All quotations are taken from the New American Standard

Version unless otherwise indicated.

2014For republication please contact Pastor Tim
tim@graceofforesthills.com
For more booklets in this series go to
guineafield.blogspot.com




Table of Contents
Lesson 1 Introduction 1-14
What is the Purpose 1 John? 1-7
The Great Set of Scales 8-10
A New You 10-13
Lesson 1 Q&A 14
Lesson 2 Eternal LifeA Life of Obedience 15-34
Walking in Light Rather than
Darkness
16-19
Keeping Christs Commandments 19-22
Not Continuing in Sin 22-24
Four Clarifications Concerning
Obedience
25-34
Lesson 3 Eternal LifeA Life of Love 35-47
We love other believers. 36-40
We do not love the world. 40-44
Our love is motivated by Gods love. 44-46
Our love is demonstrated by helping
others.
46-47
Lesson 4 Eternal LifeA Life of Faith 48-59
Believe Jesus is Messiah. 51-52
Believe that Jesus has come in the
flesh.
52-53
Believe that Jesus is God. 53-56
Believe that Jesus died to save you. 57-59
Lesson 5 Review and Clarification 60-70
Review and Summary 60-62
Concluding Clarifications 62-70
Those who are born again will
persevere.
63-65
Those who do not persevere in faith
were never born again.
66-70


1







We all face difficulties in life that try to dominate our
mind and our attention. Most of these are physical. And
yet if we allowed our secure spiritual blessings to
dominate our thinking, we would not focus as much on
these physical problems.

One person who did this well was Fanny Crosby. She
was used of the Lord to write many hymns and Gospel
songs that believers enjoy to this day. She was also
physically blind. When asked if she would like to have
her site back, she said no. She wanted Jesus to be the
first face she saw. And she knew that would not happen
in this life. The blessed assurance of seeing Jesus face
to face in the next life kept her from worrying about
what she did not have in this life. No doubt you have
heard her poem blessed assurance.

Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.


Assurance
of Salvation
Lesson 1


2

This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior all the day long;
This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior all the day long.

Perfect submission, all is at rest,
I in my Savior am happy and blest,
Watching and waiting, looking above,
Filled with His goodness, lost in His love.

If you have the blessed assurance of eternal life in Gods
presence where there is fullness of joy, then the trials
of this life will be much less daunting. They are
temporary problems that will give way to a much greater
future experience.

Do you know that you have eternal life? The Bible
challenges you to examine yourself to see whether you
are in the faith, possessing this eternal life.

Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine
yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about
yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you--unless indeed
you fail the test? (2 Corinthians 13:5).


3

A healthy Christian is open to this test. And a healthy
Christian will pass this test with flying colors. The
booklet in front of you will help you do just that.

This series of lessons devoted to knowing about your
eternal state is an essential part of your Christian life
and growth. Lets summarize the study in a question. Do
you know that you have eternal life and will be in heaven
when you die? Confidence about where you will spend
eternity is often referred to as assurance of salvation.
This assurance brings great comfort to the Christian, so
I pray that this booklet will bring you great comfort as
you complete the lessons. The Holy Spirit knew this
assurance would bring great comfort, so He made this
teaching a primary theme of one book of the Bible. Did
you realize that the book of 1 John is devoted to this
theme?
Whats the Purpose of John and 1 John?

John was one of the three men closest to Jesus during
His earthly ministry. Together with Peter and James, he
was part of the inner circle. John recorded His
personal experiences with Jesus in the Gospel of John
where he is referred to as the disciple whom Jesus
loved. You may have read this Gospel already; it is the
fourth book of the New Testament. The same author
also wrote four other books in the Bible. Three of these
are letters and you will find them toward the back of

4

your New Testament1, 2, and 3 John.

In this booklet,
we will study the first Epistle of John (First John or 1
John) topically.
1


The book we are studying, 1 John, and the Gospel of
John are very similar. They are both packed with
references to lovehow we should love God and other
people, and how much God loves us. Perhaps that is
because they are written by the disciple whom Jesus
loved.

Another prominent theme in both the Gospel of John
and the 1 John is life. In fact, the Gospel of John has
more references to life than any other book in the Bible.
The purpose of writing the Gospel of John is so that
we would believe in Jesus as Savior and experience the
joys of eternal life. Listen to the purpose as spelled
out at the end of the Gospel.

Therefore many other signs Jesus also performed in
the presence of the disciples, which are not written
in this book; but these have been written so that you
may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and

1
In order to get an overview of all the books of the Bible, let me
encourage you to go through our LIFE Groups bookletWhat does
the Bible say? A Survey of the Message of the Bible. You can purchase
this booklet, or read it for free on our church website.

5

that believing you may have life in His name (John
20:30-31).

In 1 John, the theme of life is prominent but it is written
from a different perspective. Listen to Johns purpose
for writing as recorded toward the end of the letter.

God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His
Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does
not have the Son of God does not have the life. These
things I have written to you who believe in the name of
the Son of God, so that you may know that you have
eternal life (1 John 5:11-13).

In both his Gospel and his letter, John wants us to know
that eternal life stems from Jesus Christ. The Gospel of
John tells readers to believe in Jesus and obtain eternal
life through Him. In 1 John, he is writing to convince
his readers that they do possess eternal life if they
have believed in Jesus. One books purpose is to bring
life and the other looks back to provide assurance of
that life. If you have come to believe in Jesus as your
Savior, then this is one of the first books of the Bible
that you will want to know and study.



6

One memorable
experience I had
while talking with
people in College
was approaching
the door of a large
house in a nice
neighborhood in
South Carolina. I
was there to share
the message of
Jesus with a
complete stranger
not an easy task,
but one that I am
passionate about
to this day. After I
rang the doorbell,
an elderly woman
approached the
door and greeted
me. I was not one
to beat around the
bush in those days
and asked her within just a sentence or two whether she
knew that she had eternal life. After all a lady of her
age should be thinking of these things (I didnt say
that last sentence out loud).



7

Her response took me back a bit. I have been going to
xyz church for years; however, no one should ever
presume to know that for a fact. And with that she
closed the door with a little more gusto than her age let
on.

I realize I could have been more careful about my
abrupt approach to bridging the gap into one of the
most important subjects in life; however, her response
let me hear, perhaps for the first time, what a great
body of people believe and what some churches even
teach. It goes like this, you should not presume to say
that you know that you have eternal life.

The problem with this objection is that the Holy Spirit
went through great effort to teach us that we can know
that we have eternal life! 1 John was written for that
very purpose. This is not presumption, this is Biblical
truth.

I have also found that when someone comes to this
assurance of salvation, they have a weight removed from
their shoulders.

They are trusting Jesus not just to earn their eternal
life, but also to keep their eternal life forever. I pray
that the lessons in this study will be helpful to you in
this way.

8

The Great Set of Scales

Before we move on in this study, let me suggest a reason
why a person may feel that stating you possess eternal
life is presumptuous.

I know that several religious systems focus on earning
favor with God through ones own works. A person
must do xyz in order to obtain eternal life. Perhaps
they feel they must do enough good things in order
for their good deeds to out-weigh their bad deeds. That
actually is a popular misconception many have today.
A man or a woman may suppose that all their good
deeds are on one side of a figurative scale in heaven
and all their bad deeds are on another side of a scale
in heaven. Although popular, this is a faulty view of
God.

