What We Know for Sure

Transcript

GR 1106
6/5/1983

I John 5:18-21
Gil Rugh

1 John 5. It's a good way to come back because these closing 4 verses will give us a good summary of what I John has been all about. We will be tying together some of the emphases that he has had through the book. In this little brief epistle, John has been writing to give believers understanding regarding their relationship with God through faith in Christ. The assurance of their salvation. Back up in verse 13 of chapter 5t "These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, in order that you may know that you have eternal life." I take it that has really be the thrust of what John is saying. That we might know that we have eternal life. What John has done through the book is draw the lines very clearly. God is light and in Him there is no darkness at all. That was in chapter 1. So then through the book, he's just drawing the characteristics in effect of light and darkness of those who have a relationship with God and those who don't. God is light. There is no darkness in Him. So those who have a relationship with God are characterized by light. Those who do not have a relationship with God are characterized by darkness. And the thrust and emphases of this letter is not very different from the epistle of James where James says faith without works is dead. John's argument is you can tell a true believer. Those who are the sons of God manifest the character of God. It is a natural result of being born into God's family through faith in Christ. Now with verses 18, 19 and 20, John is going to consider three areas of the believer's knowledge and understanding as he summarizes the book. He is going to talk about knowledge that we have as believers regarding sin in verse 18. He is going to talk about knowledge regarding God in verse 19. And knowledge regarding Christ in verse 20. Then he'll give a concluding statement in verse 21. So our knowledge in three areas. Three basic areas regards sin, regards God, regards Christ. And those areas are key if you are really to have salvation. And a believer is one who does have knowledge regarding his sin. One who has true knowledge regarding God the Father, one who has true knowledge regarding Jesus Christ. And without knowledge in those three areas, you cannot be a saved person. That's the foundation point. You must know about your sin. You must know about God in His Savior, His Son, Jesus Christ, if you are to believe and have salvation.

Let's pray before we look into the verses. Lord, thank you for the blessings of the day. Lord, the blessings of the evening already. What a privilege it is to be together as believers. Lord, thank you for this portion of Your word that we are about to look into. Lord, pray that it might be alive and rich to each one of us. We as believers might appreciate even more fully what we are in Christ. The knowledge that we have in Him. Lord, that we might take to heart the warning that John closes this brief epistle with. We praise You for what You do in our lives. In Jesus' name. Amen.

You note each of the verses that I mentioned, verses 18, 19 and 20, all begin with "We know". Verse 18, "We know that no one who is born of God sins". Verse 19, "We know that we are of God". Verse 20, "We know that the Son of God has come." Now all three of these are in the perfect tense. The perfect tense is key in the first epistle of John. Many of you have studied Greek and a great study for you is to study the use of the perfect tense in the first epistle of John. Perfect tense is something that happened in the past, the results continue in the present. The knowledge here is a settled knowledge. It refers to a knowledge that they gained in the past and that knowledge continues down into the present. It is a settled knowledge that believers have. The first area that he deals with regards the area of sin. "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." "We know that no one who is born of God sins". All believers are included here. There are no exceptions. Let me read it to you literally. How you could translate it literally. We know that all the ones who are born of God, do not sin. And it says the same thing as we have.

We know that no one was born of God. In the Greek text, it says that all the ones born of God do not sin. So it's important to see here, it’s all inclusive. Every believer is included. "No one who is born of God sins". Now we've seen throughout I John, does not practice sin. Emphasis here is on the characteristic of life.
Does not lead a life characterized by sin. Come back to chapter 3 verse 4, "Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness. And you know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin. No one who abides in Him sins". We noted there, remember. Leads a life characterized by sin. That does not mean a believer does not sin. We'll note that in a moment. No one who sins leads a life of sin whose life is characterized by sin, has seen Him or knows Him. "Little children, let no one deceive you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous." Verse 8, "The one who practices sin is of the devil". Verse 9» "No one who practices sin is born of God" for 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." Over in chapter 5 of I John verse l6 and 17 which we looked at the last time we studied I John, "If any one sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask and God will for him give life to those who commit sin not leading to death." There he's talking about believers who commit acts of sin. The same as in I John chapter 2. if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous one. But what we're dealing with in verse 18 of I John chapter 5 is habitual characteristics of life. Those whose life is characterized by the character of satan belong to satan. Those whose lives are characterized by the character of God belong to God. It's just that simple. It ought not to be so difficult to grasp. It's the same in the human realm. In the animal realm. Those who manifest the characteristics of humanity have been born into the human race. Those who manifest the characteristics of the animal world have been bora into the animal world. It's just that simple. Those who manifest God's character have been born into God's family. Those who do not manifest God's character have not been born into God's family. So that's the point here. "We know that no one who is born of God sins; but" and here is the explanation "He who was born of God keeps him and the evil one does not touch him." That word "but" indicates a strong contrast. It's the force of this particular conjunction. A strong contrast. Rather than sinning "but He who was born of God keeps him". I take it who he is talking about here is Christ, the Son of God. And very simply, the believer does not live a life characterized by sin. Does not live habitually in sin, because Christ, the Eternal Son of God, keeps the believer. The one born of God keeps him.

