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Have a question for you This morning, what are you certain about? What are you certain about? What is it in your life that you have absolutely no doubts? What are those things in your life that you have complete and confident assurance about.
It could be as we know very well that taxes are going to be coming around once again. It could be the love that you have for your spouse or the love you have for your children. Or children, you're certain about the love you have.
For your dear parents, especially your dad's on a day like today. But of all those things in our lives that It's most significant and most important that we are assured about that We have complete and utter confidence without any doubts is the issue of our salvation.
It's probably the most asked question for pastors who minister to their flocks. Am I truly saved? How do I know that? How do I know that now from the outset? It's important to understand. There is a difference between the security of the believer and our assurance.
Security has nothing to do with you and me. It has everything to do with God. God secures those whom he saves. Assurance has to do from the human vantage point. Are we assured do we have the confident assurance that God has secured his own?
In his book, what is reformed theology RC Sproul? Designates very very clearly the importance of this issue of assurance and he says and I quote. The person who lacks assurance of salvation is vulnerable to a myriad of threats to his personal growth.
The confident Christian certain of his salvation is free from the paralyzing fear that can inhibit personal growth. Such assurance is a mighty boon to the growth of faith to maturity. No less than three times RC says that assurance is essential.
Significant for our growth and maturity in the Christian faith because without it We are open to many paralyzing fears. If you would turn with me this morning, I invite you to the epistle of 1st John chapter 5 verse 1.
The epistle of 1st John chapter 5 verse 1. I've always loved the Apostle John. He is the one after all who is the disciple whom Jesus loved. Amongst the twelve he was one of the inner core of three right Peter James and John.
Whom they got to see sure and things that the other nine did not. The Mount of Transfiguration. The raising of Jairus his daughter. Or even in the Garden of Gethsemane during that time that the Lord faced.
He was a part of that John was. It's probably the closest disciple to our Lord during his incarnation. So what John has to say to us this morning about this issue of assurance is important. Chapter 5 verse 1.
Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God. And everyone who loves the Father loves whoever Has been born of him. Why was 1st John written? Let's allow the Apostle to answer that question before we land directly on this verse 1 of chapter 5.
Let me give you some background to the epistle of 1st John. So we understand the context. Why was 1st John written? Let me give you four watch words. Four key words that will help you understand the purpose the authorial intent as it were of why the Apostle wrote this epistle.
The first key word is jubilation. Jubilation. Look at chapter 1 verse 4 with me. The first reason why John states clearly why he wrote this epistle. Chapter 1 verse 4. And we are writing these things.
Why? So that our joy May be complete. One of John's purposes and writing this epistle was that our joy as believers would be full complete. Second reason he writes this epistle. I'll give you another watch word a key word to help you.
Remember. It's the word transgression transgression. Chapter 2 verse 1 my little children. I am writing these things to you. Why? So that you may not sin and I love this part. But if anyone does sin we have an advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the Righteous.
What a great Designation of our Lord Jesus Christ who stands as our advocate before the Father as our defense attorney as it were pleading on our behalf. Third reason why John writes this epistle third key word is caution.
Caution. That's in chapter 2 verse 26. Chapter 2 verse 26 John writes. I write these things to you. About those who are trying to deceive you. He's cautioning the believers against heresies of false teachers.
This is Unfortunately replete in our day and it was replete in the New Testament. Peter consistently did that. 2nd Peter chapter 2 is all about that. Jude wrote an entire one chapter epistle about that whole issue.
Jesus constantly warned us against false teachers and John here states that one of the reasons that he's writing is to warn him to give him a caution a Against those who are trying to deceive them in John's days.
One of the big heresies was Gnosticism and by the way a little parenthetical note. Elder Scott is ministering at another church this morning. But I would highly encourage you. It's on our website Elder Scott a couple years ago did a great Sunday school series on all the ism heresies.
I would ask you to go to that. It's very helpful. But the Gnostics there was two things that characterized the Gnostics one of them coming from the Greek word Gnosi. One of the things that characterized him was that they felt there were certain elite group of Christians who had a superior higher knowledge that was only for the elite.