In Gods courtroom, one bad deed on the other side
of the scale is enough to make you guilty. One sin is
sufficient cause for eternal judgment to be poured out
on me. Condemnation stems from disobeying Gods
Law once. And the Bible teaches that all have sinned.
So in the courtroom of God all of us are under
condemnation by birth and by choice. For all have
sinned and fall short of the glory of God.


9

The message of Christianity, the true Good News
(Gospel) of Christianity, is that Jesus came to earth as
the Son of God to pay the penalty for my sinsHe
suffered my eternal punishment. And He lived a
perfect life to earn my eternal life. The scales are offset
not by my works but by Jesus works.

Perhaps your lack of assurance of eternal life stems
from the fact that you are trusting in your own
goodness or your own merits rather than on Christs
merits. According to the Bible, that means you do not
have eternal life at all. You have not yet bridged the
gap from the Gospel of John to the Epistle of John. You
are not yet trusting in Jesus as Savior. You are still
trusting yourself.

One of my favorite poems is written by the author of
Amazing GraceJohn Newton. If you know Newton, you
know that he was a man who knew great sin and yet he
also knew of great forgiveness from sin. Each of the
stanzas of What Think Ye of Christ is the Test teaches
against a false view of Christ and the Gospel. One false
view is that we can earn our way to heaven (faulty
even if believing you can earn a portion of the way).

Some call him a Savior in word,
But mix their own works with their plan;
And hope He his help will afford,

10

When they have done all that they can;
If sayings prove rather too light,
(A little, they own they may fail)
They purpose to make up full weight,
By casting His Name in the scale.

We cant think of Christ as the Person we rely on once we
have done all that we can. We must rely upon Christ
and His works completely and then we will be assured
of eternal life based on someone elses works; not our
own.
A New You

Once you have trusted in Christ, your life will change.
God will change you from the inside out to be an
entirely different person.

Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature;
the old things passed away; behold, new things have
come (2 Corinthians 5:17).

The Bible teaches that belief in Christ triggers a New
Birth a spiritual birth. And that new birth is evidenced
in very tangible actions and attitudes. Just as vital
signs like heart-rate, breathing, and brain waves are
signs of physical life, there are spiritual vital signs that
evidence spiritual life. The Book of 1 John highlights

11

these actions. In the pages to follow we will survey
these spiritual signs of life.

These major signs are actually three major topics that
the Apostle John repeats throughout the letter: love,
belief, and obedience. Most of the letter is made up of
these three topics. John uses them like three different
colors weaved together beautifully into one article of
clothing. Like a good weaver, John picks up one them
and then puts it down to pick up another only to
return to it at a later time. In order to clearly
understand the entire letter, we will handle the three
themes one at a time.

Since Johns purpose is to confirm that we have eternal
life, the themes comprise three evidences of eternal life.
They work together to build your certainty. Growth in
these three areas will be evident in a person who is born
again. Of course, these virtues do not grant someone
eternal lifethey simply evidence that the life is
already there. If you are growing in your love, faith, and
obedience as this letter describes, then you can know
that you possess eternal life. We will examine the three
themes in the following order:

1. Eternal LifeA Life of Obedience
2. Eternal LifeA Life of Love
3. Eternal LifeA Life of Faith

12








Heres one tool that will help in your personal Bible study.
Try asking basic questions such as the ones in Rudyard
Kiplings rhyme from Just So Stories: I keep six honest
serving men (They taught me all I knew); Their names are
What and Why and When and How and Where and Who.
This is one good approach when studying a book. Write
out these honest serving questions in a notebook and
next to each question write any answers the Scripture
passage gives.

What is the content? To answer this question, summarize
each chapter of the book in just one or two sentences.
When you are through, try summarizing the entire book
in just one or two sentences. (This will probably be the
most time consuming step in the process). You will want
to read each chapter several times and totally digest the
content before you summarize a chapter. Once each
chapter is summarized you will have a better shot at
summarizing the book.

Why did the author write this? We just finished answering
the why question in our study of 1 Johndo you know
what it is? Examine the book or dip into a good commentary
to see if you can get a tip into why the author wrote the
book. In John and I John the purpose is very clear because
John clearly states his purpose for writing these books. At
Side Light: Whats the
Purpose of Finding the
Purpose?



13


other times the purpose may be a little more difficult to
figure out.

When did the author write this book? This is usually a
straightforward question and a good study Bible or
commentary will help you answer it.

How did the author write this book? You may want to
include under this heading some of the personal
attitudes that the author evidences in his writing. For
instance, I Corinthians is a very personal book. The book
of II Timothy is probably written while Paul is waiting for
the death sentence. In Galatians Paul is angry at false
teachers who add law to grace. So each book shows a
little of the authors attitude as he wrote.

Where was the author when he wrote the book? This is
another straightforward question, but it is also very
important. When you learn that Paul wrote Philippians
from jail, you look differently at the fact that he
repeatedly emphasizes joy.

Who wrote the book? To start, we realize that the Holy
Spirit wrote the entire Bible (II Timothy 3:16-17). But you
should also write down what you know about the author.
If you dont know much about the author, look up his
name in a Bible concordance to see if it appears
somewhere else. (Just be careful you are studying the
same person that wrote the book. Like today, certain
names were very common and used for multiple people).


14





1. Briefly describe the purposes John had in writing
both the Gospel of John and 1 John.






2. If your good deeds out number your bad deeds you
will go to heaven (true or false)


3. What are the three major themes of the book of I
John?






QUESTION AND ANSWER

15


Possession of eternal life is evidenced through
obedience.

The theme of obedience comes up throughout the letter
of 1 John. If you were to examine each of these
occurrences, you could group them into three major
divisions. Examining the three ways in which John
teaches about a believers obedience will be an effective
way to get a full understanding of how obedience
evidences eternal life. Once we are through with these
three examinations we will take some time to highlight
several clarifications that John also gives about our
obedience. Lets look first at the three ways in which
John encourages obedience.

1. Obeyingwalking in light rather than darkness
2. Obeyingkeeping Christs commands
3. Obeyingnot continuing in sin


Assurance
of Salvation
Lesson 2




16

ObeyingWalking in Light Rather than Darkness

Digging

As we examine this theme together, take a moment to
read the following passage and answer the two
questions below.

This is the message we have heard from Him and
announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there
is no darkness at all.
6
If we say that we have
fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we
lie and do not practice the truth;
7
but if we walk in
the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have
fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus
His Son cleanses us from all sin (1 John 1:5-7).

1. How does John describe God (I John 1:5)?



2. Claiming to know God is not enough. What must
also be true of what we say?



What is walking in darkness according to this
passage? Lets try to answer that question together.
Start by looking at verse 5. What does John compare

17

God to? We saw that He compares Him to light.
Therefore, walking in light is walking in a way that is
consistent with the nature and character of God.
Consequently, walking in darkness would be living in
ways that are antithetical to Gods character.

How do we know what God would do in everyday life?
We learn in Hebrews 1:3 that Jesus is the radiance of
His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and
upholds all things by the word of His power. So if you
want to know how God would act in a certain situation
then you observe Jesus life and ministry. If you want
to walk in the light as God is light then you will walk like
Jesus. The true believers life becomes more and more
like Jesus life.

There is a Christian classic that illustrates this well. In
His Steps is a very helpful and convicting book by
Charles Sheldon. In this fictional story, Sheldon
explores what would happen if people tried to faithfully
walk like Jesus did. Sheldon follows the lives of a
pastor, a popular singer, a newspaper owner, and
eventually, most of a city as they try to answer What
would Jesus do? in every decision they make.


