Holy Words & Holy Habits: The Categorical Test of Our Assurance | 1 John 2:3-6

And the sermon title, as you can see for today, is Holy Words and Holy Habits, the Categorical Test of Our Assurance, based on 1 John 2, verses 3 through 6. Let's go ahead and read, if you turn with me to 1 John 2, starting in verse 1, and get the full context.

And God's Word says,. So last week, I left off on chapter 2, verse 2, on the power and extent of the Atonement, and how we need the Analogia Scripturae, the analogy of Scripture, or to interpret Scripture with Scripture, and the Analogia Fide, the analogy of faith, or to systematize the doctrines of Scripture in harmony with the whole counsel of God, which are principles that the Apostle John and the other biblical authors use, so we can ensure that our understanding of a particular verse doesn't contradict the rest of Scripture.

We will also see John using these principles continually in this chapter and throughout the rest of the letter. I also compared and contrasted Calvinism and Arminianism, and holding them up to the scrutiny of Scripture reveals that the former accurately reflects the biblical teaching, while the latter is found wanting.

And I do apologize for the information overload last week. I will strive to not overload the sermons, but if it does happen again, I will try to provide the link to my sermon notes beforehand, so you can at least follow along with me.

Today's sermon will be a bit technical, but for very important reasons that we will explore shortly. I hope and trust that it will still bless you, and you should be able to follow along with me, whether you have the sermon notes or not.

I know I covered several topics in my previous sermon, and I would encourage you to review it and the notes I posted, because depending on where God leads us as a church, these matters are going to become even more relevant.

And many Christians that you run into from other churches tend to hold to Arminian beliefs, and so it's something that we should familiarize ourselves with and learn how to answer and deal with biblically.

It amazes me also how the Lord has been providentially guiding us to preach on these books and on these very doctrines to prepare us and to build us up in the truth. So we must take care to rightly divide the word of truth, to not shallowly misinterpret individual passages, the trees, and end up contradicting Scripture, the forest.

So what the Apostle John means when he says in verse 2, he is the propitiation for our sins and not for our sins only, but also for the sins of the whole world, is that Jesus Christ's death, his atonement, is truly the full satisfaction of God's justice, the full redemption, the full propitiation of God's wrath for the sins of not just his immediate audience of mostly local Jewish believers, but also all believers from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation, the whole world.

And another takeaway that I didn't get to cover last week is that this verse is actually a good litmus test for evaluating Bible versions as well. Some are good, some are bad, some are excellent, and some are torturous.

I was, however, pleasantly surprised to find that the Amplified Bible, the revised and expanded 2015 version, renders this verse very well, and it's a good translation to consult in general because it has a useful inline or amplified commentary throughout the whole Bible.

And this is what it says, So, amen. And what this means for us is that Christ is a gracious, all-powerful, all-sufficient Savior, and his full satisfaction and propitiation of God's just wrath extends to all those who believe, from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation.

For there is no partiality with God, yet his grace is so amazing that he still decided to save some, even though we all deserve his just punishment of eternal wrath. Now, I want to take us on a tour to embark on a brief excursion into my use of Hebrew, Greek, Latin, and theological terms to, quote, So, follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus, according to 2 Timothy 1 .13.

Turn with me to that verse so we can all absorb its full impact to 2 Timothy 1 .13. Now, as I just read, the verse says, Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.

Notice the sound words. Sound, logon. The Greek is logos, or sound, doctrine. The word for sound here is, which is the root of the English word for hygiene. We need healthy words, wholesome words, uncorrupted words, pure doctrine, free from the stain of error.

The word hyggeos may be related to another Greek word, hagios, or holy, similar to the sacred writings referred to in 2 Timothy 3 .15, that are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

The Bible commands us to follow the pattern of sound words, holy words. Another reason for referring to the original languages and theological terms in my sermons is not to confuse you, but to equip you, to build you up, to familiarize ourselves with the original languages, arguments, and doctrines of Scripture.

That is why whenever I use them, I make it a habit. And speaking of habits, I make it a habit of translating and explaining them, and of providing good resources to empower you to understand them for yourselves, so that when you read or listen to someone else using the terms, you can better grasp what they mean, and having the proper definition of the terms and understanding of the doctrines, you can also discern if they are misusing or abusing them, which are common occurrences amongst shallow preachers and false teachers.

This is critical for your spiritual health and for the health of the church. So if anything is unclear, please ask and give us your feedback. Another reason is because these terms, these doctrines, are ways of understanding the Bible, and sometimes come directly from, or are logically deduced from, the Bible.

