The Test Of Faith

Introduction

1 John 4:13

It is John's contention that if a man actually knows Jesus Christ, that knowledge will be more than lip profession; it will also be heart possession. John states that love takes tangible forms. It is not abstract; it is concrete. Having underscored both truth and love in chapters 3 and 4, the apostle John turns to the subject of faith. John is not attempting to separate love and faith. These two qualities of life are but different sides of the same coin. Faith is the root while love is the fruit. The word "faith" in verse 4 can be equated with the word "believeth" in verse 1. Both come from the same Greek word. This believing or faith, John has maintained throughout, goes right along with love as he stated in 3:26. In 4:16 faith and love move together.

Apart from faith in Jesus Christ, no one can possess true love. If you possess "the" love, that love which God has revealed in Jesus Christ, then this love comes only through faith in Him. On the other hand, if you have "the" faith it is revealed in love for the Lord Jesus.

The Gnostics raised questions about Christian doctrine and morality which produced serious doubts. John mentioned these false teachers: "I write this to you about those who would deceive you" (2:26). Again, John said, "Little children, let no one deceive you" (3:7). John described the disturbers with these terms, "false prophets" (4:1) indicating they were spokesmen for false teaching; "deceivers" (I John 2:26; 3:7) because they were leading people astray; and

"antichrists" (2:18) because they denied the Divine-human person of Jesus Christ. They had spread their false teachings in the church. They may have left the church because they could not get the church members to convert to their teachings. Stott indicates this may have happened. ("The Letters of John and Jude," page 105)John writes to give assurance to believers. John assured: "By this we know" (4:13), "so we know" (4:16), "that we may have confidence" (4:17), "by this we know" (5:2).

John gives ways Christians can make sure they are true believers.

I. The Affirmation of Salvation (I John 4:13-21)

The affirmation of salvation is ours by these:

A. The Possession of the Holy Spirit (I John 4:13)

A key word upon which John grounded affirmation was the word "abide" (meno). He used the word twenty-four times in I John. To abide in the Lord means that God abides in the believer.

It is to be indwelt, inhabited by the Holy Spirit. God gives us His Spirit the moment we receive Christ, when we believe. The verb "believe" comes from a root word meaning "to unite life." The Holy Spirit takes up residency in the believer. The possession of the Holy Spirit brings inward assurance. The Spirit's witness assures our hearts. "And by this we know that he abides in us, by the spirit which he has given us" (3:24). Paul says "The Spirit himself bearing witness with our Spirit that we are the children of God" (Romans 8:16). God will produce what the believer will allow in his life. He will produce the Christ-like qualities of love, joy, peace, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. If we want to make sure that we are Christian, we must look for evidence of the Holy Spirit's working, and we must listen for his inward witness.

B. The Profession of the Son of God (I John 4:14-16)

A real Christian is one who professes Jesus Christ as the Son of God. John teaches that we must accept the facts of the gospel, "And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son as the Savior of the world" (4:14). His knowledge of the gospel was based on firsthand, experiential information. He had been an eyewitness to Jesus, and he testified of the fact. He gave the facts of   the gospel. He also gave the believer's involvement with the gospel, "Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him and he in God" (4:15). One must confess Christ as the Son of God and his Savior. The gospel results in a life of love, "So we know and believe the love God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in Him" (4:16). This vital union with Christ makes possible a life of love.

Love is the fruit, the evidence of confessing Jesus as the Son of God. "Only the Holy Spirit can enlighten our minds to believe in Jesus and warm our hearts to love God and each other. So believing and loving are evidence that his Spirit is at work within us." ("The Letters of John," page 171)

C. The Perfecting in the Love of God (I John 4:17-21)

"Herein is love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so we are in this world" (4:17). "Herein" renders two Greek words meaning "in this." In what? In the fact that God dwells in us and we dwell in Him in a relationship of love - that of Father and child. "Made perfect" renders a verb "teleioo" which means to accomplish a purpose or reach a goal. The perfect tense means to fully do so. What is the purpose? "That we may have boldness in the day of judgment." "Judgment" refers to the final judgment.

