Walking in Clarity

0:37By this, we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments, and His commandments are not burdensome. For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world, and this is the victory that has overcome the world, our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? This is who came by the water and blood, Jesus Christ, not by the water only, but by the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. For there are three that testify: the Spirit, and the water, and the blood, and these three agree.

1:29If we receive the Testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater, for this is the testimony of God that He has borne concerning His Son. Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in Himself. Whoever does not believe, God has made him a liar, because He has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning His Son. 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. This is God's Word. You may be seated.

2:13Engineers are different. Most of us see things as black or white, left or right, up or down, but not engineers. For example, to the optimist, the glass is half full. To the pessimist, the glass is half empty. To the engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be. In 1 John 5:1 through 12, we're going to see several examples of such out-of-the-box thinking. Most of us only see two options, but the scriptures oftentimes see a third.

2:58So, in order for us to understand, This passage, it's necessary for us to quickly review the background surrounding this epistle. I know that some of you have heard this before, so humor me. There were some that were not here two weeks ago, and some of you two weeks ago didn't listen. So, if you just let me humor me. There's a very close relationship with the Gospel of John and the letters of John or the epistles. We know and can surmise that there appears to be a community made up of a number of churches located in and around the city of Ephesus, which is the second largest city in the Roman province, the whole Roman Empire, and this city situated in the Roman province of Asia. Sometime after these churches had received an early form of the fourth gospel, there was a disagreement within the community. Some of the members of this community took on Cyrinthian-like beliefs. This was a form of Gnosticism promulgated by or set forth by Cyrinthus.

4:13And they took on these about the person and work of Christ that were simply unacceptable to the Apostle John. So in 1 John, John calls these members who have departed from the larger community in chapter 2 Antichrists. In chapter 4, false prophets, and later in chapter 4, those from the world. Just for a label, we're going to call them secessionists. These secessionists were not content to leave the churches and keep the beliefs to themselves. Instead, they formed their own churches, sent out evangelists with an attempt to convert those in the former churches to their new Corinthian-like theology. So, as a result of this confusion, John is made aware of this ongoing turmoil, and this group in Ephesus began to question: did they really know God?

5:14Were they really experiencing eternal life? And were they really in the truth? Thus, John's purpose in writing this letter was not to correct the secessionists. The letter was not written for them, but to bring assurance to the believers, his readers, by this double strategy of saying what the secessionists believe is wrong, and then to show the readers that they are in the truth. So, that's the background of our passage. Given that we're going to focus this morning on three questions, I want to provide you an overview of 1 John 5:1 through 12. The passage naturally divides into two sections. The first four Verses actually concludes a lengthy passage that began back in 1 John 7 through the end of that chapter, which is what was preached on last week. For there was the focus was on the believers to be loving. 1 John 5, 1 through 4 speaks about that, but it also serves as a wrap-up or an early summation of the whole book.

6:25So up to this point, you're beginning to see a little bit of repetition in 1 John 5, 1 through 4. And Sam Storms notes that maybe the only new thought in these first four verses is this: that there is a unity in the three characteristics that have defined a Christian. We've seen this in the circular argument, the spiraling argument that you've seen throughout the book, which is three characteristics that define a Christian. Number one, faith in Christ as the incarnate Son of God. Number two, love one another, love the brothers. And number three, moral obedience to the commandments.

7:10A true Christian cannot have one of these without having all of these, because they're all three essential characteristics. And that's what Sam Storms is noting. He thinks that this is the real purpose of these first four voices, to make first four verses to make sure that you know that all three must come together. Words, this. If one loves the brothers and practices righteousness but denies the incarnate Son of God, there's something wrong. That's not what a true Christian would have. Or if you affirm Christ's deity and love the brethren but don't want to follow God's commandments, you're a liar.

7:50Or you could say, one could say, I practice righteousness, obey. I confess Christ, but I hate the brothers. The genuinely born-again believer, Storms believes, will manifest all three signs, and the absence of any one sign is pointing to the absence of true spiritual life. So that might be what's new in these first four verses. Now, when you get to 5 through 12, John shifts his focus from loving to faith. More specifically, we need to keep the faith. He speaks of the faith that overcomes the world, the faith in Jesus as the Son of God, and the faith of that is testified by the Spirit of truth.

