Commentary on "Believing in the Son of God"

PHIL HARRIS

 

Day 6: Thursday, August 27, 2009

 

Overview

And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. (I John 5:11,12 ESV)

Today's lesson picks up from Tuesday and is the testimony of God concerning his Son, who is our only source of eternal life.

GOD'S TESTIMONY

IS

YOU CAN KNOW YOU HAVE ETERNAL LIFE

 

Problems

Here are the words of Ellen:

Those who accept the Saviour, however sincere their conversion, should never be taught to say or to feel that they are saved. This is misleading. Everyone should be taught to cherish hope and faith; but even when we give ourselves to Christ and know that He accepts us, we are not beyond the reach of temptation. (Christ's Object Lessons, p. 155).

What does the "reach of temptation" have to do with this topic? Nothing! In fact, Scriptures teach that if we say we have not sinned, we lie.

...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, (Romans 3:23,24 ESV)

We all sin, both the saved and the unsaved. We are saved, justified, by God's grace and nothing else. Let's now look at the testimony of God and learn if we can know and declare we are saved?

Note: The problem here is really simple. If you believe and center your faith on the doctrine of Investigative Judgment, you dare not make the claim that you are saved and eternally secure. Why? Because those who expect to stand before the Lord and have their 'works' reviewed to determine if they are worthy to enter the Kingdom of God can know prior to this event if they are going to be saved.

Look at the next verse:

I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life. (I John 5:13 ESV)

John's testimony and motive for writing these words is that you can know you have eternal life. Why? Because, God's testimony is that those who accept Jesus Christ as their Savior, have accepted the testimony of the water and the blood of Jesus and have received the indwelling Holy Spirit sent by Jesus Christ. They have this assurance, certified by God.

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. (Rom. 8:1 ESV)

Those who have accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior have received the indwelling Seal of the Holy Spirit. For them there is no condemnation! Reading on down to the end of this chapter of Romans, we find these words:

Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died--more than that, who was raised--who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, "For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered." No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:34-39 ESV)

 

Summary

• We are justified by God's grace, not by our works. Even as Christians we still sin. Falling into temptation has nothing to do with knowing or not knowing that we have assurance of salvation. The testimony of the baptism of Christ, the blood of Christ and the indwelling Holy Spirit assures us that we are saved and in the Kingdom of God. John clearly states that the reason he writes what he does is so we can know we are eternally saved. This is the testimony of God.

 

 

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