But another thing that characterized the Gnostics was. They had a dualistic thinking about matter and spirit. Spirit was good. But matter was evil. So you can never combine the two you can never mix matter with evil.
Therefore they denied the incarnation of Jesus Christ as we will see in this epistle a little bit later they denied that Jesus came in the flesh and Actually, it was known as docet ism from the Greek words.
Okay, which means to appear they would say it only really Appeared that Jesus came in the flesh, but in reality he did not. They denied his humanity because they said he is spirit. God is spirit and he can't take on human flesh because that would not be good.
It would be evil. So they denied the humanity of Christ and this is why John is writing this epistle. But the fourth reason the overall and primary reason John is writing turn with me to chapter 5 verse 13 and this key word is salvation.
So he's not only writing about our joy jubilation. Not only is he writing about transgression that we may not sin. But when we do we have an advocate not only is he writing a letter of caution against false teachers but he's writing about salvation specifically the issue of assurance.
Verse 13 of chapter 5 I write these things John says to you who believe in the name of the Son of God why? That you may hope that you have eternal life. That you may think that you have eternal life that you may wish that you have eternal life.
The Greek is a very strong word In our English text that you may know with complete and confident assurance that you have eternal life. Notice his audience. It's very explicit here. I write these things to whom to you who believe.
But there's an object to this faith. You who believe in whom in the name of the Son of God? So John is writing to believers about the issue of assurance. So you can be a genuine Christian and Not have yet complete assurance.
He's writing to encourage him in this area of assurance. That you may know that you have what? Eternal life. Eternal life is replete throughout this epistle notice with me in chapter 1. Verse 2 what John says about eternal life.
John writing about himself and the other Disciples and apostles who walked with Jesus. He says in chapter 1 verse 2 the life was made manifest and we have seen it and Testified to it and proclaimed to you the eternal life which was with the Father.
Referring to Christ the Son and was made manifest to us talking about the incarnation against the Gnostics. Chapter 2 verse 25. He talks about this as well eternal life. Chapter 2 verse 25 John writes and this is the promise that he made to us eternal life.
God's promise. God always keeps his promises. He never lies chapter 5 verse 11. The very first verse I memorized as a new Christian and This is the testimony that God has given us eternal life. And here's the clincher in this life is in whom in his son.
Why is it in his son chapter 5 verse 20 he explains. And we know that the Son of God has come. The incarnation against writing against the Gnostic heresy and has given us understanding. So that we may know him who is true and we are in him who is true in his son Jesus Christ he is the true God and Eternal life.
What is eternal life? John knows he was there in the upper room discourse when Christ prayed his high priestly prayer in John 17 3. Jesus Christ himself defined eternal life by saying this and this is eternal life that they may know you the only true God in Jesus Christ.
Whom you sent? It's not just something in the future in heaven it begins here knowing the only true God and Jesus Christ whom he sent. Now to understand a little bit of this issue before we dive into verse 1 a little bit more.
Give you a little bit snippet about the history of this issue of assurance. Since pastor Mike also the last two weeks has been talking about sola fide. What was happening with the Reformers? For example John Calvin.
His battle was against Rome the Roman Catholic system. Which in every way shape and form Denied any kind of assurance that a person can have and rightly so because they taught it was based on meritorious human Effort and through their religious system.
So, how could anybody ever have assurance? So Calvin in battling that fight Said that assurance is part of the essence of faith. From his institutes and I quote he says it is a firm and sure knowledge of the divine favor toward us founded on the truth of a free promise in Christ and Revealed to our minds and sealed in our hearts by the Holy Spirit.
Because he was battling against Rome He was trying to emphasize the importance of assurance as being the essence of faith. Well when the Westminster divines got together in the confession it says the following and I quote.
The infallible assurance does not so belong to the essence of faith but that a true believer may wait long and Conflict with many difficulties before he'd be a partaker of it. Why did they write that a lot of the Puritans faced Antinomian tendencies in their days people would say yes, I believe in Christ, but I live my life.