18

This phrase (often
abbreviated W.W.J.D.)
has become a popular
slogan for t-shirts,
bracelets, and even
tattoos. But the premise
behind this thought is
essential to the Christian
life. If you are a Christian you will walk in the light. You
will walk the way Jesus did because He lived perfectly
like His heavenly Father.

So here is our first question when it comes to possessing
eternal life. Do you walk like Jesus, or is your walk the
opposite of the way Jesus walked? If the way you live is
consistently the opposite of how Jesus lived then you
are walking in darkness rather than light.

Applying

In the chart below, list evidences in your life that you
are walking in the light. Think specifically of instances
in Jesus life that mirror aspects of your life that are
natural to you now as a believer. In contrast to that,
think through areas of your life that were the opposite
before you were a believer (walking in darkness) which
have now changed.




19


WALKING IN THE LIGHT WALKING IN DARKNESS








ObeyingKeeping Christs Commandments

The second way that John describes obedience in his
first letter is by keeping Christs commandments. As
you would expect, this is another evidence of being born
again.

Digging

By this we know that we have come to know Him, if
we keep His commandments.
4
The one who says, I
have come to know Him, and does not keep His
commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him;
5
but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God
has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are
in Him:
6
the one who says he abides in Him ought
himself to walk in the same manner as He walked (1
John 2:3-6).

20

If you know that He is righteous, you know that
everyone also who practices righteousness is born of
Him (1 John 2:29).


1. According to these passages how do we know that
we have come to know Him?









2. If you say that you know God but do not do this then
what does John call you?

21

It is important to clarify the specific commandment that
John develops here. He is not referring to the 613
commands of the Tanakh (Old Testament). What John




Shepherds in Palestine even to this day wander
from place to place finding grazing land for their
flocks. An interesting detail about sheep that is
different than cattle is the way they respond to
their owner/shepherd. If you have spent any time
on a ranch or farm, no doubt this scene is familiar
the reaction of cows when they see a tractor pull
up to the feeding area. They dont care what type
of vehicle it is or who is driving it. They just
immerge quickly from all parts of the field with a
swift and steady gallop, Lets eat, lets eat, lets
eat. In fact, if they know the time of day for a
feeding they will show up before the farmer
arrives.

Not so with sheep. Sheep are not known as smart
animalstheir reputation tends to be the opposite.
However, they are keen to know and follow only the
voice of their shepherd and if someone else tries to
call them they will not follow. They will only follow
the voice of the one they trust.

Side LightHearing His Voice

22

develops here is a command Jesus gave to summarize
the entire Tanakh. In John 15:12 Jesus taught, "This is
My commandment, that you love one another, just as I
have loved you. This theme (loving God and others) is
another evidence of salvation that we will examine in
more detail in the next chapter of our study.
ObeyingNot Continuing in Sin

We have already examined two ways that John teaches
the theme of obedience as a hallmark of a believers life.
He teaches obedience through walking in the light, and
obedience through keeping Gods commandments. The
final way this theme appears in I John is when the
author compels believers not to sin.

Digging

Everyone who practices sin also practices
lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness.
5
You know that
In the same way, though true believers are
imperfect and often failing, one thing will always
be truethey will know and follow the voice of
Jesus in His Word.

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them,
and they follow me (John 10:27).


23

He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him
there is no sin.
6
No one who abides in Him sins; no
one who sins has seen Him or knows Him.
7
Little
children, make sure no one deceives you; the one who
practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is
righteous;
8
the one who practices sin is of the devil;
for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son
of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works
of the devil.
9
No one who is born of God practices sin,
because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin,
because he is born of God.
10
By this the children of
God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone
who does not practice righteousness is not of God (1
John 3:4-10).

We know that no one who is born of God sins; but He
who was born of God keeps him, and the evil one does
not touch him (1 John 5:18).

1. How does John define sin (I John 3:4)?



2. If you practice sin, who are you born of (I John 3:8)?





24

3. What does it mean to be of the Devil or of God (I
John 3:9-10)?



How cute it is to see a child mimic their parenta three
year old trying on their parents shoes. As they get
older, some of this mimicking is painful as a parent. I
wish my child did not pick up on that character trait!
Or, perhaps you can think fondly on the positive
character traits that were ingrained in you by your
parents. I remember vividly, before my wife and I had
children, we would occasionally watch my sister in laws
children. One of these little girls was very adamant not
to obey Sarah. As Sarah was trying to get her to wash
her hand she repeatedly said, You are not my mommy
and you are not the boss! You are not my mommy and
you are not the boss! She only would obey her mommy.

This language here in I John is straightforward. If you
are a child of God you will do things that are godly. If
you are not a child of God you are a child of the devil
and you will do things that your father does (filled with
accusations, pride, deceit and murder). That sounds
very harsh, but that is Scriptures teaching.



25

Four Clarifications Concerning a Believers
Obedience

So, if you sin you are of the Devil and if you do not sin
you are of God. Perhaps that sounds too clear cut for
you, or perhaps even too radical. However, when we
examine the remainder of the verses in this book on the
theme of obedience, we will find four clarifications that
will help us understand the inner workings of obedience
in the life and walk of a believer. Lets look at four
clarifications.

Our obedience naturally springs from a new
nature.

If you know that He is righteous, you know that
everyone also who practices righteousness is born of
Him (1 John 2:29).

Those who are born again (born from above), are a new
creation inside (John 3; Ephesians 4:24). Not only does
God live within them, but they have a new part of them
awakened that will desire to seek after God. Since no
man naturally seeks after God (Romans 3:11), that
desire can only have come from God. So true believers
do not merely strive to be holy but they are made holy
from the inside out. There is always a struggle with sin
(see below), but something has been awakened in a

26

believers heart to seek God and His desires. This is the
glorious miracle of salvation!

A believer is not trying to
be a new person on their
own; they are, by nature,
a new person. Consider
the difference between a
caterpillar and a
butterfly. A butterfly can teach a caterpillar about flying
all that it wants (if it has a want of that kind), but it will
not be able to get up and fly until it goes through the
amazing transformation in the cocoon. You cannot fly
the Christian life if you have not gone through that
transaction with Jesus by placing your trust in Him as
your Savior and Lord. Once you have placed your trust
in Him, He changes you and His Spirit enables you to
live an entirely different life.
Our obedience is motivated by love and not guilt.

By this we know that we love the children of God,
when we love God and observe His commandments.
3

For this is the love of God, that we keep His
commandments; and His commandments are not
burdensome.
4
For whatever is born of God overcomes
the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the
worldour faith (1 John 5:1-4).



27

This is another important clarification. John teaches in
verse 3 that Gods commands are not burdensome or
heavy. Some commands are like boulders that people
place on their back, trudging through life with a scowl
as they try to obey out of sheer will power. But Gods
commands are not like this. Believers genuinely want to
obey because we know how much our Lord and Savior
has done for us. We know the great debt that He has
forgiven. We know the great cost that he endured to
give this to us. So it is not that we have to obey as much
as it is that we want to obey.

