A matter that troubles many is - how can I know I am saved.
The following is what John says about this important topic.
From 1 John 3:
6 No one who remains in Him sins continually; no one who sins continually has seen Him or knows Him.
Known repeating sins are serious and such matters should be disclosed to elders for prayer support and ministry.
10 anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother and sister.
Love for the family of God is a sure sign that He is at work within you and you are saved.
14 We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers and sisters. The one who does not love remains in death.
15 Everyone who hates his brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life remaining in him.
This is a serious verse - hatred of other christians is a sure sign one is unsaved.
17 But whoever has worldly goods and sees his brother or sister in need, and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God remain in him?
Another very serious verse - Refusing to share what one has with the poorer believers is evidence of not having God's abiding Love.
1 John 5:
God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. 12 The one who has the Son has the life; the one who does not have the Son of God does not have the life.
13 These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.
The evidence of having Jesus is a life expressing His Love.
Now the context of these verses is a fellowship living in community - a mode that many churches are not in.
You will notice John does not refer to Baptism as evidence of salvation - it is all about whether or not the Love of Jesus is expressed through your life.
Comments appreciated - be encouraged.
Hey Bro.
I have a bit of a different take on 1 John and especially 1 John 3.
I think 1 John 3:9 is a key verse in understanding what John is saying.
1 John 3:9 KJV
9. Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.
Some have suggested the idea of "habitually" here also. As in:
"Whosoever is born of God doth not
habitually commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot
habitually sin, because he is born of God."
That does not ring right with me because of one obviuos reason. The connotation would be that
God sins... just not
habitually. No. God does not sin at all. Therefore the meaning of the verse is that the born again one
does not sin either - at all. But that causes problems for some students because, again, for obvious reasons, we in fact do sin. So are we all therefore not of God?
The answer is in the word "whosoever." The same exact words are used in 1 John 5:4
1 John 5:4 KJV
4. For
whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.
1 John 3:9 =
πας G3956 A-NSM
ο G3588 T-NSM
1 John 5:4 =
πας G3956 A-NSM
ο G3588 T-NSM
IOWs the
part of you that is born of God overcomes the world. The part of you that is born of God is your spirit. Our flesh and minds are still very capable of sinning.
So I believe that John is not talking about "whosoever" as in the "whole man" (spirit soul and body) in his epistle, just the spirit that has been born again. So 3:9 is correctly understood to also mean "whatsoever."
"Whatsoever is born of God doth not habitually commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot habitually sin, because he is born of God."
So his seed (spirit) remains in him (the whole man).
So then what is the assurance here?
I believe if we drop back to our understanding of the unregenerate man, we remember that he is incapable of doing righteousness
at all. He is sinful and even the good things he does are filthy rags. He is a leopard who cannot change his spots, and he is sick with an incurable illness - sin.
Isaiah 64:6 KJV
6. But we are all as an unclean thing, and all
our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.
Jeremiah 13:23 KJV
23. Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil.
Jeremiah 17:9 ISV
9. "The heart is more deceitful than anything. It is
incurable—who can know it?
So the point of this teaching, I think, is not that born again believers never sin. The point is that they are now
capable of doing righteousness and they are
capable of never sinning. If they walk according to their reborn spirit, they will never sin. This contrasted against the unbeliever who can never do righteousness, and always is sinful. The worst thing an unregenerate can do is walk according to his reborn spirit.
The really clears up the rest of 1 John 3, which has been difficult for many students.
The born again believer
can do righteousness (though he may not
always walk according to his reborn spirit).
The unregenerate
cannot do righteousness (
especially when he walks according to his unregenerate spirit).
So anyone who can do righteousness (at all) is born of God.
Anyone incapable of doing righteousness is not born of God.