The word "confidence" (parresian) had been used two other times (2:28, 3:21) and in each case it meant freedom of speech. It meant a fearless freedom. Love will have reached its goal as we stand before God, not in terror as a slave before his master, but as a loving child before a loving Father.

Boldness is possible for believers on judgment day because "as he is so are we in the world." In this world, our standing before God is the same as the glorified Lord. Jesus is God's beloved Son in whom He is well pleased. Believers are God's children, and we can be assured that He has accepted us.

Thus at the final judgment we will stand as God's children before our heavenly Father - with our Elder Brother seated at His right hand. We will have no need to fear the verdict. This growing love removes the fear of "the day of judgment." For fear has to do with punishment, and he who fears is not perfected in love" (4:18), we have been "assured that we are 'like him' (4:17) God's beloved children, we cease to be afraid of him. It is evident, therefore, that 'the one who fears is not made perfect in love'." (Ibid, page 172)In (4:19-21) we are commanded to love others. Only loving action proves the truth of our profession. No one is flawless in loving others, but our affirmation comes when we see we are growing in our concern for other people. To make sure you are a Christian one must ask, "Do  I love God and am I loving other people?"

II. The Assurance of Salvation (I John 5:1-12)

John is assuring the way of salvation in I John 5:1-5. The wording is designed to strike a fatal blow at Gnosticism. The Gnostics denied Jesus was also the Christ of God. They separated the two. They said Jesus was a man but that Christ was not identical to the man Jesus. John assures them and us that "Jesus is the Christ." Because of who He is and who we are in Him, we have assurance as we respond to Him.

A. Obeying the Commands (I John 5:1-3)

"Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begot loveth him also that is begotten of him" (5:1). There is no break in John's train of thought between 4:20-21 and 5:1. He had been talking about Christians loving each other. Now he gives an additional reason for this. Christians have the same parentage - we are bothers and sisters in God in Christ, our common source of life.

John wanted his readers to know that obeying Christ grew out of a union and communion with the living Lord rather than observing legalistic rules. Two words depict the relationship:

"believes" (pesturon) and "child of God" (gegemetai). To believe is to open our lives so that the Lord can join His life with us. When we believe, the Lord makes believers children of God. He puts us in the family of God.

It is a belief that goes beyond intellectual assent to mean trust and commitment of life. Through faith we trust in Christ as Savior, and totally commit our lives to Him. We must have faith "That Jesus is the Christ." This is a direct blow at the Corinthian Gnostics who held that Christ was not born, neither did He die: He came upon Jesus at His baptism and left Him on the cross before His death. Such was denial of Jesus' deity. So one must have faith that Jesus truly is the Christ or Anointed One of God for our redemption, a faith which leads to trust and commitment to His will and way. All of this is bound in Jesus' simple invitation "Follow me" (John 1:43). "By this we know that we love the children of God when we love God, and keep his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep  his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous" (5:2-3). "By this" renders en (toutoi), an oft-used phrase in the epistle. It refers not to God's love for us but to our love for God and obedience to his commandments. Loving obedience to God is the soil out of which grows our love for each other. We demonstrate our love for God by loving one another. The apostle added that God's commandments "are not grievous" or "not heavy" ("burdensome," RSV). Robertson says, "Love for God lightens his commands." ("Word Pictures, Volume VI," page 238) The believer wants to fulfill the wishes of the Heavenly Father, the Creator, and Redeemer. The greatest evidence that one could ever have for being a child of God would be to love God and keep His commandments.

B. Overcoming the World (I John 5:4-5)

"For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?" Victory over the world system originates out of a relationship with God. He who is within the Christian is greater than he who is in the world. When a relationship is established with the Lord, victory is possible. Williams reads, "Every child of God continues to conquer." "The world" here refers to a social order which takes no account of God.

