Saved Or Lost?

JANUARY 20, 2021 STUDY NOTES I JOHN 3:9-10 BIBLE TEACHER: CLIFTON JONES SAVED OR LOST? INTRODUCTION Saved or lost is a most important question, do you know the answer? According to scripture there are only two kinds of people in the world Those who are of God, the saved, born again, those with a new spiritual life Those who are of the Devil, the lost, spiritually separated from God, those without spiritual life No one is almost saved or almost lost, you are either saved or lost A CHILD OF GOD 1Jn 3:9 Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. John makes two statements: The Christian does not continually live in sin The Christian cannot continually live in sin (God will discipline, 1 John 5) Is John teaching that Christians are incapable of sinning? “NO” That cannot be true because John would be contradicting himself Look at what has John already said, Christian you can sin, but don’t sin, 1Jn 2:1 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: It is the Christian who continues to abide in Christ that does not continue to sin, 1Jn 3:6 Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him. So, what does John mean when he says, Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; “Whosoever” refers to every true Christian, not one Christian is exempt from what John is teaching His words include every individual who has been “Born of God” There was a specific time when that birth occurred, Rom 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. (At that moment) The time of physical births are important, they are put on record as an exact time Spiritual births are real and of utmost importance, you need to know when you were spiritually born Do you realize what happened when you received Jesus into your life? You were born spiritually and received a new spiritual nature, 2Co 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. The result of the spiritual birth is a spiritual life, just as real as the physical life, Joh 3:6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. You have been born a Child of God and you are now a Child of God, 1Jn 5:1 Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him. You will always be a Child of God throughout eternity, 1Jn 3:2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. The new nature of the Christian does not desire to live in sin and does not continually live in sin pg. 1 We know from personal experience that we can commit an act of sin So, John does not mean that Christians are incapable of committing a sin John does not deny sin as a possibility in the life of a Christian John is describing a continual commitment to sin, when sin is the daily practice of one’s life Sin as a habit is not the normal way for a Christian to live, sin is out of character for the Christian The desire to continue in sin is unnatural for one who is born of God Sin in the life of a believer is to be an exception to the rule and not the normal lifestyle The rule of the life of those who are saved is to defeat sin and not to live in sin John is not describing a human achievement, something that we can humanly accomplish It is a divine accomplishment, something that only God can accomplish within us Christians do not continue to live in sin because of a divine seed that lives within the believer Christians do not continue to live in sin because we have been born of God Because of God’s Spirit within us we do not continue to live in sin, sin is not our way of life Do Christians sin? “YES” Will a Christian commit more than one sin? “YES” Will a Christian lose their salvation because of sin? “NO” Why don’t Christians continue to sin and why don’t Christians lose their salvation when they sin? John tells us, for his seed remaineth in him: “His seed” is a reference to the very nature of the Christian life The divine principle of life that is found within every Christian “His seed” may refer to the indwelling Spirit of God or the Word of God But probably it is the very nature of God through which the Holy Spirit and the Word of God works The “seed” is the very nature of God which dwells within the Christian At the time of salvation, God planted the seed of life within the heart of the Christian Christians have a new nature with new desires that come from a new mind, heart, and will The seed of life abides in every Christian, 1Pe 1:23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. Christians are preserved from sin by the indwelling power of the Spirit and the Word of God The seed is a divine principle of life that guides and directs the life of the Christian From the moment of new birth the Christian is to grow and mature spiritually Sin will hinder spiritual growth, God’s divine seed in our heart defeats sin The word “remaineth” is the same word often translated “abide” in 1 John, found 23 times To “abide” means to remain in position, to stay where you belong, to stay where God placed you John is telling us that when we remain in the right position we will not continue to sin and he cannot sin, This does not refer to a single act of sin but to a continual path of sin It does not mean that the Christian will never commit an act of sin This verse, or no other verse, teaches what some claim to be sinless perfection Again, the thought is the Christian cannot go on living a life of sin Speaking of a consistent and deliberate sinful life John indicates a continuous, constant, and habitual action, sin is not the policy of a Christian life Sin is not the dominant way of life sin is not that which is the deciding factor of our actions Christians are ever watchful for sin we continually fight the battle and should not surrender to sin We may lose a battle now and then, but we are not going to lose the war against sin Sin will