The way I want to no change. They saw no practical evidences of the new life in Christ. So the Puritans for example Fought that battle and said that assurance was not part of the essence of faith. So Calvin's focus was on the objective promises of Scripture.
The Puritans and some of the divine said well, we have to look at the practical evidences in one life. So today, what do we base our assurance on is the question that we're going to address in this verse.
Is it on the objective promises of God in the scriptures alone? Is it on the subjective? Things that we see in our life through the working of the Holy Spirit to change us. The objective truth says this simply.
Do you believe? Do you believe in Jesus Christ? The subjective truth answers this question though. Is your faith real and John throughout this entire epistle does not focus on one or the other. He focuses on both the objective truth and the subjective truth and that's where we land in verse 1 of our text.
So, how can we be assured how can you know with complete and total confidence that you have eternal life. Two reasons John gives us in this verse. The first is the objective truth faith in Christ. Number one faith in Christ, that's the objective truth.
We've heard it for the last two weeks from our pastor sola fide. Faith in Christ plus faith in nothing or no one else. By faith alone in Christ alone. That's the objective truth notice in our text. Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ.
The term believe is very significant because it's the present in the present tense. It literally means a continuous action a Continuous action so literally you can read the verse. Everyone who is believing who is continually believing that Jesus is the Christ.
It is not the idea. You've talked to some people say yeah, I once believed in Jesus now. I don't believe in Jesus anymore. The present tense doesn't leave room for that. Whoever is believing that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God.
What's the point? Here it is genuine Christians will never stop believing. Now you may have doubts. But you will never ultimately and finally deny the Lord. If it's true biblical faith. At a church I was speaking out last week.
We were talking about Apostasy and the perseverance of the Saints and many after approached me and has some questions. Well, what about those examples you gave or people who at one point in their life?
Acknowledged the Lord Jesus Christ and then later on completely seemingly denied him. Many of you might have friends and family in that category. Well, John would say chapter 219. He would answer the question like this.
They went out from us. But they were not of us for if they had been of us they would have here it is Continued with us, but they went out that it might become plain that there are all not of us. It doesn't mean that in a genuine Christians life at some point there might be doubt.
But if they are truly saved by God and are believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, they will return to the Father. Genuine Christians will never stop believing. But what is this faith that John is talking about pastor?
Mike has taught us. Well, what is genuine biblical faith with the acronym cat? Kat, I see some smiles you do remember. K stands for knowledge. A stands for assent. T stands for trust. So you need all that to be genuine biblical faith.
The belief that John is talking about that all the New Testament writers are talking About that faith has to have knowledge based on the gospel the content of the gospel. The historical facts that Jesus came here to earth lived the perfect sinless life.
Went to the cross as a substitutionary atonement rose again the third day. But it also requires an assent that that is the truth. But many people stop there with that mental assent and don't go on any further.
That is not genuine saving faith. The last part is T trust. Fiducia, it's a commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ. You're trusting by faith alone as we said in Christ alone. Which means if you were trusting before that in someone or something else you have to deny that.
You have to abandon your religious system that you were trusting in. This is not like chapter 2 of John where after the miracle of Cana John says the same writer who penned this epistle said that many people believed in Jesus because they saw his miraculous signs.
What was Jesus response there? He did not entrust himself to them. Why. Because he knew what was in man. That's not this kind of faith. That's not biblical saving faith. I love how B .B. Warfield defines it.
Quote. We cannot be said to believe. That's which we distrust too much to commit ourselves to it. We cannot be said to believe that which we distrust too much to commit ourselves to it. So when John says here everyone who is believing present tense, it's a continuing belief.
Genuine believers will never ultimately stop believing they have trusting in our trusting. Continuously in the Lord Jesus Christ in his finished work. But what do they believe specifically look at our text?
Everyone who believes what that Jesus is the Christ? You have to believe that he is the anointed one anointed by the Father chosen from eternity past by God the Father. Who chose in the eternal counsel of the Trinity to send the Son?
That he is the promised Messiah of the Old Testament that he fulfilled all the promises of the Old Testament. He is the one he is the chosen one. But you must also believe in his humanity. Taken right from the this epistle chapter 4 beginning in verse 1 John writes this beloved do not believe every spirit.