Now I take it that's true of every believer. It does not depend upon the individual. That's why we can say this for sure that the one who has truly been born of God does not live a life of sin. Well, we say, you know we're all different. Some of us are stronger than others. Some of us are more spiritual. Some of us are less spiritual. Whatever. But he does not condition this on anything we do. He conditions this on the power of Christ at work in the life of the believer. "But He who was born of God keeps him". It depends on Christ. The work of Christ in the life. Turn back to John 17. The gospel of John chapter 17» obviously since you'd have a hard time turning to John 17 in I John. The gospel of John in the 17th chapter the 12th verse. And the high priestly prayer of Christ. Verse 12, "While I was with them, (referring to those who believe in Him, His disciples) I was keeping them in Thy name which You have given Me, and I guarded them, and not one of them perished by the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled." Now see, the same principal. When Christ was with them on earth, He was keeping them. He protected them. He was responsible for them. So the same issue in I John 5, the Son of God keeps him. This is the same word that we have in John 17:12. When you are in John 17, look down in verse l5. "I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one." We're coming to that evil one in a moment in I John 5,
Note though, Jesus' prayer is to keep them. To preserve them. To protect them.

So why does not, why cannot a believer live a life of habitual sin? Very simple. The power of Christ at work in his life prevents him from living that kind of life. It doesn't mean that he never commits acts of sin, but it does mean that his life is different. Now there is a transformation brought about because he has been changed within. Same thing that Paul writes about in Galatians 2:20. "I have been crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and delivered Himself up for me." It's supernatural process this guaranteed in effect the moment we believe in Jesus Christ. Romans chapter 6 develops the principal as well where we have been resurrected to newness of life in Christ. All right, you can keep your finger in John's gospel in you want, but turn back to I John 5* Note at the end of verse 18, "He who was born of God keeps him and the evil one does not touch him". Note, Christ keeps us. The evil one does not touch us. And that word for touch is the word for grasp. To hold on to. The word touch is too light in English. The word means to grasp on it. To hold on to. If you still have your finger in John’s gospel, chapter 20 versel7, the same word is used. John 20 verse 17, "Jesus said to her (Mary in the garden) 'Stop clinging to Me'". That word translated clinging in the New American Standard is the same word for touch over in I John 5* I believe the King James has it "Don't touch me" or something like that. That same word. It means to hold on to. To grasp on to. And what we're saying in I John 5:18 is, Christ keeps us and satan cannot grasp on to us. So the keeping power of Christ guarantees that the devil will not be able to lay ahold on me and use me for his purposes. I have been moved from the realm of darkness to the realm of light.

Now the keeping power of Christ keeps me and protects me from satan. Note some things he says here.
He uses the present tense three times in this verse. Regarding our sin, "no one who is born of God sins" present tense. But, now the strong contrast, "Christ keeps him" present tense. Is continually keeping him. And the devil is not laying hold of him. So I am not living a life of sin because Christ is continually keeping me and He is continually keeping me so that satan cannot be getting hold of me. And so satan cannot control me as a believer and thus use me to live a life that manifests his character. That's a strong statement on the difference that will exist in the life of a believer and a non-believer. That says something about the power of satan in the life of a believer. You say that satan doesn't influence us? No. He does influence us and he goes about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. He worked in Peter and Jesus said get thee behind me satan. It was satan at work in Peter. But he did not control Peter's life. We see an instance of sin in Peter's life, but we don't see that the general characteristic. Why? Satan could not lay hold of him and thus control him as his own. Influences him on occasion, but there is a difference. Why? Christ is keeping. And that is true for all of us as believers. So what do we know for sure about us as believers? We will not live lives of sin.

