed as my “get out of hell free card” so I can live however I want. Someone who thinks that way should evaluate whether they are truly in the faith! However, secure salvation is a great motivator for a life of joyful obedience to and service for Christ.
When you believe that God the Father sent God the Son to live a perfect life and die in your place so that you could be forgiven and redeemed… that changes you. Your life is no longer about you… You have been bought with a price! Now the life that you live is for Christ, you have been appointed as an ambassador for Christ to call other lost sinners to reconciliation with God. Why would you do that? Because, as John points out, whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. Those who do not believe the truth about Jesus are calling God a liar and they face eternal hell!
This is no laughing matter. John was writing about heaven and hell to the people of his day. And the reality is the same for us today. There are plenty of people in our community who are heading to hell because they reject the truth about Jesus. And John isn’t talking about those outside of the church! Remember he’s writing about those who claimed Christ yet have denied him by their wrong doctrine.
We must be concerned for all who have wrong beliefs about Jesus, whether they claim to be Christians or not. We’ve spoken briefly in weeks past about Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons who have wrong doctrine about Christ. But what about mainline, liberal denominations who have rejected the need for Jesus’ atoning, substitutionary death on the cross? If you’ve never seen the American Gospel: Christ Crucified documentary, it reveals how prevalent this view is in our culture. There are churches and denominations who believe that Jesus’ death on the cross constitutes divine child abuse and therefore they reject it wholeheartedly and create an entirely different Christianity for themselves. This is a modern-day version of what John is refuting in his day! There is nothing new under the sun.
This is why I stand by what I said last week that “Christianity is a thinking man’s religion.” You have to be discerning in what you consume. You must be men and women of the Word. What good is it to be a person or church approved by our world if it requires you to oppose God and spend eternity in hell? I’d rather rest in the truth about Jesus by believing God’s testimony about His Son. I want the hope of eternal life over man’s approval.
Wouldn’t you like to know with certainty that you have eternal life? Well John promises that is possible. Let’s keep reading the text.
1 John 5:13–17 (ESV)
13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life. 14 And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.
16 If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask, and God will give him life—to those who commit sins that do not lead to death. There is sin that leads to death; I do not say that one should pray for that. 17 All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that does not lead to death.
John’s overarching reason for writing this letter is that they may know, meaning have certainty, that they have eternal life. His desire is for them to rest in the truth about Jesus! When you believe what is true, then you should have great confidence in your faith. “Whoever has the Son has life.” Is your faith in Jesus Christ alone for salvation? Do you have the Son? If so, then you have eternal life. And that should lead you to…
- Rejoice in the confidence you have in Jesus
Rejoice that you know that you have eternal life! Rejoice in the knowledge that if you pray according to his will, he hears and answers you. That’s what John said in verses 14-15. Now, that cannot mean that whatever you want, if you pray for it, God will grant it. He is not a magic genie. John is speaking of praying in a way that is consistent with God’s revealed will in the Scriptures. When we pray about the things that God has told us are his desires and delights, then God hears it, and he will answer it. But we also know from personal experience that the answer may not come in the timing or way that we expect. God is God and we are not. He answers to no one. His answer may be yes, or it may be no, or it may be not yet. He alone determines the timing and content of the answer to our prayers. But, we can rest assured that they are not falling on deaf ears or an uncaring heart.
In fact, in verses 16-17, we have an example of a prayer that God delights to answer! Here we are encouraged to be praying for a brother/sister who is caught in sin. God has designed his church to care for one another! We are to take responsibility for one another’s spiritual health and walk with God. It is not “every man/woman for themselves”, but rather “everyone caring for one another”. We see this is a biblical precedent in other places:
Galatians 6:1–2 (ESV)
Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. 2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
James 5:16 (ESV)
16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.
Jude 22–23 (ESV)
22 And have mercy on those who doubt; 23 save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh.
It is safe to say that God says a lot about his people caring for one another and protecting one another from temptation and sin. We should be in each other’s lives to a level that we can help protect one another from these dangers. This is why we say we are a church OF small groups – we believe small groups allow you to get to know a smaller portion of the church family in a more vulnerable and intimate manner. These are a setting wherein you can carry out these commands on a weekly basis. Does your level of vulnerability and participation in small group indicate that you value this biblical calling?
John’s counsel is that it is good and right for us to pray for those who are stuck in sin and to take further action to help them come back to the light. This is how healthy churches function and how Christians continue to walk in the light. Don’t fear that, embrace it!
But what does John mean when he speaks of sin that leads to death? A few thoughts about that. First, please realize that John is not saying they SHOULD AVOID praying about that. Rather, his emphasis in this section is that they SHOULD PRAY for those sins that do not lead to death. He is speaking about the difference between those who have forsaken the faith, thereby pursuing a path that leads to death, and those who are Christians but struggling in sin.
He has in mind the deceivers who have abandoned the truth about Jesus and gone out of their midst. He likely also is speaking of other similar sins that lead to a complete and utter rejection of the truth, such that the person is revealed not to be in the family of God but rather in the family of Satan and heading to eternal death. It is fine to pray for these people, but they have also demonstrated by their life that they are not interested in truth. So John is encouraging and emphasizing that they pray for and care for those who are still in the church. This is another form of loving one another. And, as we faithfully pray for one another’s holiness and godliness, we can have confidence that God delights to answer those prayers!