We should always test them with the Bible, and consequently, they are also deeply entrenched in the history of the church. And I believe that part of our duty as pastors is to connect all of these dots, the dots of Scripture, the dots of the original languages, the dots of theology, the dots of sound doctrine, the dots of church history, the dots of creeds and confessions, the dots of our habits and life circumstances, and so on, all to the edification of God's people.

These theological terms and doctrines require us to properly understand and apply Scripture, and preaching about them gives us the opportunity to do just that, and to judge them with right judgment. Yet another extremely important reason is because our God is a God of words, and of the Word, the Logos, and of language and communication, and of logic and wisdom, of sound words and reason.

Words matter to God, so much so that on the day of judgment, people will give account for every careless or idle word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.

That's Matthew 12, 36 -37. Words are the vessels we use to express truth, and our God is the God of truth. The way, the truth, and the life. It is by His Word that we are saved, and it is by His Word, by His doctrine, that we are sanctified.

The words of Jesus, the very words themselves, are spirit and life, according to John 6 and 63. This brings me now to an important public service announcement, and it is not that Biden is in town. We must cast down the harmful influence of pietism from our perspective of complex terminology and theology.

You see, pietism tends to shun complicated doctrines and terms. Pietists prefer the simple, the simplistic, the shallow emotionalism of their subjective experience. Not to say that that's wrong in and of itself, but it must be grounded in the truth from which those emotions and experiences should follow.

But it is for this very reason that they suffer from malnourishment and from spiritual immaturity. But what sayeth the Scriptures? What words are written in the Law and the Prophets? God, in fact, places a high premium on precise language, sometimes technical language, and clear communication.

The Bible certainly uses plain and simple language. It does. And that may be enough to clearly communicate the truth, but not always. So we cannot deceive ourselves or to be confused about this issue, because it can cause us to misunderstand and misinterpret the Scripture.

Sometimes the Bible uses complex technical terms to express larger, more complex ideas, arguments, and doctrines. We've encountered several in John's letter already, sometimes more than one in a single verse, such as koinonia, or fellowship, paraclete, paracleton, or mediator, defense attorney, elasmos, elasterion, or propitiation, the satisfaction of God's wrath by a spotless blood sacrifice, kosmos, cosmos, the world, which has over 15 different meanings in Scripture.

And I forgot to mention one as well, righteous, dikaios, righteousness. These are even technical legal terms as well. And another one that we will cover today is peripateo, or your habits, your lifestyle, the manner in which you walk day by day and what it reveals about your spiritual condition.

Remember that some things in Scripture are simple enough for even a young child to understand, but other things are not so simple, which is why God repeatedly admonishes us and commands us to be mature in our thinking and our understanding.

To count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters.

There are some things in them, however, that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction as they do the other Scriptures that are hard to understand. You, therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability, but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

To Him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen. That was 2 Peter 3, 15 -18. And that was an inspired amen, not the one that I usually say. The Reformed standards, such as the Westminster Confession and the London Baptist Confession, the Second London Baptist Confession, rightly affirm this reality, this truth in the very first chapter.

In section 7 we read,. All things in Scripture are not alike plain in themselves, nor alike clear unto all. Yet those things which are necessary to be known, believed, and observed for salvation are so clearly propounded and open in some place of Scripture or other that not only the learned, but the unlearned, in a due use of ordinary means, may attain to a sufficient understanding of them.

So that means that even the ignorant can know and understand the gospel for salvation, but obviously the Scriptures admonish us to go beyond that, to mature in our understanding, to go from milk to solid food.

Therefore, growing in our knowledge and understanding of the more complicated words, arguments, and doctrines of the Bible, the solid meat that is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil, Hebrews 5, verse 14, are vital, vital to our assurance, to our sanctification, to our holy habits, and to our very stability, like 2 Peter says, our stability, our very security in Christ.

Therefore, we will continue to strive with the Apostle Paul and the rest of the biblical authors to not have you ignorant or unaware, brothers and sisters. Amen? We must stand firm in the truth and not be tossed around by every wind of doctrine.

That is how we stand firm, by growing in the truth and maturity, and even these complicated doctrines that help us to stand firm. Now, that being said, let us now continue on to 1 John 2, starting in verse 3, verses 3 -6.

I'm going to read it through first and then include some commentary the second time, starting in verse 3, 1 John 2, verse 3. And by this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments.