It is interesting that our Lord used this same term
heavy when He exposed and rebuked the religious
leaders of His day. All that they tell you, do and
observe, but do not do according to their deeds; for they
say things and do not do them. They tie up heavy
burdens and lay them on men's shoulders, but they
themselves are unwilling to move them with so much as
a finger. (Matthew 23:3-4)

This is a rather comical picture. Its as though the
religious leaders were filling cloth bags with heavy
boulders, laying them on peoples shoulders as they
walked past. And as the people walked away, they
watched them struggle under the weight. This is not
grace. We obey Jesus, doing whatever He says because
we love Him. We know He knows best and are happy to
do what He desires of us. We thank Him for the privilege

28

to obey His desires as we plead for grace and help to
obey consistently.
We will never be perfectly without sin.

Maybe you read I Johns emphasis on obedience and feel
like a failure. You know you are not perfect so you start
to worry that something is wrong. Maybe this emphasis
brings more doubt in your heart than greater assurance.
It is important to point out that when John says that no
one that is born of God sins he is using the present
tense of the verb (I John 5:18, also 3:9). This sounds like
a minor point of grammar but it is actually very
important. The present tense gives this word an
ongoing emphasisthis is a person who continues in
sin. The English Standard Version renders this a little
more clearly: everyone who has been born of God does
not keep on sinning. In a similar verse, the ESV
translates with practicing sin. The point is that
believers do not continually practice sin without the
Lord working seriously in their lives.

Actually the Bible teaches that those who are born again
will be convicted in their hearts about sin and will get
that sin right. Additionally, if they continue in sin the
Lord will chasten their disobedience. The author of
Hebrews uses this truth as a reason we know we are
Gods children. For the Lord disciplines the one he

29

loves, and chastises every son whom he receives
(Hebrews 12:6; ESV).

So it is not that we are perfectly without sin, but we will
not continue in that sin. We will get it right and move
on. In fact, John teaches that those who say they are
perfectly without sin are not actually born again. So not
only will we never be perfectly without sin, but if




The story is frequently told of a Father that taught his son
about disobedience and the consequences of sin. After the
boy stole candy from a local store, his Father taught him
the following lesson. He told his son to hammer 10 large
nails into a large plank of wood.

I have finished, Dad.

Now, go pull the nails out and bring the wood to me.

After doing what he asked, he returned to hear why his
father asked him to do such an odd task. The father put
his arm around his sons shoulder as they examined the
holes in the wood and explained. When you sin, you are
hammering nails into the wood of your life. You are
choosing to put things into your life that will affect you in
the future. The Lord takes away those sins and they are
remembered no more. The nails are goneif we believe
Side LightWrath or Consequences

30

someone claims that they have no sin you can conclude
that they must be lying!
the blood of Jesus, Gods Son, keeps on cleansing us from
our sin. But the effects of our sin are not part of that. They
are a part of the process of sowing and reaping. You may
suffer consequences long down the road for sins you
commit. If you sow a life of sin you will reap a life of painful
consequences.

This story teaches a good lesson. Jesus does forgive our
sin, and at times He even takes away the natural
consequences of those sins. But he often lets us reap what
we sow to learn the devastating consequences of sin.

Lets say a believing teenager gets drunk, runs his car off
the road, slams into a tree, and is left paralyzed. The
effects of his sin are there for life. God forgives him
completely; the sin of drunkenness is paid for and he bears
none of Gods wrath for that, but the effects of his sin
remain.

The point is simple. When God forgives our sin it is total
and life-transforming. All of our sin and guilt is utterly
wiped out by Christs sacrifice on the cross. Sometimes God
may even choose to take away the consequences of our sin.
But we should also recognize that the consequences of our
sin are often permanent and irreversible. This should serve
as yet another reminder to resist temptation and walk with
God.

31


If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a
liar and His word is not in us (1 John 1:10).

True believers are not continuing in sin but we are
sinful. This leads to our last clarification. A believer
does not continue in sin but he knows how to deal with
sin once it is committed.

We will know how to deal with our sin.

Those who have eternal life will not continue in sin.
Additionally, although they will not be perfectly without
sin, when they sin, there is a solution. Every time you
fail, go back to the Gospel. Believe that while confessing
and forsaking your sin before Jesus, He is cleansing you!
This is a glorious and beautiful truth!

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous
to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).

My little children, I am writing these things to you
so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have
an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the
righteous; and He Himself is the propitiation for our
sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the
whole world (1 John 2:1-2).

32

John does not say, If any man sin he has forfeited his
advocate. John proclaims that we have an advocate,
sinners though we are. All the sin that a believer ever
commits or can possibly commit cannot destroy his
relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ as his advocate.






Imputed righteousness is not just a combination of two
$50 words; it is a concept that you must understand as a
believer because it is so freeing.

We often focus on Jesus death in our place as taking the
wrath of God for our sins (propitiation) but the Bible also
teaches that God imputes Jesus righteousness to our
account. You see, we not only need someone to pay for our
sin, but we also need someone to earn Gods favor for us.
And that is imputed righteousness.

The doctrine of imputation describes how God placed our
sin on Jesus account and His righteousness on ours. Thats
why imputation involves both Jesus death (to take away
our sin) and His life (to offer us His righteousness). In
accounting termsHis credit comes into our column and
our debt goes into His column. There is a rich and vivid
picture of imputation in the Old Testament book of
Zechariah:
Side LightImputed Righteousness

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Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing
before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his
right hand to accuse him. The LORD said to Satan, The
LORD rebuke you, Satan! Indeed, the LORD who has
chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked
from the fire? Now Joshua was clothed with filthy
garments and standing before the angel. He spoke and
said to those who were standing before him, saying,
Remove the filthy garments from him. Again he said to
him, See, I have taken your iniquity away from you and
will clothe you with festal robes. Then I said, Let them
put a clean turban on his head. So they put a clean turban
on his head and clothed him with garments, while the
angel of the LORD was standing by (Zechariah 3:1-5).

In this picture Joshua is wicked, and yet clean robes are
placed on Him. The person that comes to faith in Christ
will have the perfect robes of Jesus (The Angel of the Lord)
placed upon him. Your filth was placed upon Jesus and His
righteousness is credited to you.

It is as if a child in school was given the grade of his
neighbor because of their relationship. The child did not
earn the favorable marks, but the teacher credited the
grade to his or her account. So the Father does this on our
behalf, not as a mistake but as a response to faith. Jesus
righteous marks are placed on our account and our
sinfulness is placed upon Him as He suffers in our place.


34








Pastor Christ Anderson teaches this wonderful truth in his
poem His Robes for Mine.

His robes for mine, oh wonderful exchange!
Clothed in my sin, Christ suffered neath Gods rage.
Draped in His righteousness, Im justified.
In Christ I live for in my place He died.

His robes for mine, what cause have I for dread?
Gods daunting Law Christ mastered in my stead.
Faultless I stand with righteous works not mine.
Saved by my Lords vicarious death and life.

I cling to Christ and marvel at the cost:
Jesus forsaken, God estranged from God.
Bought by such love, my life is not my own:
My praise, my all shall be for Christ alone

He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so
that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (2
Corinthians 5:21).


35


Possession of eternal life is evidenced
through a changed love.

We discovered in the second lesson that a primary
evidence of a changed heart is an obedient heart. The
second evidence of a changed heart is a changed love.
This is a second major evidence of faith and therefore a
second pillar on which assurance of salvation rests. It
is also the second primary theme from 1 John that we
will develop in our study.

Believe it or not, love is mentioned more times in this
little book than any other book in the Bible (over 35
times)! Love is a major theme, and it is very closely
related to the first theme (obedience). Those who obey
Christs command will love others because Christs
primary command is to love one another.