Do you have a regular practice of praying for your fellow church members? This is a tangible way to love them and obey God! So let me encourage you to print out and pray through the membership directory. (Hold mine up) This is a practice that I have learned from other godly pastors for how to care for you. And you can do it too. I have personally found it very helpful to reach out via text to the family units represented on the directory to ask them how I can be praying. Then I write it down underneath their names, along with the names of any children that are in their household. This allows me to be specific and thorough in my prayer. I highly recommend it. If you’ve forgotten how to access the member directory, feel free to email the church and ask for instructions again. If you’re not a member yet, please view this as another reason to commit to the local church.
Outside of that specific practice, I’ll point out that praying for one another requires relationships to exist. It is hard to pray for someone if you do not know them or know what is going on in their lives. So I want to challenge you to prioritize coming to church early and staying later so you can interact with others. And be intentional in those interactions, move beyond the weather or sports to talk about more important things of life. Push past the “I’m good” comments (I’ve heard it takes 3x of asking “how are you?” to get the real answer) to truly get to know what is going on in each other’s lives. And then pray for one another. Carry each other’s burdens to the Lord. If you want to be “really holy”, you could even pray for that person throughout the week! 😊
Can you imagine a church family where everyone was invested in each other’s lives and regularly carried one another’s burdens? Sign me up for that! Suddenly our burdens just got a lot lighter, as we shoulder them together with 100+ other people. This is the compelling community that we say we want to be! May we be a church for hurting and broken people to be healed and restored, not to experience further hurt or brokenness. This requires each person to do their part. Will you commit to doing yours? *pause*
Let’s finish out the chapter by hearing more about resting in the truth about Jesus. John is going to finish out with a series of “we know” statements regarding our certainty in Christ as well as a warning for protection.
1 John 5:18–21 (ESV)
18 We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him.
19 We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.
20 And we know 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, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. 21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols.
There is great confidence and certainty in Christ. We can rest in the truth about Jesus, as demonstrated in these final verses of the letter.
In verse 18, John speaks again about a Christian’s identity and practice. If you are in Christ, you have been born of God (you are part of his family), and you do not keep on sinning. Christians make a break with sin. They are not comfortable in it and seek to handle it God’s way – by confessing it and asking forgiveness (as outlined in chapter 1). He goes further by stating that it is Jesus Christ who protects you and keeps the evil one from touching or harming you. A Christian can have great confidence in making a break with patterns of sin in their life because Jesus Christ is with them and for them. He protects you from the enemy and you are no longer enslaved to sin! There is great rest available in Christ when you realize you do not have to stay stuck in cycles of sin.
This principle is expanded upon in verse 19 when John says that all those who are in Christ are from God. He has moved from the individual to the corporate entity of the church. Coupled with that is the sobering reality that not everyone has this hope. Those who are in the world are under the power of Satan. They do not have the hope of Christ’s protection but need to avail themselves of it through faith in Him!
It is important to recognize that there are only two possible families to belong to in this life. You’re either of God’s family, which is only possible through faith in Christ, or you are of Satan’s family, which is the default family for everyone as we enter this world dead in sin/rebellion against God.
God’s Word does not give us the luxury of believing that there are many ways to God or that it is possible to be good with God yet living in sin. He repeatedly refutes those lies. Yet we know that those lies are still alive and prevalent in our society! The majority of our world’s population believes these lies rather than the truth about Jesus. Which is why it is necessary for Christians to…
- Stand firm in the truth
There is great rest found in Jesus when you believe the truth and stand firm in it. When you know that you are forgiven and able to say “NO” to sin, that grants freedom from the enslaving power of sin. Sin is a cruel master. And most of our world is enslaved to it.
But John’s testimony in verse 20 is that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh and given us understanding about truth and life. This is not because of how good we are, but solely because of his goodness and mercy. He is the One who opened our eyes and enabled us to know him who is true and be in him who is true (God the Father). We join our voices this morning to testify that this is only possible through faith in Jesus Christ, who is the true God and eternal life.
That is the truth, and we want to stand firm in it. When confronted with the pluralism and relativism of our culture, we wholeheartedly reject their claims of many ways to God and that each person can have their own form of truth. These are, quite simply, lies and disconnected from reality. You cannot have competing truth claims – one must be right and the other wrong. And, as we are testifying today, truth is knowable because God has revealed it in the person of Jesus Christ and caused it to be written down in His Word.
As Christians, it is our calling and mission to share the truth with any and all who would hear. That’s what someone did for us at some point in our faith journey. Or perhaps multiple someones. They were faithful to stand firm in the truth and teach it to you. And God graciously opened your eyes and softened your heart to believe it. May we be faithful to do the same for others. Whether it is your children, your neighbors, your co-workers, your waitress, whomever… it is your mission to go to the nations and make disciples. Just as it is my mission. Let’s be faithful to pursue this mission, both individually and together as the church.
And as we go, let us not neglect John’s final warning in his letter. “Little children, keep yourselves from idols.” If you’re going to walk in the truth like John has taught, then you must guard/protect/keep yourself from anything or anyone that would take God’s place in your life. Be careful not to give your heart, mind, or affections, to anyone or anything more than God. These are the things that will trip you up and hinder your race of faith. Let’s commit to protecting one another from such idols.
Let’s pray.
Pray