assurance
Notes
Transcript
The Bible wants us to know that we can know.
The Bible wants us to know that we can know.
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. And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.
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.
this makes it pretty clear that we can know. In fact, that is Johns goal, that we know. John also gives us three helpful images to drive this home:
He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
we have become his children. Is this a temporary thing?
“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.
again, this is a picture of something that has permanency
No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.
Friendship maybe seems like the least permanent of the ones we have looked at, but the shift is important. From slaves to friends!
Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.
two quotes from stop asking Jesus into your heart, p. 23 and p. 18