The consistency in our life as believers, even though it's not perfect consistency, is a result of Christ working in us so the devil is powerless to bring us into his grasp. Over in chapter 4 of I John we read, "You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world." The one who resides in us, the Spirit of God, is greater than satan. And so satan cannot overpower us. Back in chapter 2 verse 13* "I am writing to you, fathers, because you know Him who has been from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one." You know, satan has been defeated. We have overcome the evil one and who is he that overcomes? He that believes that Jesus is the Christ, as we saw earlier in 1 John 5* All right. Back to I John chapter 5. That's what we have regarding knowledge about sin. Settled. We know that no one born of God lives a life of sin. The second area of knowledge regards God the Father. "We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one."

Our position. We know we are of God. Literally, out of God. He is our source, our origin. We are those born of God by faith in Christ. So He is our source, our origin. We are out of God. This expression used two other times in chapter 3, verse 10, "By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious". Now the children out of God, the children who have their source in God, and the children who have their source in the devil. Over in chapter 4 verse 6, "We are from God". We are out of God. We are the children of God, the ones who have been born to God. Similar to what we would say about human children. We are all sons of God by faith in Christ. So every believer can have settled assurance regarding his origin. We know we are of God. That gives me confidence. Some people say it's presumption to talk about such a relationship. They don't understand what the word of God says. As believers, one thing we can have is the settled knowledge that God is our Father and we are children born of Him. "And the whole world lies in the power of the evil one". So we have knowledge regarding our position in God and the position of the world.

And there's the other side here. We are of God. The whole world lies in the evil one. It's the contrast here between the believer and the unbeliever. The whole world. That means everyone who is not of God. Everyone who has not come to believe in Jesus Christ as personal Savior. Now crucial. It resolves any question about the heathen, those that never heard, the lost wherever they are. We are of God. The "we" that John has talked about. We who have come to believe in His Son, Jesus Christ. He'll develop that in the next verse. Everyone else — the whole world without exception — lies in the evil one. So, rather than being in God, they are in the evil one. They lie in the evil one. It denotes a settled condition. And there is no resistence or battle going on. They are under his control. That's an awesome statement. Think about it. The whole world. Every single unbeliever. Is in a settled condition in satan. There is no battle going on there with satan. There's battles in their lives, but they belong to satan. They are in the power of the evil one. In his grasp. Under his control. The opposite that was said about us. The evil one does not grasp on to us. Does not hold on to us, at the end of verse 18. But the world of the unbeliever, they reside in the evil one. Terrible statement. You know, there have been things done on demon possession and so on. I think that blurs the issue. You know, the whole world lies in satan. Every unbeliever is under his control. Under his authority. His grasp. Horrible position! Two groups of people — those who are out of God and those who are in the evil one. In John chapter 12. The gospel of John chapter 12 and verse 31» Jesus said "Now judgment is upon this world; now the ruler of this world shall be cast out." In His death and resurrection, satan was defeated. Those who believe in Christ share in that victory. All the rest lie in the power of the ruler of the world.

Over in Ephesians chapter 2. Ephesians chapter 2, "And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience." Referring to unbelievers. They are the sons of disobedience. That's the spirit of satan at work in their life. That's the one that we used to walk according to before we came to trust in Jesus Christ as Savior as a result of His grace which he goes on to talk about in verse 5 and so on. "By grace you have been saved". It was the grace of God that reached down, took hold of us, freed us from the grasp of satan, transferred us from the domain of darkness to the kingdom of light and made us sons of God by faith in Christ. That's the knowledge that we as believers have. You can see why the unbeliever interprets statements and claims the believer makes as arrogant. We know about sin. We are those forgiven and cleansed. We know that we have God as our Father. We know that everyone who doesn't believe like we believe is in the power and authority of satan. That sounds terribly arrogant, doesn’t it? It does nothing to help and promote the ecumenical movement at all. That we're all brothers. We all worship in our own way, but no . . . that's not what the bible says. Now it’s not true because we say it. I realize we can say it in a way that promotes arrogance, but nonetheless, when you make that claim, it comes across to the unbeliever as terribly arrogant. And if it was not based upon the authority of God's word, it would be terribly arrogant. Now that's the privilege we have as believers to have the settled knowledge that God is our Father and everyone else who has not believed in Jesus Christ as personal Savior lies under the authority and in the grasp of satan himself. What a terrible position! No wonder the unbeliever doesn't understand the believer. No wonder there's tension between the believer and the unbeliever. How else could it be any different? You have those who have been born of God and you have those who are in satan's grasp and under his authority.