John develops four different principles about a changed
love. We will highlight the following in this chapter:

Assurance
of Salvation
Lesson 3



36

1. We love other believers.
2. We do not love the world.
3. Our love is motivated by Gods love.
4. Our love is practically demonstrated by helping
others.

We love other believers.

Harris Stewart was awakened by a startling noise. Two
men waiving weapons and wearing masks threatened
violence to his family in their quaint urban home in
Miami. To defend his wife and eleven year old daughter,
Harris lashed out at the intruders. The intruders left,
but only after taking the life of the brave father. His
love for his family surpassed his love for his own life.
The bond of love in families is often an extremely
durable chain.

The same is true in the spiritual realm. There is an
invisible but very real bond between brothers and
sisters who know Jesus as Savior. The Bible refers to us
as spiritual family. One way we demonstrate spiritual
life is through loving other believers. If you have no
affinity with others who believe in Jesus then you are
probably not in their spiritual family.



37

Consider below a couple of the passages that teach this
truth in 1 John.

The one who says he is in the Light and yet hates his
brother is in the darkness until now.
10
The one who
loves his brother abides in the Light and there is no
cause for stumbling in him.
11
But the one who hates
his brother is in the darkness and walks in the
darkness, and does not know where he is going
because the darkness has blinded his eyes (1 John 2:7-
11).

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God;
and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.
8
The one who does not love does not know God, for
God is love.
9
By this the love of God was manifested
in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the
world so that we might live through Him.
10
In this is
love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and
sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
11

Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one
another.
12
No one has seen God at any time; if we love
one another, God abides in us, and His love is
perfected in us (1 John 4:7-12).






38


1. If you do not love your brother and sister what is
true of you (two answers 2:9; 4:8)?




2. What is true of you if you love other believers (two
answers; 4:12)?




This love of other believers is a clear evidence of a
changed hearta new birth. In contrast, a lack of love
for other believers is an evidence of no change of heart.
I remember speaking to a man in the subway who said
he was tired of going to church and had not been in
years because as he visited many churches he realized
that other believers were not as mature as he was
spiritually. What a horrible attitude to have toward
churches! A mark of love (and maturity) is a desire to
help others mature in the faith.

In contrast, when someone is truly born again they will
want to be with other believers. The biography of
Brother Andrew (Gods Smuggler) is fascinating. It
recounts how the Lord took a very rough Dutch soldier
and transformed him into a loving person and a daring

39

soldier in Christs armysmuggling Bibles behind the
Iron Curtain.

He gives sketches of his life as a soldier. He had little
conscience for sinswhether blasphemy, drunkenness,
immorality, or reckless abandonment as a soldier, his
life was characterized by sin and he enjoyed the
company of other sinners. He walked with those who
walked in sin.

However, an amazing change took place once he came
to know Jesus as Lord and Savior. Space does not
permit here to recount the series of events that brought
him to place his faith in Jesus as Savior, but it was very
evident in his changed life. With a new heart he
discovered new desires. When his buddy wrote about
visiting him for a drinking binge, he never got around to
writing back. He recounts it as a matter of fact. It was
not necessarily something he consciously avoided
because he couldnt do it now, he just didnt want to.

Instead of desiring the company of his old drinking
buddies he began desiring the Word and fellowship with
other believers. Brother Andrew wondered to himself,
What was happening to me...? Then the church going
began. I, who never went to church, started now to
attend with such regularity that the whole village
noticed it. I started attending church services in
neighboring towns as well. On Mondays I went to a

40

Salvation Army meeting in Alkmaar. On Tuesdays I
pedaled all the way to Amsterdam to a Baptist service.
I found a service somewhere every night in the week.
2


This changed love is yet another evidence of a changed
heart. Do you love other believers? Consider a few
questions:

1. Do you enjoy going to church?
2. Do you find other Christians to fellowship with or
other non-believers to hang out with?
3. Does your heart ache for other believers in difficult
circumstances (either locally or internationally)?
We do not love the world.

Our love is different because we love other believers.
However, the believers love is different not just in what
he or she loves but also in what he or she does not love.

Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If
anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in
him.
16
For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh
and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life,
is not from the Father, but is from the world.
17
The
world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one

2
Gods Smuggler, Brother Andrew with John & Elizabeth Sherrill;
Baker book house, 2008, pg. 42.

41

who does the will of God lives forever (1 John 2:15-
17).

John is not instructing us to move to Mars because we
do not like this earth. We have to understand what is
meant by the word world. John uses this word more
than any other author in the Bible. And he uses it in
different ways, too. In this context he has in mind the
ordered system of this world that is in opposition to
Gods spiritual kingdom and Gods purposes. Hieberts
definition is helpful: Because of the fallen nature of
the human race, the term predominantly has an ethical
import, the human race in its alienation from and
opposition to God. John here has in view the world of
humanity steeped in sin and dominated by the evil one.
As such, it is quite synonymous with the darkness in
chapter 1.
3


This world, in its current state of rebellion against God
should have no place in our heart. We love God so we
oppose what He opposes.

At times this is a purely secular mindset. It may not be
a mind against God, but simply a mind without God.
The stuff of this life and this setting (world) so chokes
out all your attention that you have no thought of God.

3
The Epistles of John, An Expositional Commentary, D.
Edmond Hiebert; Bob Jones University Press, 1991, pg. 100.

42

Our society champions this type of worldliness. You
can have God, just dont bring Him up or let Him be seen
in public.

This is not the heart of a believer. A believer is not
someone who marginalizes the Lord in their life. He is
the reason for life and His glory is the goal of their life.
Do you love the world? Are you worldly?
4



4
The following note on worldliness is written by Pastor John
Brackbill, The Bible Church of Port Washington.




How would you describe worldliness? Can you see it? Is
there a comprehensive checklist of things detailing what
it means to be worldly? Christians should all agree that
conformity to the world is a problem because worldliness
is a serious sin. James 4:4 calls worldliness spiritual
adultery and 1 John 2:15 teaches that if anyone loves the
world, the love of the Father is not in him.

So does that mean we should try to be different from
everything in our present world? The Amish community
has determined that most modern conveniences are too
much like the world. Therefore, they avoid cars, electricity
or technology, and only wear clothes of certain patterns
and colors. On one level they are avoiding being
Side LightWhat is
worldliness?

43


conformed to the current world. But are modern
conveniences that what the Bible means by worldliness?

The New Testament describes worldliness many different
ways: the lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and pride
of life (1 John 2:16); lusts and pleasures (James 4:1-2);
worldly desires (Titus 2:12); or the lusts of the flesh,
desires of the flesh, and desires of the mind (Eph. 2:1-
3). Notice that worldliness is intensely internal (lusts,
mind, etc.). Worldliness rages internally as a persons
desires and mindset are shaped by the collective
characteristics of the unredeemed world, energized by
Satan. It is also essential to understand that these biblical
descriptions point to the sources of worldliness.
Worldliness expresses itself in every area of life: anything
that encourages the works of the flesh (Gla. 5:13-21 cf.
James 3:13-18 and 1 Pet. 4:2-4), conflicts (James 4:1-10),
future planning devoid of trusting God (James 4:13-17), or
manmade codes of conduct that infringe on the gospel
(Col. 2:8-10, 16-23).

The good news is that Scripture explains how to overcome
worldlinessthrough the instruction of gospel grace
(Titus 2:11-14), through transformation by the renewal of
ones mind in the Word (Rom. 12:1-2); by being aware of
Gods mercy that has made us aliens in this world (1 Pet.
2:9-11), and by being aware of the passing nature of this
world (2 Pet. 3:11-13).