8:37So that's the context of our 12 verses this morning. But because there's so much material that's been spoken on before, and we could go down the path of faith, but there are three interesting comments that I think need to be addressed. And they're in the form of questions. One of them will pertain to virtually all of us. One will pertain to most of us, and one will probably pertain to just a handful. What are those questions? Number one, what does it mean that God's commandments are not burdensome? Number two, why was it important for the water, the blood, and the Spirit to agree?

9:20And then, number three, how can one be assured that they have eternal life? So, this morning we're going to do three B's. We're going to do burdensome, blood, and belief. So, that will be kind of our outline this morning. Look at verse 3. For this is the love of God that we keep His commandments, and His commandments are not burdensome. So, what does it mean that His commandments are not burdensome? So, before I answer that question, I want to be realistic for just a second. Isn't it a fact that human nature, think of that sinful nature, human nature finds any commandments, including God's, to be burdensome? Unbelievers hate the Word of God. You post the Ten Commandments anywhere, and the ACLU up to federal court will try and rip it out. They hate God's law. Children, here in the room, you don't love the Word of God. When your parents come to you and say, you need to share toys, I'm sure you go, oh, thank you, Mother. I forgot. Reminding me to share my toys. I want to be someone who shares, and you've helped me with that commandment, and for that, I love you.

10:38I don't think children do that. Students don't love the Word of God, and teachers know this all the time. When teachers give students an assignment, do the students step by the desk and say, How much they really appreciate that assignment and say, Man, I'm glad you put those obligations on me because I know these requirements will make me a better person. Students don't do that. Adults don't love the Word of God. We don't like paying taxes, obeying the speed limit, or adhering to all aspects of our employee personnel manual. So adults don't like it. So God knows this. God's expectation that all humans will obey the Ten Commandments, His expectation that children will obey their parents, His expectation that students will be respectful of their elders, His expectation that those that we will, adults, will obey those in authority, are contrary to our sinful nature. That is a fact. Second, isn't it a fact that some evangelicals fall into the trap of imposing undue laws on fellow believers? A la, they are legalists. Christians must homeschool their children. Christians can't put their children in Boy Scouts. Or Girl Scouts.

12:02Parents must send their kids to Christian colleges. Christians can't drink, they can't dance, they can't play cards, they can't watch anything other than a PG movie, and they can't root for the longhorns. That is a fact. Third, isn't it also a fact that many evangelical Christians see God's commandments as being burdensome? Some evangelicals fall into the trap of being antinomian, that is, against anti-law, nomos, antinomian. These evangelicals believe we've been freed. We don't need to obey the Ten Commandments or any other commandments in the Old Testament. Now, whether that belief is due to this underlying conviction that there's something harsh about the law, particularly the Old Testament law, or whether it is due to the belief that Christ has introduced a new principle, the law of Christ, or whether it is due to a misunderstanding of passages like Matthew 23, 4, where Christ is saying the Pharisees tie up these burdens on people, or when Paul says these Pharisees are putting the yoke on the neck of believers, for whatever reason, some evangelicals believe we are no longer to live by obedience.

13:30But by love. We are not guided by an external code, but by internal virtue. So, given this reality check, what does it mean that God's commandments are not burdensome? Do we have to be legalists or have to be antinomians? And the answer is no. One can learn something very important about the law in this passage by linking the assertion in verse 3, the assertion is his commandments are not burdensome, with the explanation in verse 4: everyone who has been born of God. So, the reason why his commandments are not burdensome is we now have the power by the new birth, verse 4, and the indwelling spirit, you'll see that in verse 10, and our faith in verse 4 to keep them. Let me repeat that. The reason they're not burdensome is we now have the value of the new birth, the indwelling spirit, and our faith to keep them. That's the first reason why God's commandments are not burdensome. One can also look back by standing back and looking at the practical wisdom found in God's commandments. They have true value to us as persons. Do you want to know how to live a life of love for God and man?

14:55Look to the commandments in both the Old and the New Testament. From the commandments, Not to steal or lie to the commandment to leave in the field what the reapers missed the first time for those who are poor. From the commandment not to keep a man's coat as collateral for a loan, to the commandment to turn the other cheek when someone has slapped you. From the commandment not to take vengeance on your enemies, to the commandment to do something with your hands so that you have something to give to those who don't. From the commandment to encourage one another in the Lord to the commandment not to let the sun go down on your anger. From the commandment for husbands to love your wives as Christ loved the church, to the commandment of children to obey your parents. On and on it goes. In fact, how you define a commandment, there are between 600 and 1,000 in the New Testament alone.