Whoever says, I know Him, but does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in Him.

Whoever says he abides in Him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked. Okay, so going back now to verse 3, and I'll add my commentary. And by this we know, or are assured, we are assured that we have come to know Him.

By this we know, in other words, that we are saved, if we keep His commandments, if we strive to obey Him in our daily walk, even and including when we sin. Whoever says, I know Him, but does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

He is exposed as a hypocritical unbeliever. But whoever keeps His word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. That's another complicated, that's another technical term there. Tetelestai, that was the same word that Jesus used on the cross, when He said, He pronounced that it was finished.

It was perfected, it was completed, or has been truly perfected. By this we may know that we are in Him, whether we are saved. Whoever says he abides in Him, is kept and preserved by Christ, in other words, ought to walk, that's the word, peripateo, periapateisen, in the same way in which He walked, follow the teaching, and example, and law of Christ and His holy words.

Note once again that God's word here is pronouncing strong categorical statements and judgments about the marks, the marks or the habits of both true believers and of religious liars and hypocrites and unbelievers.

There are only two categories that you belong, that you fall under, according to God. You are either an unbeliever, and there's various kinds of unbelievers, or a believer. You are either in Adam, fallen and guilty and condemned, or in Christ.

One of two. And this is what John is drawing the line on. Here in this passage, there are three positive marks or habits that point to and assure the true believer, and a negative mark that points to and exposes the unbeliever.

Those who keep His commandments, keep His word, and follow Christ are true believers who abide in Him and in whom God's love is perfected and conforming them to His image in this life, in the present now.

Praise God for that. But those who claim or profess to know God, yet do not keep His commandments, are exposed as hypocritical liars who do not have the truth in them. These are words of great encouragement and of serious warning.

God is also telling us that our holy lifestyle habits, our striving obedience to His word, is one of the pillars of our assurance. There are other pillars of biblical assurance that we previously encountered in the letter, and I will review them at the end.

And we will find later on more in the letter. Now, this brings us to another public service announcement. We need to be careful not to misunderstand what these passages are teaching us so that we not lose our biblical balance by veering off into extremes.

When John makes these categorical judgments, he is describing the overall characteristics of a person's walk, their peripateo, their lifestyle and habits. This does not mean that you must maintain personal, perfect, entire, exact and perpetual conformity and obedience to God and completely stop sinning after you become a Christian.

For that is impossible, and only Jesus was able to do that, and that's why we need Him fully for our salvation. This actually will happen, but not until we receive our redeemed, glorified bodies at the resurrection, all because of Christ and His finished work.

And it would contradict John's earlier admonition in 1 John 1, verses 8 -10. If you turn back with me there, in 1 John 1, verses 8 -10. So back in chapter 1, starting in verse 8, we read,. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

That same phrase, the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, God a liar, and His word is not in us, just as the truth is not in those who say they know God, but do not keep His word and His commandments.

However, while we cannot obey God perfectly, we must still strive daily to do so by God's grace, spirit and means. By the means, the Bible, the scriptures, the Lord's Supper, baptism, all of those things, prayer, study, fellowship, not in order to get right with Him, for Christ has already accomplished that in full on our behalf already, but out of love, thankfulness and gratitude for what He has done for us.

Amen?

Now, back to the text, we see that John repeats some of his other admonitions from the first chapter as well. If we go a little further back to chapter 1 and verses 6 through 7, starting in verse 6, we read this.

If we say we have fellowship with Him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk, peripateo, in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus' Son cleanses us from all sin.

Notice the language and the verbs again. John, and by extension God, is also repeating these things for emphasis. He really wants us to get this down. John is describing a pattern, a lifestyle, habits.

He exposes the lies of hypocrites who claim to have koinonia, or fellowship with God, while living a contradictory lifestyle of unrepentant sin and ignorance or darkness. Walking in the darkness of unrepentant sin is mutually exclusive and incompatible with practicing the truth and walking in the light.

He is judging those who walk in darkness who have a lifestyle of habits that are sinful without regard for God's Word or without repentance to be unbelievers who are not in true fellowship with God. We as a church must examine ourselves, therefore, and train ourselves for godliness daily.

According to 1 Timothy 4 .7 and several other passages, that includes dealing biblically with the sin in ourselves and in the church. Now, given this, where do we draw the line then? How shall we then live and test ourselves?

