Confidence Day 15 Confidence In Identity: Digging Deeper
May 5, 2023
Discover the original intent of Scripture. Make good application to our everyday lives.
Become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!
1 John 5:18-21
The Original Intent
1) Does verse 18 teach that believers no longer sin nor are tempted?
Using the current vernacular within religious circles, a ‘believer’ is someone who has become convinced of Jesus’ testimony and deity. 1) They have believed what Jesus said about Himself and 2) they have received forgiveness for their sins through His death and resurrection. (John 1:11-13) “Everyone who has been born of God“ refers to believers.
The previous verses give us context that John is writing this letter for believers. [Sidenote: The sentence structure of verse 18 is debated. Some translators believe “the one” in the middle of the verse refers to Jesus; see verse 20. The ambiguous wording in the original Greek doesn’t change John’s point.]
John is writing to remind and assure the believer about the eternal salvation that comes with personally knowing Jesus. (1 John 4:13-17) In identifying with Christ, a person becomes motivated to submit to the Father just as He did. (Philippians 2:5-13)
John is not saying that a believer becomes sinless or perfect, and he is aware that questions may arise about sin in the life of a believer. He addresses these by stating that sin will be part of our lives until we are completely remade. (1 John 1:8-2:6 1 John 5:16-17) Although sin remains part of the human condition, even for true believers, there will be an aversion to sin when Christ comes into our lives. At the moment of reconciliation to God, God’s Spirit moves in and begins to fill places that were previously occupied with sinful motives.
We could say it this way: Our salvation is currently in the works. (Philippians 1:6) John’s emphasis was not on the sins we are sure to commit, but on the Christ whose power helps us say ‘no’ to sin. (1 John 4:4, Colossians 3:1-3) The gift of eternal life is not dependent on our perfection. (John 10:28)
The Everyday Application
1) Does verse 18 teach that believers no longer sin nor are tempted?
The apostle Paul has a testimony for us: “The trouble is with me, for I am all too human, a slave to sin. I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate. But if I know that what I am doing is wrong, this shows that I agree that the law is good. So I am not the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it. And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature [flesh].
I want to do what is right, but I can’t. I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. But if I do what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it … I love God’s law with all my heart. But there is another power [law] within me that is at war with my mind.
This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me?!” (Romans 7:14-24, NLT)
Oh Sister, do I know this struggle! Don’t you? But thanks be to God, we are NOT left in this condition! (Romans 7:25) The process of sanctification (less sin rule, more Spirit reign) occurs as we walk with Jesus through the knowledge of His word and through prayer.
Submission to the Father’s will begins to feel more like home than sin does. The habitual practice of sin will noticeably diminish as we identify ourselves with Christ. It is in this process we find comfort and assurance. (1 John 3:24, Galatians 5:16-26)
The Original Intent
2) Do all believers live always and only for God while the whole world lives always and only for the evil one [Satan]? (verse 19)
The answer to this question is a complicated Yes. Since humans should be slow to use terms with a high degree of certitude, words such as ‘always and only’ are largely reserved for God. The reality, though, is nothing can keep a true believer away from spending eternity with God. We are sealed in Him forever. (Ephesians 1:11-14)
A believer’s new identity is established through Christ’s righteousness, not our own goodness. We are finally and ultimately covered by His blood which secures our destiny. (1 John 1:7) Yet with this being our sure future, we will struggle in our humanity until our earthly life is finished. Paul knew this struggle with sin all too well. (Romans 7:14-25)
So even though we are “for God” it’s a complicated yes. The world, on the other hand, is ruled by Satan. In the New Testament, “world” most often refers to the humans who inhabit the earth and live apart from God’s purposes. (Greek kósmos; preceptaustin.org) Knowing the world refers to a world system ruled by Satan, believers recognize we are not obligated to live the world’s way.