be a temporary step and not the life-long goal of a true Christian Sin is not the normal, but the abnormal lifestyle for the Christian Christians do commit acts of sin, 1Jn 1:8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. pg. 2 But when we do, we are convicted by the Holy Spirit and confess our sins, 1Jn 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. John means that according to his new nature the Christian cannot go on living in a life of sin A Christian cannot sin without the conviction of sin--Why? because he is born of God. Many people do not realize that according to God there are only two families that exist The Family of God the Father and the family of the Devil “Born of God” identifies those who have been born-again, the spiritual birth, Joh 3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Which is a must in-order to become a child of God, Joh 3:7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. All who are not born of God are of the family of Satan, Joh 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. Other than who we are, “born of God” identifies many other truths for us, we have victory over sin, Rom 6:6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. Because we are “born of God,” sin no longer has dominion over us, Rom 6:14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. Because we are alive in Christ, we can experience a heavenly life, Col 3:1 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. We do not have to live an earthly life of sin or worldliness, Col 3:2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. When you experienced the new birth, you died to the old life of sin, Col 3:3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. To be hidden with Christ is not only a guarantee of a new way of life It also reveals the security of our new life in Christ, our inward guarantee against sin Other than 1 John 3:9 John shares several thoughts related to being “born of God” 1Jn 2:29 If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him. 1Jn 4:7 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. 1Jn 5:1 Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him. 1Jn 5:4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. 1Jn 5:18 We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not. John has a lot for us to learn about being a child of God, the evidence is overwhelming 1Jn 3:10 In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother. Verse 10 is the summary of what John has been teaching in the previous verses There are two spiritual families, the family of God and the family of the devil There is no middle ground, no halfway no one is almost one or the other No one is almost saved, and no one is almost lost pg. 3 “In this” refers to what has just been presented and introduces the contrast The contrast between the characteristics of the children of God and the children of the devil This is how we know, the way to distinguish one from the other is by what you can see “Are manifest” means that which is plainly revealed, obvious, conspicuous, easily seen It is the daily lifestyle that tells the truth, the proof is in our conduct, that is the way you can tell You know for sure what kind of a tree it is when it begins to bear its fruit You know what kind of a person someone is by their conduct, Jesus told us that, Mat 7:20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. So, if you want to be identified as a Christian, live like a Christian, let people see Christ in you John says you can see the devil in the children of the devil and the children of the devil: Those who are of the family of the devil are of the nature of the Devil, Tit 1:16 They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate. Satan is dishonest and deceiving, he has all kinds of ways to deceive, Eph 6:11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. He sets traps, 1Ti 3:7 Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil. The lost are helpless against the fiery darts of Satan, the Christian is not, Eph 6:16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. Only Christians who put their faith in God and depend upon His power can defeat the devil The Christian cannot say, “the devil made me do it,” try that in a court of law, it has been done It is comical when little children begin to blame their wrongs on someone else But it is not funny, and it is not true when Christians try to blame their sin on someone else Christians are responsible for their own behavior, and so are the children of the devil whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, “Doeth not” speaks of continuous action, the habitual path of one’s life No one without Christ in their life can live righteous, Rom 3:10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: Only by receiving Christ into your life by faith can you live righteous, Rom 3:22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: A lack of the righteousness of God reveals a child of the devil A lack of the love of God reaching out to others also reveals a child of the devil neither he that loveth not his brother. John speaks of one who does not live with a continuing attitude of love Love for one’s fellow human being is not a practice of their life These words guide us into the main subject found in the following verses and the remaining chapters Love and hate will be discussed in detail in the following verses CONCLUSION What evidence is there in your life of a new life in Christ? Can others see the love of Christ in you? Does your life tell others that you are saved? Do you know for sure that you are saved? Saved or lost is a most important question, do you know the answer? There is a song that might help you to answer the question, listen to the song pg. 4