Our peripateo, our daily walk, should generally, or overall, reflect the characteristics that John describes, including when we sin. Doesn't mean that we don't sin anymore, but when we sin, we should respond a certain way and we should be convicted.

God gives us new desires and works in us for our personal growth and holiness, ultimately for His glory and for our glorification. Now, turn with me to Ezekiel 36, starting in verse 25. If we turn to Ezekiel 36, verse 25, we will see exactly what John is getting at here.

Because, again, of the analogy of Scripture and the analogy of faith, all of these doctrines are in harmony with each other, with the whole counsel of God. So, in Ezekiel 36, verse 25, God says, I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses.

And from all your idols I will cleanse you. 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. And I will put my spirit within you and cause you to walk peripateo.

Now, this is in Hebrew. The Greek word is peripateo. But this is the same concept, the same understanding, the same doctrine. To walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. I also like how the Amplified Bible, and this is talking about growing obedience.

So, even though we won't obey perfectly, we will also grow in conformity and in obedience to Christ and His Word. And I do like how the Amplified Bible renders 1 John 2, verse 3 in particular, and how it draws out the meaning of the text as well as what I'm preaching.

This is what it says, And this is how we know daily by experience that we have come to know Him. To understand Him and be more deeply acquainted with Him. If we habitually keep focus on His precepts and obey His commandments or teachings.

And this is exactly what I've been saying. And I didn't even read this until after I had prepared my notes. And it's the same exact teaching that's being communicated here. The older theologians likewise spoke of how in regeneration, when God regenerates us, God implants in us a new habitus.

Habitus, that is a Latin word for disposition or new desires, habits, and behaviors.

Habitus.

R .L. Dabney, for example, explains. What is a nature? Common sense answers with sound philosophy. It is that aggregate of permanent characteristic attributes. That essentia. Now in strictest speech, man's nature is never changed.

Either by the fall or by redemption. For if it were, he would no longer be a man. He would become another animal with a different essentia from that which made him a man. But there is a popular use, not found in the Bible, use of the word fucis.

The word fucis is what the Bible describes as nature. Of the word nature and more frequently of the phrase moral nature. Men mean by it the moral habitus or disposition which permanently qualifies the active powers of the soul for good or evil.

Now further, while the power which regenerates and sanctifies must ever be partly incomprehensible to us, the comprehension of the effect is so far easy that the new birth reverses the moral habitus of the believer's will.

Prevalently but not at first absolutely. And that the work of progressive sanctification carries on this change thus omnipotently. Begun by God that is. Towards that absolute completeness or that perfected tetelestai.

Which we must possess on entering heaven. In the carnal state of unbelief, the habitus of the sinner's will is absolutely and exclusively godless. Which is exactly what John says. In the regenerate state it is prevalently but not completely godly.

So we don't completely obey but we prevalently work towards obedience in Christ and his word. In the glorified state at the resurrection, it is absolutely and exclusively godly. And that is something we can rejoice and hope for.

So to sum up the matter then. What are some of the specific distinguishing holy habits that mark us as true believers and strengthen our assurance according to 1 John so far. According to what we've covered in the letter.

I counted five of them. The first one is fellowship or koinonia. With both the God of scripture and with other true believers. Ideally in a local church. This means first and foremost that we have true fellowship with God.

True koinonia with God. By believing his gospel of salvation. By grace alone. Through faith alone. In Christ alone. For the glory of God alone. Based on the ultimate authority of scripture alone. And are striving to follow God's word in everyday life.

I really like saying that. That word alone is very powerful. And it makes all the difference. It is the difference between true and false religion. Between Protestantism and justification. And the false Gospels of Rome and these other false teachings that require you to present your works at the last judgment.

Now we should also desire to and maintain fellowship with other believers in a true church. A true fellowship. The marks of which are the faith number one. The faithful preaching of God's word. The proper administration of God's sacraments.

Namely baptism in the Lord's Supper. And the exercise of biblical church discipline. And for further study on this you can also see the Westminster Confession chapter 26. Of the communion of saints. Now the second habit, the second holy habit is walking in the light.

Peripateo.

Peripateoing.

I know it's not a real word but. Walking in the light. Or continually and habitually seeking to learn and learn and grow in the truth of God's word and apply it in our lives. And in humble obedience. That's walking in the light.

This includes reading, listening to, studying and meditating on the Bible. And also memorizing it. Church history, creeds and confessions and other books, sermons, podcasts and lectures etc. that teach sound doctrine.