This topic is important because Christians often veer off
into one of two ditches surrounding the issue. First, some

44


Our love is motivated by Gods love.

The third concept that John develops concerning our
new love as a Christian defines our loves motivation.
The believers love for God and others is the natural
response to Gods love. Gods love motivates our love.

Of course love is not just a nice feeling for another
person. It goes far beyond that. It is selflessly giving to
someone elses wellbeing with no thought of return.
When we consider that Jesus gave His life for our
wellbeing and that God the Father gave His Son for our
salvation, we can only respond by loving Him and other
people.

act as if conformity to the worlds affections, goals, and
desires is not really that big of a deal. On the opposite
extreme, some people manufacture their own definitions
of worldliness and bind other Christians consciences to
that, rather than seeking the Bibles definition. Because
worldliness can surface in any area of our lives, we need
Gods grace to analyze the underlying reasons and
motivations that inform our actions and goals in this life.
As our minds are transformed and we progress in Christ-
likeness we can live in the world, but not be of the world
(John 17:14-16).

45

We have come to know and have believed the love
which God has for us. God is love, and the one who
abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.
17 By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may
have confidence in the Day of Judgment; because as
He is, so also are we in this world. 18 There is no fear
in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear
involves punishment, and the one who fears is not
perfected in love. 19 We love, because He first loved
us (1 John 4:16-21).

We know that we have passed out of death into life,
because we love the brethren. He who does not love
abides in death. 15 Everyone who hates his brother is
a murderer; and you know that no murderer has
eternal life abiding in him. 16 We know love by this;
that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay
down our lives for the brethren (1 John 3:14-20).

1. According to I John 4:17 how is Gods love
perfected in us?



2. To what extent should we love our brethren (I John
3:16)?



46

If our love for others is motivated by the love that God
gives us then we cannot say that we will not love another
believer because they annoy us. Our love for others is
not dependent on whether or not they deserve it but on
the love God shows us.

Our love is practically demonstrated through
helping others.

A study of love in Scripture will lead you to the fact that
love is an action word. If a spouse says that they love
and yet they are not faithful, nor do they spend time or
give attention to the other spouse, then they do not love
them. Talk is easy. True love is demonstrated
through tangible demonstration of kindness.

But whoever has the world's goods, and sees his
brother in need and closes his heart against him, how
does the love of God abide in him?
18
Little children,
let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed
and truth (1 John 3:14-20).



1. What is loving in word and in deed?






47

2. If someone sees a brother that he is able to help and
chooses not to help, what does that say about him?




























48


Possession of eternal life is evidenced
through a changed faith.

We have examined so far two major evidences of eternal
life. First, a true believer will obey God. Second, a true
believer will love God and others. Lets consider then a
third and final theme that John uses to demonstrate a
changed heart. We would all be wise to consider these
three spiritual vital signs, which give assurance that
there is spiritual life in us. The third spiritual vital sign
is your faith.

What do you believe about Jesus? Those who have
eternal life will continue to believe what the Bible says
about Jesus. As we uncover this theme throughout 1
John we will find that there are four critical truths about
Jesus that John insists all born again individuals will
continue to believe. We will survey each of those four
truths in this chapter:


Assurance
of Salvation
Lesson 4



49

1. He is Messiah.
2. He came in the flesh.
3. He is the Son of God.
4. He is the Savior.

Before we look at each of these, lets consider an
important question in this study. John presents specific
truths about Jesus that we must believe. This
demonstrates a very important truth. When it comes to
assurance of salvation, faith is not the only factor we
must examine. We must also consider the object or the
content of someones faith. What you believe about
something, will determine whether or not your faith is
misplaced. The object of your faith is what you are
trusting in. Having faith is not enough. You must
have faith in Jesus. Additionally, it is just as important
what you believe about Jesus. We could refer to the
what of your faith as the content of your faith.

Take the example of a chair. I can have faith in a chair.
And that may be a good thing. However, it may not be
a good thing depending on the content of my faith.
What do I believe about that chair? Lets choose the
recliner in my living room. If I trust this chair to hold
my weight so I can sit down and rest, I have not
misplaced my faith. However, if I trust in the same chair
to fly me to Florida, then I have definitely misplaced my
faith. In the same way, what you believe about Jesus is
essential. I believe in Jesus. Is a common statement.

50

But we must ask someone what do you believe about
Jesus? This is equally important, and this is what John
is going to work through.




51

Lets consider below these four truths that John
mentions as the content of our faith in Jesus.
Believe that Jesus is the Messiah.

You may know that the term Christ is not Jesus last
name. It is actually a technical term that means Messiah;
so, Christ is a title, declaring that Jesus is the Messiah
prophesied in the Old Testament Scriptures.. If
someone is born again they will accept Jesus as the
Messiah.

Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is
the Christ? This is the antichrist, the one who denies
the Father and the Son.
23
Whoever denies the Son does
not have the Father; the one who confesses the Son has
the Father also.
24
As for you, let that abide in you
which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard
from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide
in the Son and in the Father.
25
This is the promise
which He Himself made to us: eternal life (1 John
2:22-25).

The opening sentence in the above passage says that
those who deny Jesus is the Messiah are antichrist. In
other words, they are against the Messiah. But those
who continue to believe in Jesus as the promised
Messiah are those who have eternal life.


52

You cannot possess eternal life if you do not believe that
Jesus is Messiah, so this doctrinal detail will affect your
assurance of salvation. Do you believe that Jesus of
Nazareth is Gods Messiah? If yes, great! Now lets
consider another doctrinal truth.
Believe that Jesus has come in the Flesh.

In the years following Jesus death a false teaching arose
which denied that Jesus had flesh and blood. These
false teachers recognized that Jesus was God but they
refused to acknowledge that He was man. I find it
interesting that today false teachers more often deny
Jesus Divine nature, but those closer to the time He
walked on this earth were more tempted to deny His
humanity. John clearly opposed this false teaching
from very beginning of the book. Notice the first verse
where John is sharing his eyewitness account of Jesus.
What was from the beginning, what we have heard,
what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked
at and touched with our hands.

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the
spirits to see whether they are from God, because
many false prophets have gone out into the world.
2

By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that
confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is
from God;
3
and every spirit that does not confess
Jesus is not from God; this is the spirit of the

53

antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming,
and now it is already in the world (1 John 4:1-3).

Not only is Jesus from the beginning (Divine), but He
also came in the flesh and was heard, seen, and touched
(Human). John is upholding the two natures of Jesus
Person. Both of these truths must be contained in what
you believe to be true about Jesus.
Believe that Jesus is the Son of God.

Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who
believes that Jesus is the Son of God (1 John 5:5)?

Not only is Jesus fully human, but He is also the Son of
God. It is important to point out the significance of this
phrase. When Jesus claimed to be the Son of God what
was He claiming? As a human, when I have a son, he is
also human. God is divine, His Son is also divine. We
know that this is what the NT authors realized as they
claimed that Jesus was the Son of God. Consider the
following statement.

For this reason therefore the Jews were seeking all the
more to kill Him, because He not only was breaking the
Sabbath, but also was calling God His own Father,
making Himself equal with God.