The neuter word "whatsoever" (not "whosoever") is significant. Literally, "Every single thing born of God keeps on conquering the world." This denotes a continuous struggle and the continuous assurance of victory. Vaughan puts it, "The Christians' conflict with the world is still in progress ... continuous victory is possible." ("John," page 117) So whatever opposes God is doomed to defeat. But there is more. Rather than point to redeemed people who conquer, this verse denotes the "divine life and power" by which Christians conquer. We conquer in Christ's strength, not in our own. John used "Christ" and "Son of God" interchangeably, both referring to His deity. He declared that the man Jesus was God Incarnate. This refuted both Gnostic schools of thought. As the Son of God, He was Christ in a flesh-and-blood body. And since the Son of God was manifested as Jesus of Nazareth,  He was born of the virgin Mary and did die on the cross.

Barclay says, "We have the indestructible hope of final victory. The world did its worst to Jesus. It hounded him and slandered him. It branded him heretic and friend of sinners. It judged him, crucified him, and buried him. It did everything humanly possible to eliminate him - "and it failed."

After the cross came the Resurrection. After the shame came the glory. If we believe that Jesus is the Son of God, we have with us always Christ the Victory to make us victorious."

(Ibid, page 106)A veteran of the Civil War used to wander from place to place, begging a bed and bite to eat and always talking about his friend "Mr. Lincoln." Because of his injuries, he was unable to hold a steady job. But as long as he could keep going, he would chat about his beloved President.      "You say you knew Mr. Lincoln," a skeptical bystander retorted one day. "I'm not so sure you did,   prove it!" The old man replied, "Why, sure, I can prove it. In fact, I have a piece of paper here that Mr. Lincoln himself signed and gave to me. "From his old wallet, the man took out a much-folded piece of paper and showed it to the man. "I'm not much for reading," he apologized, "but I know that's Mr.

Lincoln's signature." "Man, do you know what you have here?" one of the spectators asked. "You have a generous federal pension authorized by President Lincoln. You don't have to walk around like a poor beggar. Mr. Lincoln has made you rich." Christians do not have to walk around defeated; Christ has made us victors.

C. Overt Witnesses (I John 5:6-12)

John's reference to believing that Jesus was the Son of God led him to note that such faith was not empty speculation. He went on to give three overt witnesses to this fact: water, blood, and the Holy Spirit. In interpreting John's words along here we must keep in mind the Gnostic heresy which differentiated between the man Jesus and the divine Christ. The Docetics said that Christ did not have a real flesh-and-blood body, but only seemed to have. The Corinthians said that the eternal Christ was neither born nor did He die, but came upon Jesus at His baptism and left Him on the cross. But our assurance that Jesus in whom we believe is the Christ, even the Son of God, enables us to anticipate victory. This victory lies not in gnosticism or another ism but in total commitment to Him. In Jesus Christ is the power to fully conquer the world (John 16:33). The Law required two or three witnesses for a matter to be settled (Deuteronomy 19:15). Stott says, "Jesus was the Christ before and during the baptism and during and after the cross ... 'the one who came through water and blood.' Neither word has the definite article. The author is stressing the unity of the earthly career of Jesus Christ. He who came (from heaven, that is) is the same as He who passed 'through' water and blood." (Ibid, page 181) The Father witnessed at the baptism and at the Cross and the Spirit witnesses today within the believer. The Spirit, the water, and the blood settle the matter: Jesus is God. A triple witness is enough to establish any fact.

John now gives the experiential witness. This is the testimony of a person who has experienced the transforming power of Jesus Christ (5:10). The believer has the reality of Christ in his or her heart because of faith. The word "believes" (pisteuon) means "to join life." When a person opens life to God, the Lord joins His life with the person. John gives the content of the testimony (5:11-12). The essence of the Christian experience is "eternal life" (aronion). The word literally means "belonging to the age to come" or "God's kind of life." The believer has the experience of God's kind of life. When you hear these witnesses - the historical, the divine, and the experiential - you must decide. What is your verdict?