15:51If you want to love God, if you want to love Jesus, if you want to love one another, and if you want to love even your enemies, you need to love God's law and to love every one of his commandments. They are not piquioon regulations. They are the furthest thing from a yoke. Thus, the wiser you become, the holier you are, the more useful you become to others, the more you will treasure the guidance and the support of God's commandments. Yes, the Pharisees imposed.

16:30undue regulations upon their other friends and their acquaintances. They turned the law of God into a burden that no one could bear. It wasn't God that did that, it was the Pharisees. God's law has not changed, but sometimes the administration of his law has, as it has done in the New Testament. Friends, we must see the value of these commandments, and that is the reason why they are not burdensome. They have practical value, and we should meditate upon them and memorize them. Okay, so we've now answered the first question. Having answered what it means that God's commandments are not burdensome, I want to move on to the second question. This is the one that will probably pertain to the least number in the room, but I want you to stay with me. Why is it important for the water, the blood, and the Spirit to agree? Look at verse 6. He is the one who came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ. Not in water only, but in water and blood. And the Spirit is the one who bears witness, for the Spirit is the truth. I'm going to unpack verse 6 for you. What is meant by water and blood? Some, Calvin and Luther, believe that water and blood referred to the two sacraments or ordinances of the church. Water referring to baptism, blood referring to the Lord's Supper. Other theologians said that water and blood referred. To that which came out of Christ's side when his side was pierced at the time of his crucifixion. And others believe that water and blood refer respectively to the baptism and to the death of Jesus Christ. The former being water, is when he was commissioned to begin his work, and the latter, the blood, being when his work was finished. So the majority of evangelical scholars and myself believe that the reference to water and blood are the terminal points in Christ's ministry. Baptism at the beginning, crucifixion at the end. So why does John say that Jesus is the one who came by water and blood? Well, there's a simple reason. The secessionists were likely following that Corinthian theology, who taught that Jesus becomes the Christ at his baptism. But he ceased to be the Christ before his crucifixion. We spoke about that two weeks ago. In other words, Jesus descended, excuse me, the Christ descended upon Jesus at his baptism and departs before his crucifixion, because the secessionists said Christ can't die on the cross. Their heresy, in essence, was a denial of the doctrine of incarnation, which is, if you want to be reminded, is Jesus' permanent assumption of human nature as the eternal Son of God. God, the second person of the Trinity, from birth to death to resurrection. So to correct this error, John says Jesus is not a mere man upon whom divinity descended and became God at the baptism, but then ceased to be the Son of God before the crucifixion. John is saying Jesus was the God-man, one person, two natures, one human, one divine. He was born the Christ, lived as a Christ, baptized as a Christ, died as a Christ, resurrected as a Christ, ascended as a Christ. Yes, the baptism reveals or declares him to be the Son of God, but he didn't cease to be the Son of God at the crucifixion. In other words, John is saying that the water refers to Jesus' baptism, in which he was declared the Son of God. The blood refers to Jesus' sacrificial death while he was still the Son of God. And he makes the incarnation a doctrinal test, not only because of the false teaching, because it had to be contradicted, because everything depends upon a right understanding of the persons of Jesus himself. Everything we know about salvation, the good news depends upon Jesus being one and the same time God and a human without sin. Without the incarnation, there's no cross, no empty tomb, no way to proclaim eternal life. The incarnation is the bedrock of any and all authentic Christian faith. It is also the bedrock of the doctrine of the atonement. If the incarnate Son of God does not take on in himself our nature in his birth and bear our sins in his death, in the fullness of his person as God, then he can't reconcile us to God. The false teaching of the secessionists not only robbed Christians of salvation, because Jesus had to be the Son of God on the earth, and he has to be the Son of God at the time of his death on the cross. A correct view of the incarnation and the atonement is absolutely essential for the doctrine of salvation. This objective testimony of Jesus' baptism and death, water and blood, is then concurred in verses 7 through 8. Look at that. Indeed, there are three witnesses: the Spirit, and the water, and the blood. And these three agree. This is probably Jewish jurisprudence, where you had to have two or more witnesses that agreed on anything in a court of law. So, in these verses, we get the answer to that second question: the water, the blood, and the spirit must agree because they're three distinct witnesses to Christ: His baptism, water, the blood, his death, and crucifixion, and the spirit, who then testifies of that work.