It's amazing that's the tension is not greater when you really think about it. So that's the second area that we have knowledge as believers regarding God and our relationship to Him.

The third area and the area that's most fully developed. "We know that the Son of God has come, and has given us understanding, in order that we might 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." Knowledge concerning Christ. "We know that the Son of God has come". Remember, we talked about the Nostics? The Nostics denied that Jesus Christ had come in the flesh. But we who are believers in Jesus Christ know that the Son of God has come. That He was born of a virgin. That He lived on the earth. That He died as the God-man on a cross to pay the penalty for sin. We who are believers know that. We have that settled knowledge regarding Christ, God come in the flesh. Now it's at the heart of what we know as believers. Anyone who does not know this about Christ cannot be saved. You must know that the Son of God has come. And there you have the diety and humanity tied together. "The Son of God has come". He is diety. He is humanity. He has become a man. He has lived upon the earth. So a person must understand regarding his sin. He must understand regarding the person of Jesus Christ. Who He is. He has come. What has He done? We have knowledge regarding the work of Christ. He "has given us understanding, in order that we might know Him who is true".

What has He done? He has given us understanding. Tremendous verse, I take it, in connection with the doctrine of election. How are people saved? How did you, how did I, get from the grasp and domain of satan into the family of God by faith in Christ? I can tell you humanly what happened, but do you know what was the power behind it? Jesus Christ gave us understanding. He gave us understanding to enable us to know God. You note what he said, He "has given us understanding, in order that we might know Him who is true". That we might know God. Interesting. He uses a different word for knowledge here than we had at the beginning of each of these verses that refers to a settled inner knowledge. This refers to a perception "that we might know Him who is true". Perception. Come into the knowledge of Him who is true. In other words, that we might come to know God. The work of Jesus Christ has resulted in us coming to know God is what he is saying. He has given us the understanding. This word understanding used over in Ephesians chapter 4, verse 17. The word is in verse 18, but we’ll read verse 17 to get the sentence. Ephesians 4:17, "This I say therefore, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind". A Gentile being a synonym for an unbeliever here. The unbelievers walk in the emptiness of their mind "being darkened in their understanding". They are without understanding in spiritual matters. Without understanding as regards God. But Jesus Christ has given us understanding that we might know God. I believe that salvation is the work of sovereign God. He took the initiative — we did not. So we are saved by His grace. The unbeliever is without the understanding. His understanding is darkened. But Christ has given us understanding that we might know God and thus have a true knowledge of Him.

Back to I John 5, "that we might know Him who is true, and we are in Him who is true". So we come to our position now. What has Christ done for us? Well, He has given us understanding that we might know God. How did He do that? By His coming to earth. By His dying on the cross. Paying the penalty for sin. How, our position — "we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ". This is in contrast with verse 19. The whole world lies in the evil one. We are in Him who is true. So the world is in satan and we are in God and in His Son, Jesus Christ. Two different spheres or realms of existence. One in the realm of satan, the other in the realm of God. We are in God, in Him who is true, and in His Son, Jesus Christ. We become sons of God by faith in Christ, Galatians 3 tells us, and John elaborates in his gospel, he has emphasized in this first epistle, that a relationship with His Father and a relationship with Him go together. You can't know the Father without the Son, and you can’t know the Son without the Father. They go together. So we are in God the Father and we are in Christ. That's the realm in which we reside. In contrast with all unbelievers who reside in satan. "We are in Him who is true, and in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life." "This is the true God". The true God that has been made known by Jesus Christ. The one you come to know in Christ is the true God. There are many gods (small g) offered in the world, but the true God is the one you come to know by faith in Jesus Christ. "This is the true God and eternal life." To be in God and in Christ is to have eternal life. He that has the Son has life. He that has not the Son of God shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.

Let me just read you a verse out of John 17 verse 3, "This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent". That's eternal life. To know God and His Son, Jesus Christ. So "this is the true God and eternal life". The true God is the one who is known by faith in Christ and to know the true God and believe in Jesus Christ is to have eternal life. Now those three areas of knowledge then regarding my sin, regarding God the Father and regarding Jesus Christ. That's a settled knowledge that every believer has. I take it you have that knowledge from the time you are saved because you must understand about sin. A person cannot be saved who does not understand about sin. You first must recognize your own personal sinfulness. Secondly, you cannot be saved unless you understand something about God, His righteous character, and His Son, Jesus Christ. You must understand that for your sin you are accountable before a holy and righteous God. You must know that the Son of God, Jesus Christ, died to pay the penalty for sin, was raised because the penalty had been paid. Without those basic facts, no one can be saved. So the moment you believed in Jesus Christ, you are one of those who have that settled knowledge regarding sin, regarding God and regarding Christ because you couldn’t have been saved without it. So we can say that about every believer. Now those basic theological facts, verse 21 you almost get the idea, where did he get this? "Little children, guard yourselves from idols." Well, what does that have to do with the context?