54

Jesus original hearers realized that He was claiming
Divinity. Of course He backed up these claims as well
that will be a study we will take up later. For now, it
would be helpful to read through the following verses
that also teach this truth. Numerous others could be
added

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with
God, and the Word was God (John 1:1).
For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth
were realized through Jesus Christ.
18
No one has seen
God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the
bosom of the Father, He has explained Him (John
1:17-18).
Thomas answered and said to Him, My Lord and my
God (John 20:28)!
To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race,
according to the flesh, is the Christ who is God over
all, blessed forever. Amen (Romans 9:5).
Who, being in very nature God, did not consider
equality with God something to be grasped
(Philippians 2:6).
Looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the
glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus (Titus
2:13).
But of the Son he says, Your throne, O God, is forever
and ever, the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of
your kingdom.
9
You have loved righteousness and
hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has

55

anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your
companions.
10
And, You, Lord, laid the foundation of
the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the
work of your hands (Hebrews 1:9-10).
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. This is the true God and eternal life (1 John
5:20).

These passages, among others, show how clear this
teaching is in Scripture. Consequently, those who are
born again will believe this truth about Jesus. He is fully
man and He is also fully God. Do you believe this is
truth?




One movement that is aggressively pushing into our
society, especially in NYC, is the Jehovahs
Witnesses. They often hand out publications from
The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society in the
subways and at doorsteps. Although their material
is attractive, they are false teachers because among
other doctrinal errors, they deny the deity of Jesus.
They say that He existed before creation but is not

Side LightModern False
Teachers



56






eternal. So what do these verses teach us about
organizations like the Watchtower Society? They are
not of God.

Passages like the ones recorded above, are some of
the many that made Kenneth and Monique Guindon
leave the Jehovahs Witness organization after years
of service. As I laid aside The Watchtower and other
study guides of the Jehovahs Witnesses and read
the New Testament with an open mind, I became
aware of two things. First, salvation comes by faith
in Jesus Christ and not by works (Ephesians 2:8-10).
The believer has eternal life when he believes in the
Son of God (I John 5:1-13). Second, we all have as a
result one hope, not two (Ephesians 4:4).
1


It is important to realize that people that are
enslaved to the doctrine of cults like the Jehovahs
Witnesses need to be told lovingly the truth of Jesus
as fully man, fully God, and Savior of the world. The
Word of God can open their eyes to the truth of
Scripture and save them from the error of their ways
(James 5:19-20).


57

Believe that Jesus died to save you.

Each person must believe that Jesus died to save him or
her from the penalty of their sin. Jesus death was
substitutionary. This means that He died in my place in
order to pay the penalty that I deserved. He lived a
perfect life to earn the favor before God that I could
never earn. This is the glorious truth of the Gospel.
John exposes the necessity to believe in Jesus as the way
of salvation. Do you have the Son of God as your Savior?
Read the passage below and answer the questions.

The one who believes in the Son of God has the
testimony in himself; the one who does not believe
God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed
in the testimony that God has given concerning His
Son.
11
And the testimony is this that God has given us
eternal life, and this life is in His Son.
12
He who has
the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of
God does not have the life (1 John 5:10-12).

1. What is the testimony concerning Gods Son that we
must believe (John 5:11)?


2. What is true of the one who does not have the Son?



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This is another critical foundation for your personal
assurance of salvation. Your confidence should not be
based in your memory of an event but in what you know
you presently believe. You were born again because you
began trusting in Jesus, but that trust continues. This
is called perseverance. All those who are born again will
continue to trust in the sacrifice of Jesus for their sin.
You will continue to persevere in the faith. So, those
who are born again will be believing in Jesus as their
substitute for the penalty of their sins. It has become a
part of their new nature.

You may experience doubts at times about certain
points of doctrine or you may experience times of
darkness because of lifes trials, but you will continue to
trust in Jesus as your Savior. So an important question
iswhat are you trusting in for salvation? Are you
trusting completely in Jesus for your eternal well-being?
A heart that is completely trusting in Jesus for eternal
salvation is a heart that is born again.

Some struggle with assurance because they may not
have a specific date to write down as the time that they
walked the sawdust trail or came down the aisle to
know Jesus as Savior. It is true that your regeneration
happens at one point in time, and that point of time will
dramatically change you forever, but knowing the exact
date or time does not save you. The condition for
salvation is that you trust in Jesus alone as your Savior.

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So right now, do you believe in Jesus as your Savior?
That is the essential point.
Question and Answer

1. Fill out the chart below in the column that teaches
the spiritual truths of trusting in Jesus.

Physical Rest Spiritual Rest
Object of Faith Chair


Content of Faith This chair will
hold my weight.

Correctly Placed
Faith
Sit in the chair.




2. List the four truths about Jesus that make up the
content of our faith.











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Review and Clarification
In our final lesson together we will try to crystalize these
truths from 1 John through a brief review and also
clarify a couple truths about this doctrine.
Review

Take moment to review with me. The letter of I John
was written to assure believers that they are truly
children of God. We highlighted the three primary
themes of obedience, love, and faith as the three fruits
of a regenerate heart. If you have a new heart then you
will give evidence of this by exhibiting these fruits.
These are three vital signs of spiritual life.

There are two passages that include all three themes
succinctlycan you identify and outline the three
themes in the passages below? Underline our themes in
these two passages.

This is His commandment, that we believe in the
name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another,
Assurance
of Salvation
Lesson 5



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just as He commanded us.
24
The one who keeps His
commandments abides in Him, and He in him. We
know by this that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom
He has given us (1 John 3:23-24).

Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of
God, and whoever loves the Father loves the child born
of Him.
2
By this we know that we love the children of
God, when we love God and observe His
commandments.
3
For this is the love of God, that we
keep His commandments; and His commandments are
not burdensome (1 John 5:1-3).

Application

Take a moment to apply these three themes to your
heart by answering the following questions.

Obedience:

1. Can you walk openly in sin without conviction from
the Holy Spirit?
2. Are you grieved in your spirit when you sin?
3. Do you yearn to live a life that looks like Jesus or do
you long to pursue things that are antithetical to
Jesus life?
4. Do you believe that God has ever disciplined you for
disobedience?

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Love:

1. Do you enjoy the company of other believers?
2. Do you try to help needy believers?
3. Do you respond in love towards God or do you hate
Him?
4. Do you enjoy attending church?
5. Do you enjoy prayer and Scripture reading (speaking
with God)?

Trust:

1. Do you believe that Jesus is fully manthat God
sent Him to earth, taking on humanity?
2. Do you believe that Jesus is the Son of Godthat He
came to earth as fully Divine?
3. Do you believe that Jesus death is sufficient to pay
the penalty for your sins?
4. Are you trusting Jesus for forgiveness?

Concluding ClarificationCan you lose eternal
life?

Now that we have looked at the letter of I John we will
examine the doctrine of eternal security from a few
other passages. We will examine two major truths from
Scripture regarding this doctrine. 1. Those who are
born again will continue to follow Christ. 2. Those who
do not continue to follow Christ were never born again.

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Those who are born again will persevere in their
faith because God will preserve them.

Jesus teaches that those who have eternal life will never
lose that faith. The nature of someone who is born
again by faith in Jesus is that eternal life is infused into
that person. So those who truly believe have an
unending life with the Father. Jesus taught this to His
followers:

The Jews then gathered around Him, and were saying
to Him, How long will You keep us in suspense? If You
are the Christ, tell us plainly.
25
Jesus answered them,
I told you, and you do not believe; the works that I do
in My Father's name, these testify of Me.
26
But you do
not believe because you are not of My sheep.
27
My
sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow
Me;
28
and I give eternal life to them, and they will
never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My
hand.
29
My Father, who has given them to Me, is
greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out
of the Father's hand.
30
I and the Father are one (John
10:24-30).