But test the spirits to see whether they are from God for many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has what has come in the flesh is from God.
Battling the Gnostic heresy and every spirit that does not confess. Jesus is not from God. So you must believe in his humanity. It's not true biblical saving faith if you deny the humanity of Jesus Christ.
But that's not enough. You have to believe in his deity in our chapter chapter 5 verse 5 John makes that very clear. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes what that Jesus is? The Son of God.
That phrase is the direct reference to his deity. But you must not only believe in who Jesus is his humanity and in his deity. You must believe in his finished work. What did he come to do? Chapter 3 of our epistle verse 5 John says this, you know that he appeared in order to take away sins and in him.
There is no sin. Chapter 3 verse 16. Continuing on the work of Christ by this we know love that he laid down his life for us. That's why he came. Chapter 4 verse 10 the work of Christ continues in. This is love not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his son to be what the propitiation for our sins Christ.
Satisfied the demands of God's holiness in our stead. That's what it means to believe to trust to have complete and full confidence in the Lord Jesus Christ in the Humanity of Christ in the deity of Christ and in the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ.
And John continues on this first objective truth of assurance faith in Christ. Notice what he says in our verse. Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ watch this has been Born of God has been born of God.
This is a perfect tense. Which means it's something that happened in the past an action that happened once in the past. But has ongoing continual results in the present. Everyone who is believing currently and continuously has been past tense born of God.
What's the point? One must first be born again in order to believe. No one will ever believe apart from being born again. In other words regeneration precedes faith. Regeneration precedes faith. If I ask most evangelical Christians, and I've done that on many occasion outside of our church context I'll ask them.
Do you need to believe in order to be born again, they'll say of course I First have to believe then I'll be born again. John says here. No. Everyone who is currently and continuously believing it's because they have past tense already been born again.
They have been regenerated. RC writes again of his mentor John Gerstner when he first came across this basic doctrine of our Christian faith and I quote. When John Gerstner was a college student He took a course in theology from John or one of the nation's most learned and distinguished scholars in the early 20th century.
During one lecture or wrote on the blackboard in large letters regeneration precedes faith. These words stunned Gerstner. He was sure his professor had made a mistake and Unintentionally reversed the order of the words.
Did not every Christian know that faith is a necessary Prerequisite for regeneration that one must believe in Christ to be born again. Pastor Mike and I were talking about this even last summer and he sent me the statement of faith from Dallas Theological Seminary.
Which many seminaries are along these lines and I'm thankful for my years at Dallas Seminary I sat under many godly men, but in even many evangelical seminaries today. There's statement of faith reads similar to this quote.
We believe that when an unregenerate person exercises faith in Christ John is saying an unregenerate person cannot exercise faith in Christ. First comes regeneration in order for that person to exercise that biblical saving faith, but notice also in our text everyone who believes that Jesus of Christ has been born of whom.
Of Man born of God. Regeneration is completely a work of God. I have good news for you. You have no part in it. You have absolutely no part in it it's completely a work of God. This teaching is consistent with the rest of the New Testament.
Peter put it this way in his first epistle Chapter 1 verse 3 at the very outset. He said blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ according to his great mercy he Has caused us to be born again.
Your faith in my faith is not the cause of our regeneration. God is the cause He has caused us to be born again. John the same author penned it in his gospel John chapter 1 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. As if to emphasize John said Not of the will of man. Not of the will of flesh. This is completely a work of God and Later on in John 3 and Jesus's interaction with Nicodemus.
When he said to Nicodemus you must be born again. The Greek word another thing literally means you have to be born from above. It's outside of you. It's external to you. It has nothing to do with you.
It's a work done by the Spirit of God. That's his ministry. What is regeneration if that's what's needed in order for someone to believe? What is regeneration? Let me give you some helpful Understanding from the Bible regeneration is to be a new creation.
2nd Corinthians 517 the old is gone the new has come. Regeneration means God has given you a new heart has changed your heart of stone. To a heart of flesh. That's a promise that God himself makes through the prophet Ezekiel.