Now you see where we as preachers come up with things that don't seem to have anything to do with what we've been talking about. The pattern is established. But it does. It's a rather abrupt ending. You might think that John would now say some personal greeting, some things about himself personally, and close the letter. All of a sudden, "Little children, guard yourselves from idols." That’s it. Well, "Little children" is warm. We've seen it earlier. It's not been used since chapter 3» but it's an expression of warmth that John has used. It shows his concern and love for them. But he gives a strong command now. "Guard yourselves" Erist imperative! So he ties the warmth with a forceful command. "Little children". That warmth. That endearment. You whom I love. "Guard yourselves from idols." So he brings the warmth and the love together, but there is the force of the command. Strongest way he could give the command. "Guard yourselves from idols".

Now it does connect very logically to what he has been talking about. He summarized his letter in verses 18, 19 and 20 which really dealt with the true over against the false and satan compared to God. And the followers of satan and the followers of God. So he hasn't talked about idols directly, but the whole book is about idols, false teachers who corrupt and distort the person of Christ. Who say that He hasn't come in the flesh. They are offering a different God. And any god but the true God is an idol. They are confused on the humanity of Christ and the deity of Christ. They teach falsehood regarding the character of those who belong to God. But it doesn’t matter what you do with your physical body because the physical body is inherently evil. Therefore, if you commit immorality and all other kinds of sins, it doesn't matter — that's your physical body. Your spirit has been purified. You know what that's teaching? That's teaching another religion. That's teaching another god. That's teaching idols. Very directly. Very really. Any god apart from the true and living God of the Scripture that you come to know by faith in Christ, is an idol. Now you note the force here. Believers are commanded to guard themselves from idols.

From these false gods that false teachers are offering. The gods that they offer apart from a relationship of faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ. So I take it that warning still holds true today. As believers who need to be commanded to guard themselves from idols. They dabble in things they ought not. John has drawn the lines very clearly. It's a black and white issue and we as believers are to guard ourselves from false gods and false teachings. Not look for ways that we can find similarities because it's the differences that count. And we are to guard ourselves from idols, from the false gods that are offered in place of the one true and living God. And you find that why? Their teaching does not conform to what John writes in his first epistle. What they teach about Jesus Christ is not what God says about His Son, Jesus Christ. What they teach about God is not what the bible says about Him. What they teach about knowing God is not what the bible says about knowing God. What they say about the life of a child of God is not what God says about the life of a child of God. We are to guard ourselves from these things and that means guard ourselves. Protect ourselves from them. Simple book with simple theological truths, but so profound that we have Christians dabbling, looking for ways to get together with other groups. Cannot understand why we take a position against. Why do you have to speak against those religions? We have people who have left Indian Hills because I have spoken against other religions. What does John say about guarding yourselves from idols? They are wrong. They are false gods and they are leading people astray. So these basic simple truths that have been presented have been presented for a purpose -- that we might guard ourselves from idols. You must know the truth. You must know the truth about God, about Christ, about sin. And you must stand against any and all who hold a different position.

Now our desire for them is that they might come to believe in the Savior. We present the gospel to them that God in His grace might give them understanding. I cannot give them understanding. I can give them the truth of the word of God, but the unbeliever does not grasp it, does not comprehend it. It was exciting on our trip to have chance and various ones opportunity to share the gospel with various people along the way. You know, it just drives home again and again that only God Himself can give understanding. But praise God He uses us in the process because as we share the glorious truth of the gospel of Christ, God in His grace gives understanding to some that they might know the true and living God by faith in Jesus Christ. I don't know when and where God will work, but I know He does work. I know that it is His work. And you know, that is tremendously encouraging. What hope would there be for human beings in the grasp and under the control of satan himself, if salvation were not a work of the grace of God? None of us would be able to free ourselves. None of us would break loose. And you know what? None of us want to. None of us want to. There is none that seeks after God — not even one. But God in His grace gives understanding and causes us to believe and brings us to salvation in His Son. How privileged we are. No wonder Ephesians says we'll be trophies of God's grace for all eternity.

Let's pray together.