In verse 26 Jesus is referring to those who believe in Him
(see 25) and He emphatically states that those who are
His sheep (believers) will never perish. In the original
language the emphasis is even strongerit could be

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translated They shall certainly, never perish. This is
the nature of the eternal life God gives. True believers
will continue to believe. This is a comforting passage
because it places the responsibility of keeping in Gods
hands. It is true that we will continue to believe if we
have eternal life, but this passage teaches that even this
is in Gods hands. Those who believe are secure and
no one is able to pry us out of the Fathers handsnot
even you are able to pry yourself out of His hand! As
Peter teaches, believers are kept by the power of God
through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the
last time (I Peter 1:5).

Another passage that clearly teaches this is Romans 8.
Lets draw out the truths here that teach about our
security.

And we know that God causes all things to work
together for good to those who love God, to those who
are called according to His purpose.
29
For those whom
He foreknew, He also predestined to become
conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would
be the firstborn among many brethren;
30
and these
whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom
He called, He also justified; and these whom He
justified, He also glorified.
31
What then shall we say
to these things? If God is for us, who is against us
(Romans 8:28-31)?

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For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor
angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor
things to come, nor powers,
39
nor height, nor depth,
nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us
from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord
(Romans 8:38-39).

1. Who is justified? Read Luke 18:9-14 and Romans
4:5.


2. All those who are justified are also glorifiedwhat
does the Bible mean by being glorified? Read
Romans 8:16-19, Colossians 3:4 and I John 3:2.



3. How many of those who are justified are glorified
(Romans 8:30)?



4. What can separate us from Gods love (Romans
8:39)?



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Those who do not persevere in their faith never
experienced regenerating faith.

But what about those who have walked among Christian
circles and no longer believe? Did they lose their eternal
life? That would be a very short eternal life! No, the
Bible teaches that they never were born again in the first
place. Think of someone like Judas. He was one of the
twelve disciples and no one suspected him as a thief or
an unbeliever. Yet he was one who betrayed the Lord
for thirty pieces of silver. Was Judas ever born again?
Of course not. Even before he betrayed Jesus, Jesus
stated that He was not a true follower. We must realize
that some people may come to church and try to be a
part of the external believing community without a
genuine internal heart change.

John also explains this in his letter.

Children, it is the last hour; and just as you heard that
antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have
appeared; from this we know that it is the last hour.
19

They went out from us, but they were not really of us;
for if they had been of us, they would have remained
with us; but they went out, so that it would be shown
that they all are not of us.
20
But you have an anointing
from the Holy One, and you all know (1 John 2:18-20).


67

History has recorded folks that leave the visible
church. However, these were never part of the
invisible church. Only those who are true believers in
Jesus are a part of this invisible church.

There are people who are against Christ who may even
be attending your church. How will it be evident that
they are not a part of the true church? They do not
remain with us. They have never placed their faith in
Jesus as their Savior. They are merely talking the talk
that they learn from others without truly repenting of
sin and placing their faith in Jesus. Jesus gives some
severe warnings to folks who are in this state:

So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree
bears bad fruit.
18
A good tree cannot produce bad
fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit.
19
Every
tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and
thrown into the fire.
20
So then, you will know them by
their fruits.
21
Not everyone who says to Me, Lord,
Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who
does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.
22
Many will say to Me on that day, Lord, Lord, did we
not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out
demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?
23

And then I will declare to them, I never knew you;
depart from me, you who practice lawlessness
(Matthew 7:17-23).


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So it is true that all those who truly believe in Jesus will
persevere in their faith since they are being preserved
by God the Father. But if you are not born again then
Jesus does not know you, even if you do some spiritual
activities. No amount of involvement in church or
participation in good things will save you. Only Jesus
saves, and those He saves He changes little by little till
Christs character is formed in thema character of
faith, love and obedience.

This is why the book of 1 John is such a wonderful help!
All those who believe in Jesus will persevere unto
eternal life and the letter of I John is written so you can
know that. You can look at the evidences in your life
that you have eternal lifeevidences of obedience
(albeit, not perfect). Your walk in the light is steady,
growing, and motivated by love. You will know it by
love. True service for others may have been difficult in
the past but now your genuine desire is to love others.
You will also know it by faith. If you believe in Jesus as
Savior, you will continue to believe in Him until the end
of your life. Do you believe that Jesus is the Savior of
the world and even the Savior of your soul? Then you
have eternal life! Thank God for His great gift!






69






One summer I really jumped into the art of Bonsai.
I planted several plants from seed and started
several others by rooting tree branches in soil. I
bought a few Bonsai trees as well. The result was
that I had about 20 to 30 different bonsai plants
(none of which looked extremely attractive) at
different phases of growth and life.

And then the catastrophe came. I left them with
friends for several months in the hot climate of
Myrtle Beach, SC. The result was a bunch of sticks
standing out of the ground. The Bonsai collection
hadnt been especially attractive, but now it was
plain ugly. But I did not give up on them. Through
the winter months I kept caring for several of them
as if they were alive. When the next spring came,
some of the sticks that looked so barren and dead
actually brought forth sprouts of leaves! They
looked completely dead but eventually they gave
definite signs of life. Once they produced leaves, no
one could question that they really were alive.

Side Light: Signs of Life

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Faith, Obedience, and Love are three external leaves
that are good signs of eternal life on the inside. To
help remember them we could call them FOLiage.

FFaith
OObedience
L(iage)Love

How much are these leaves part of your life? If you
dont see any FOLiage in your life, then in one sense,
you cannot say that you have assurance of your
salvation. All those who believe in Jesus have
eternal life and they will never perish. But this
eternal life is demonstrated through Faith, Love, and
Obedience. If you do not have FOLiage then you
have no assurance of the eternal life you claim.
Those who have eternal life in their souls will
evidence that life through these leaves. In times of
struggle they may not evidence faith, obedience or
love as consistently and clearly as other times, but
the winter seasons of the soul should be infrequent
and short. Eventually the signs of life will come back
clear and strong because ultimately, a believers life
is that of an evergreen tree. If you have been born
again, you will continually demonstrate the leaves of
Faith, Love and Obedience.


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What are L.I.F.E. Groups?
In the blueprint for church ministry found in Ephesians 4,
God explains that He gives
church leaders who will equip
each individual in the church to
do the work of building others
up. Look at three primary
principles from this passage:

LovingIn the Ephesians 4 blueprint, all building that is
done is done through people who are speaking the truth in
love. Love is the great greenhouse of the church. Our
motivation in these groups should not be selfish. We must
strive for another person's spiritual maturity.

IndividualsIn the blueprint found in Ephesians 4, the
spiritually maturing church is one where each joint in the
body is functioning properly. We are like a clock filled with
cogs, gears, and other intricate moving parts. Each part in
that clock must be working properly for the goal to be
reached. You are needed in this clockworkyou are needed
in God's blueprint for church ministry!

Furthering EdificationIn the blueprint in Ephesians 4, God
shares His goal for church ministrythat we are all building
each other up to be more like Christ. We are to think, act
and live like Jesus. So the end goal is that each person will
be more like Jesus through meeting together around God's
Word.