1 John Should Not be Used as a Litmus Test!

1 John as Assurance for the Redeemed, Not a Salvation Litmus Test

The way that First John is often presented in our modern day, and this has been true for decades, is that it is a litmus test of salvation. Like, John is giving that. He's giving the church a litmus test and the standard, you know, measure yourself against these things to determine whether or not you're legit.

You're probably not, you know. There's a lot of fakers out there, and what you need to do is assess yourself and see whether you meet the test or not. And our understanding of the letter is different than that, that John is writing actually to strengthen the assurance of the redeemed, and he's writing to protect them.

Why did John write this letter? These Christians have been bombarded by some things. They have been bombarded in particular by false teaching and by apostasy, by people abandoning the faith.

And abandoning them.

John is writing not to smoke out the fakers, but to actually comfort the saints. He is writing, right. He is writing to people who are genuine and to assure them by pointing out the fact that the people who have abandoned them and hurt them are those who have bought into this false teaching.

1 John 1:8–2:2 and the Promise of Forgiveness

Chapter one, verses eight through chapter two, verse two. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

If anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins. Chapter two, verses 12 to 14. I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven for his namesake.

I am writing to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. I write to you, children, because you know the Father.

I write to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you are strong and the word of God abides in you and you have overcome the evil one. Chapter two, verses 18 to 21.

Children, it is the last hour and as you have heard that Antichrist is coming, so now many Antichrists have come. Therefore, we know that it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they were not of us.

For if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out that it might become plain that they all are not of us. But you have been anointed by the Holy One and you all have knowledge.

I write to you, not because you do not know the truth, but because you know it and because no lie is of the truth. Chapter three, verses one and two. See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God, and so we are.

The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God's children now and what we will be has not yet appeared. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him because we shall see him as he is.

Chapter three, verses 19 and 20. By this, we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him. For whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart and he knows everything.

Chapter four and verse four. Little children, you are from God and have overcome them for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. Chapter four, verses nine and 10. In this, the love of God was made manifest among us that God sent his only son into the world so that we might live through him.

In this is love, not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his son to be the propitiation for our sins. Chapter four, verses 13 to 19. By this, we know that we abide in him and he in us because he has given us his spirit.

Whoever confesses that Jesus is the son of God, God abides in him and he in God. So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love and whoever abides in love abides in God and God abides in him.

There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. We love because he first loved us. Chapter five and verse one.

Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God. Chapter five, 19 to 20. We know that we are from God and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. And we know that the son of God has come 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. Now that's an avalanche of evidence. And then I haven't even read, I have not even read like the purpose statement verse, which is where we're going in just a minute.

Thoughts, comments, brother, let's just go on.

The Breadth of John’s Assurance and the Love That Casts Out Fear

It's so important. People are saying, well, you're leaving out all the other passages. We're not, we're gonna get to them, but you have to understand the absolute breadth. There's a whole boat he's floating you in.

Because basically John is creating two groups of people. You've got us who are in Christ, the propitiation of our sins upon Christ. I mean, I love this. No fear because what casts it out? Not your obedience, not the test, not your faithfulness, the love of God for you casts out fear.

We have to keep this.

Perfect love casts out fear. Well, whose love is perfect? God's love for us, right?

Yeah.

For those in Christ, these are the benefits. And how do we know? How have we come to know? It's for those who believe. That's what he says. It's for those who believe. So he wrote an entire. Yeah, go ahead.

I'm so sorry, dude. Like, but I read verses from every chapter. So we're getting an overview here. And like you said, I love your language. The boat that he floats us in. That's a great way to frame it.

Because like, this is the tone and tenor, the warp and the woof and the tincture, to use an old word, of the whole letter. And how many times does he say to his audience, we are in Christ? We are children of God.

You know, I mean, he's just saying it over and over and over and over to them. And you're gonna tell me that the purpose of this letter is to try to unsettle everybody?

Yeah.

Well, and the thing is, Justin and I, I'm gonna say this and he agrees. John is trying to unsettle some people, but it's not these people.

Right.

It's not these people. And that's the thing about it. It's like, James does this and John does this. Well, and Jesus does this. If you do not agree with God about your sin and his gospel, you should be afraid.

Exactly.

That is what John is saying.

The People John Means to Unsettle

Yeah, he is trying to unsettle people. He's trying to unsettle people who do not confess that Jesus came in the flesh. He's trying to unsettle people who deny that they have sin. He's trying to unsettle people who don't agree with God's word about the severity of their sin and the depth of their corruption.

He's trying to unsettle people who don't give a rip about God's word and God's law. He's trying to unsettle people who do not care at all about loving their brothers and sisters.

That's right.

If that's true of you, you should be very unsettled, but he's writing to people who are trusting in the Lord Jesus, who are loving each other, and who are pursuing righteousness sincerely, albeit imperfectly.