Christian Confidence

1 John 5:20 NLT

And we know that the Son of God has come, and he has given us understanding so that we can know the true God. And now we live in fellowship with the true God because we live in fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ. He is the only true God, and he is eternal life.

This is the fourth and last session together in 1 John. It’s been a great time and I hope you learned a lot like I did! It is amazing how one of the simplest books in the Bible is so packed with truth!

At this point, you shouldn’t be all that surprised about what might be on John’s mind. That’s right, fighting the darkness by exposing lies and encouraging real love for God and the church. Today, John wants to remind us of 3 things we know.

1). The Son of God Came

Last week, we saw that people have been denying the incarnation ever since the first century. These Gnostics taught that they had a secret knowledge that trumped the doctrine of the incarnation. But if Jesus never took on flesh, there is no way God could forgive sinners.

2). We Can Know God

John tells us that God gave us understanding to know the true God. This is not a gnostic, hidden knowledge. This is a knowledge that is taught by the Spirit of God. This is why Bible reading is so important. We acquire knowledge about God through the Bible and the Spirit who preserved the words of Scripture aids us as we read and study it. God has made himself known. It is up to us to pay attention.

3). We Have Fellowship With God

Throughout John’s letter, he’s been urging us to live in the light, to obey God’s commands, and to love each other. This is not a checklist. These things are interwoven with each other. If we live in the light, that will be evident by our obedience to God’s commands and our love for other believers. If we are obeying God’s commands, we are living in the light and we are also loving each other. If we love the believers, that means we are keeping his commands and we are living in the light. You lose any of these and you find yourself outside of biblically faithful Christianity.

Prayer

Lord, thank you that you don’t leave us guessing. There is a sure way to know you and know about you. Help us remember these basic things about faith in you. Amen.