God says and I will give you a new heart and a new spirit. I will put within you and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. It's what Paul says in Romans 2 when he talks about circumcision.
Not of the flesh but of the heart. Your heart needs to be circumcised and guess what neither you nor I can circumcise our own heart. It is the work of the Holy Spirit. It means as Martin Lloyd-Jones would say regeneration is you means you have a new disposition the things you once hated.
You suddenly love in those things you once loved you now shun away from. Why is it needed in order to be Able for a person to believe in Jesus Christ for the simple reason because we are all spiritually Dead.
Do we not sing that in our hymn this morning long my imprisoned spirit lay fast bound in sin. Because we are dead. My mentor Carl recently sent me Some articles from some pastor or author or writer. Who went off for a while and Carl said I have to think this guy is off.
But he says I'd like to get your feedback went on and on about this term death in the New Testament that it simply means Separation and it doesn't mean to be dead. Somebody who needs to be awakened. Does it mean separation.
Sure first. Peter 3 18 Christ died the righteous for the unrighteous in order to bring us to God. But according to the New Testament it means more than that. Ephesians 2 Paul tells us that we were all dead in our trespasses and sins and God made us alive.
Regeneration is the giving of new life to a dead body. And that is why regeneration has to precede faith because dead people cannot believe. Major implication even in our evangelistic efforts. To encourage you when you're giving the gospel to somebody and it's very clear to them.
They acknowledge give mental assent, but don't go the point of trusting completely in confidence in the Lord Jesus Christ in his work. Unless the Holy Spirit regenerates them gives them a heart of flesh to believe.
That's why we pray along those lines. Regeneration is completely a work of God. To help us understand even further why it's so important before anyone can believe. Andrew Murray in his book redemption accomplished and applied compares regeneration or contrast regeneration to justification and he says this quote.
Regeneration is an act of God in us. Justification is a judgment of God with respect to us. The distinction is like that of the distinction between the act of a surgeon and the act of a judge. The surgeon when he removes an inward cancer does something in us that is not what a judge does.
He gives a verdict regarding our judicial status. Great distinction. Recently, I was reading a book by Pastor Charles Leiter where he gives I think a beautiful illustration to help us understand regeneration.
He says quote the first day of lectures our teacher surprises with the following announcement. You don't have to worry about your grade in this course. You all have an a how great would that be? Now we can just settle down and enjoy the material now.
This is exactly what God does in justification. He says God gives us an a at the beginning of the Christian life. And he says somebody might throw up an objection and rightly so well. They might say if God gives men eternal life at the beginning of the Christian life.
What will keep them from continuing in sin if he gives men an a at the beginning of the course? No one will study the material. Someone else might say well I've already got my a now I can throw my book in the trash ignore the teacher and go do my own thing.
And he says does God give us an a at the beginning of our course just to make it possible for us to skip class and Still get a top grade. Absolutely not at the very same time that he gives us an a at the beginning of our course.
Justification he also changes us on the inside so that we will love to study the material. In other words when God justifies a man he also regenerates him. That's a work of the Spirit of God so that we can have Believing continuous faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
That's the first basis of our assurance faith in Christ the objective truth. But John doesn't end there the second part of the verse is our second basis of assurance. This is the subjective truth. The subjective ground of assurance.
John says here in the second part of verse 1 love for believers love for believers notice how he puts it and Everyone who loves the father Loves whoever has been born of him. Notice in our verse the term born of God and born of him is mentioned twice and John Intentionally does that on purpose and he says basically this is natural if you love the father.
It's natural to love the one who has been born of him. Because by the way regeneration is a work of God. And he does it in each one. He said earlier in chapter 2 in 1st John. Do not love the world. If anyone loves the world the love of the father is not in him so the evidence that I love the father that I Have eternal life that I have that assurance is that I love others who have been born of God as well.
Other terms that John uses in his pistol are he distinguishes between the children of God in chapter 3 and the children of the devil. But here his emphasis is on this spiritual birth this work of the Holy Spirit regeneration.