As we are being transformed into Christlikeness (taking on His identity), our worldly affections lessen. After someone is saved, sin shifts from affecting their eternity with God to bringing awareness of their humanity and dependence on Him for spiritual growth. God deals with our sin differently once we have repented and trusted in Christ’s finished work. (John 17:1-4)
Though holiness is the aim of the believer, we will still sin. Falling short of God’s standard turns our gaze to the mercy of God. Though none deserve to be identified with Christ, we are “of God” because He is gracious and good. (1 Corinthians 1:26-31)
The Everyday Application
2) Do all believers live always and only for God while the whole world lives always and only for the evil one [Satan]? (verse 19)
It’s hard to deny the reality of John’s teaching in this letter. (1 John) Whether we want to think about it or not, the people we pass everyday are either of God or of the evil one. (verse 19) The great news is that it is not up to us to be good enough to receive the grace of God and enter into His forever kingdom. God has given us eternal life through Jesus, His Son. (1 John 5:1)
It is HIS goodness that brings us into a forever relationship with our Father God. John wasn’t attempting to confuse the readers. He wanted to assure them! Dear Sister, are you experiencing doubt because you struggle with God’s plan for your life? Do you read and study His word only to be more confused and discouraged?
I want you to hear this word from John: You can know you are of God and in Christ Jesus as you depend on the Spirit of God to provide peace. The new nature we have compels us to live in righteousness. We may stumble into sin at times, but we won’t stay there because we can’t survive there. The enemy of our souls, the evil one, wants nothing more than to keep you weighed down with guilt and shame over your sin. He does not want us to regularly practice what John says in 1 John 1:9. I encourage you to do it anyway! The sooner we come to God with our sin, the sooner we gain relief.
His mercy drenches us with peace. Let’s allow the Holy Spirit access to every area of our lives. When we see evidences of Jesus, we are reminded that we live in a different world now.
The Original Intent
3) If we know “we are in the true One”, what is the basis for such confidence? (verse 20)
If someone were to read the five chapters in 1 John in segments rather than as a whole, the topic of obedience would possibly stand out. The subject is woven throughout the paragraphs of the letter. However, reading the entire book at one time (as if you were reading a letter) reveals something about John’s purpose.
Obedience is evidence of salvation, but the motivation for obedience is even more important to consider. John wanted the reader to have assurance of their relationship with God based on their continual practice of abiding in Him. So much so, he uses a form of the word “know” approximately 40 times. There was something going on behind the scenes in the lives of these believers that caused John to write to them and urge them to remain confident. (1 John 2:24-26, 1 John 3:5-7)
If anyone can inspire confidence about Jesus, it’s John. He had seen and heard and touched Him! (1 John 1:1-4) His joy would be complete if they too recognized Jesus and were walking in fellowship with Him. The basis for his confidence was everything he had witnessed up-close and personal with Jesus. Consider Luke 5:1-11, Luke 8:40-56, Luke 9:28-36, John 20:1-9 and last but definitely not least Luke 24:36-40.
John had come to know something: Jesus was the “True One” and His real life was the reason John wrote with certainty. A forever truth is that eternal life is promised to everyone who believes in the Son of God. Remaining in the love of God results in genuine obedience and even more so, deep assurance.
The Everyday Application
3) If we know “we are in the true One”, what is the basis for such confidence? (verse 20)
Satan knows enough to know that when we confess our sin, God will forgive us. The lie of the evil one has never changed, “Did God really say…?” (Genesis 3:1) I want you to KNOW, Friend, He will forgive those who come to Him.
Tim Keller said God has obligated Himself to forgive us if we ask. He would be acting unjustly if He didn’t. “We do not have to make ourselves suffer in order to merit forgiveness. We simply receive the forgiveness earned by Christ. 1 John 1:9 says God forgives us because He is ‘just.’ This is a remarkable statement! It would be unjust of God to ever deny us forgiveness, because Jesus earned our acceptance! In religion we earn forgiveness with our repentance, but in the gospel we just receive it.” (All Life is Repentance, Tim Keller)
When we are in “the True One” we have confidence that God will not hold our sin against us. We are confident because our identity is now in Christ. Author Paul David Tripp encourages believers to “stop looking at yourself in carnival mirrors.” A carnival mirror distorts who we really are. It can be funny except when it isn’t!
Our image is misleading when we see only our sin, or ourselves from a worldly view, or if the devil is whispering other lies in our ears. Sister, beloved in Christ, we are not “beloved” because of who we are or what we do. Even our obedience falls short of His glory. (Titus 3:4-7)
We are “beloved” because we are in Christ. That’s it. That is why, with all confidence, we can declare to our doubt and fear, “You are Lies!” We know the Son of God has come and has given us understanding so we may know the True One.
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