Walking in the light also means that we are actively maturing in our understanding. And are able to discern biblical fidelity and truth and error from the teachings of other men. We're able to identify and hear the voice of our Savior.

The voice of our Shepherd. Because His sheep know His voice. They know His truth. The third one is confession of sins. To our Heavenly Father. To those we have sinned against. And to Jesus, our righteous, sin-bearing advocate.

This is the key. This holy habit is the key to not falling in the dungeon of despair whenever we struggle to keep the other positive commands. And to maintaining a proper biblical balance. Now with respect to justification, it means that we have repented.

A change of mind, a change of conviction to recognizing the fallen error of our sinful ways and understanding and accepting the Gospel and Christ's mediation and propitiation as the one true hope of salvation.

Now with respect to sanctification, it means that we confess our sins to God regularly in prayer. And to those we have sinned against in order to seek forgiveness and reconciliation. The 2nd London Baptist Confession puts it very well in chapter 15, sections 4 -5.

Which says, as repentance is to be continued through the whole course of our lives, which is exactly what John says, upon the account of the body of death, our bodies, our physical bodies of death, and the motions thereof.

So it is every man's duty to repent of his particular sins particularly. Just like John says, to confess our sins. Plural, our specific sins. Not just generically, but specifically. The specific sins that we committed on a regular basis.

Now section 5 of the confession says,. Such is the provision which God hath made through Christ in the covenant of grace, the new covenant, for the preservation of believers unto salvation, that although there is no sin so small, but it deserves damnation, yet there is no sin so great that it shall bring damnation on them who repent, which makes the constant preaching of repentance necessary.

And this is directed to us pastors. We need to constantly preach on repentance and confession of sin, forgiveness of sin, and reconciliation and pardon of sin. Now number 4, the fourth holy habit is abstaining from sin.

So we don't just confess our sins, we also seek to avoid and abstain from sin. Scripture is emphatic that we as believers must constantly struggle, wrestle, fight, war against sin and against our flesh, our still fallen unredeemed bodies.

All the other habits listed help us to abstain from sin. All the other 4, they all help us to abstain from sin. And one of our primary goals in life, must be to not sin. Like I preached on last time, we must avoid sin and abstain from every kind, form, and appearance of evil and of sin.

According to 1 Thessalonians 5 .22. Another important practice here that John mentions implicitly, but it's explicitly mentioned in other places, such as Romans, is mortification, which is extremely important and often neglected.

And this is the practice of putting to death, mortifying, putting to death our earthly members. That's Colossians 3 .5. Our thoughts, words, and actions that violate God's word by denying ourselves in order to master sin and gain control of our bodies, our minds, which also includes fasting.

Now the fifth and final holy habit is striving and growing in obedience or keeping His commandments, keeping His word, and following Christ, which we read in verses 3 -6 today. This consists of all the previous holy habits as well as this sermon, which is what those verses are about.

The Westminster Confession sums up the matters of obedience and good works very nicely from God's word in chapter 16 and is a tremendous encouragement to us as believers. This is a good thing to meditate on and to study.

It's a very good summary of the scriptures here. Section 2 says, Good works done in obedience to God's commandments are the fruits and evidences of a true and lively faith, which is exactly what 1 John says.

And by them, believers manifest their thankfulness. They express their thankfulness. They strengthen their assurance, which is what John says once again. By this we know that we know Him, that we are saved, that we are assured of our salvation.

They edify their brothers with good works, adorn the profession of the gospel. They stop the mouths of the adversaries and glorify God, whose workmanship they are, created in Christ Jesus thereunto, that having their fruit unto holiness, they may have the end, eternal life.

Amen.

Now, section 6 says this, The persons of believers being accepted through Christ, their good works also are accepted in Him, not as though they were in this life wholly unblameable and unreprovable in God's sight, because we still have the tainted fallen flesh of our sinful bodies, but that He, looking upon them in His Son, is pleased to accept and reward that which is sincere, although accompanied with many weaknesses and imperfections.

And this is a great source of encouragement for us because it helps us to not lose our balance and to remember that even though we fail to keep the positive commands daily sometimes, we have encouragement and an advocate who is willing to forgive our sins each and every day through confession of our sin, repentance of sin, and mortifying sin.

So that is the balance that we must maintain as believers. Thank you for listening to the sermons of Thorn Crown Covenant Baptist Church, where the Bible alone, and the Bible in its entirety, is applied to all of faith and life.

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And may the mercy, peace, and love of our Triune God be multiplied to you.