Notice even in our Book how else he puts this it's replete throughout this epistle love for believers chapter 2 Verses 9 to 11. He says the following. Chapter 2 beginning in verse 9 whoever says okay profession.
Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in the darkness. Whoever loves his brother abides in the light and in him there is no cause for stumbling but whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness and Does not know where he is going.
Why? Because the darkness has blinded his eyes. Chapter 3 does the same thing. Emphasizing this subjective grounds of assurance that the one who loves a father naturally Loves those who have been born of him as well.
Chapter 3 beginning in verse 10. By this it is evident who are the children of God and who are the children of the devil? Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God. Nor is the one who does not what?
Love his brother. Verse 11 for this is the message that you have heard from the beginning that we should love one another we should not be like Cain. He goes back to Cain Who was of the evil one and murdered his brother and why did he murder him?
Because his own deeds were evil and his brothers righteous. Do not be surprised brothers that the world hates you. Verse 14 we know assurance that we have passed out of death into life. Because we love the brothers.
Whoever does not love abides in death. Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him and. Lastly in chapter 4 even he puts it very plainly.
John does in verse 20 of chapter 4 if anyone says profession. With their lips. I love God and Hates his brother. He is a liar for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen right. Cannot love God.
Whom he has not seen the subjective grounds John says is if you be claimed to be born of God and that is why you are believing in Jesus Christ and You love the Father and your brother and sister in Christ love the Father.
John is saying it is Implicitly natural for you to love somebody who also like yourself has been born of God because that's been something done outside of you. It's the Spirit of God doing that. I go to Martin Lloyd-Jones who explains it really well.
Quote. I say again a very good and very subtle test of whether we are children of God is. Whether we really love and like God's people and whether we like to be amongst them. Do you feel an affinity with people who like to talk about these things and with those who are the children of God?
We love the brethren Lloyd-jones says because we share the same interests we have been brought out of darkness into light. Separated from this world into this new kingdom. We are sharing and are interested in the same thing this glorious word in this praise of God.
We have the same enjoyments as we go through this world of time and back and beyond it all. We are facing the same destination. We are making for the same glory. We are travelers together through this weary pilgrimage.
He says it is natural to love members of the family. Brother class of the hand of a brother. Through being the same in nature the same in outlook the same in desires the same in interest having the same blessed Hope and seeing the same work in us all it is not a matter of argument.
He says or of deduction. It is something that is absolutely Inevitable. There are certain people who says we now love. I love this whom we would not love if we were not Christians as Natural people we would not love them.
But we now see them in a different way and we love that in them. We love the brethren the subjective grounds of our assurance. Amongst other things that John talks about specifically in our text today Is because he says others like yourself have been born of the Spirit of God and.
If you both love the Father it is inevitable that you will love others who have also been born of him. What is your assurance this morning based upon? The Bible says it's on two grounds. The objective truth of faith in Christ if you are trusting and Believing in Christ alone by faith alone in Christ alone it's not because you are smarter than the person next to you your neighbor or your Classmate is because the Spirit of God has regenerated has made you cause you to be born again so that you may believe and.
The subjective grounds of your assurance is you love to be around? The brethren do you know this morning without a shadow of a doubt? That you have eternal life. My daughter the other day as I was picking her up from school.
She said that the teacher punished the entire class. For something that only a few kids did and she was pretty upset about that. So I consoled her and I said that is so unfair. She says yeah, it is. I Said you know what's more unfair.
That the perfect one the Holy One Jesus Christ who never sinned obeyed the Father to the utmost. Should experience the wrath of the Father. For something you and I did now, that's not fair. Are you trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ this morning?
Let's pray Father we do thank you for the truth of your word. Thank you for its clarity because it speaks to our hearts. Thank you father for this brief epistle and father. I pray that if said anyone here this morning who?
Is struggling with assurance it might be that they are generally saved. They are secure in your but they're basing their assurance on other things. And that's why John wrote would you encourage him along those lines?
And if there's somebody here this morning who is not trusting in you I pray that the Spirit of God would you would cause them to be born again? So that they might fully trust with complete confidence and none other than the Lord Jesus Christ.
We pray these things in Christ's name Amen.