22:30Baptism, his atoning death, the testimony of the Spirit in our hearts. And we see that in verse 10. Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. And we'll speak to that again in a second. If any one of these three is overlooked, it creates a theological dilemma. And John strengthens his argument in verse 9. Look, by arguing from the lesser to the greater. If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater. For this is the testimony of God that he is born concerning his son. He argues from the lesser to greater, indicating that God's testimony is more important than human testimony. That's why it's important for the water, the blood, and the spirit to agree. So let's answer our third question. How can one be assured that they have eternal life? Is it necessary for us to be fact-based or feeling-based? Look at verses 10 through 12. The one who believes in the Son of God has that witness within himself. The one who has no trust in God has made him out to be a liar, for he has not believed in the testimony which God has borne to his Son. And this is the testimony that God has given us eternal life, and that life is in his Son. The one who possesses the Son has life, but the one who does not possess the Son is without life.

23:58The assurance of salvation. Is a universal problem. It cannot be found in earthly possessions. It cannot be found in Islam. It cannot be found in Eastern religions. It cannot be found in secularism. It can't even be found in some versions of Christianity, Roman Catholicism, the Church of Christ. Brothers and sisters, this is wrong. It's absolutely wrong. John wrote in 1 John 5:13 this, I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know, not that you might know, but that you may know that you have eternal life. So let's review what John has done in this book up till now and has told us how we may know that we may have eternal life. First, John has given us three different methods by which we can test the genuineness of our connection to Jesus. First, a moral test. Are we obedient to God's words? You see the verses up there where John's spoken to that. Are we obedient to God's words? You're not obedient to God's word. You might want to question your salvation, but you're obedient to God's word. That should encourage you. Number two, do you love fellow believers? If you don't want to come to church and you don't want to be around fellow believers, Believers, and you don't treat them well, it's not much to assure you. But if you like going to church and you like helping your fellow believers, that should encourage you because that is an evidence that you are in Christ. And the doctrinal test is: do you believe in the incarnation?

25:47If you wrap them up together, they amount to this. This is how you can be sure, per John, from this book, that you can have eternal life. If you're committed to the incarnation, you have a desire to obey God's commandments, and you have a desire to love both God and man, you can have assurance of salvation. It's that simple. But John doesn't stop there in this passage. He's going to give us two more assets that you need to know about that are in the passage we've read. First, the one who believes has a witness in himself. Look again at verse 10. The one who believes in the Son of God has that witness within himself. That is, a believer is given assurance by the inner witness of the Holy Spirit, who tells us it is right to believe in Christ and that we have believed in Christ. We have an inner witness. And second, we gain assurance from this passage by recognizing that eternal life is not something we earn or deserve. Eternal life is a gift given, not A prize earned. Look at verse 11. God has given us eternal life. It's not that God looks out to the world and says, Well, I think she's worthy of eternal life, and I think he's worthy of eternal life, and I think she's worthy of eternal life because she's done the right things.

27:19God doesn't do that. God doesn't give us something we have earned. He gives us something out of his grace and mercy. Eternal life is a gift received, not a prize earned. So, in closing, I want to go back to one other practical application. Let's recognize that many of us struggle with doubt. Some Christians struggle with doubt from time to time, and others struggle with doubt every day. We sometimes doubt because of indwelling sin or because of the weakness of our faith. We sometimes doubt God's love for us. We sometimes doubt in times of trial. We sometimes doubt that God hears us when we pray. We sometimes doubt that God's promises will actually come to pass. We sometimes doubt that God is really working all things together for good, and we sometimes even doubt our salvation. Doubt is real, and we should not pretend it doesn't. Don't exist. Unfortunately, worry, doubt, and fear are close companions and they kind of conspire together to try to destroy us. Doubt is one of the enemy's chief weapons in his arsenal as he seeks to undo us. Doubt can be the result of sin and sin, and it can be sinful when we wallow in the mire of doubt. Notice I said can be, but it doesn't have to be. But assurance is not, this is the important thing, assurance is not essential to have faith in Christ, but it is vital for the well-being of your faith.

29:16So whether you are inclined to doubt or are rarely afflicted by doubt, the way of assurance is the same. Assurance is like everything else in our Christian life, it is a gift of God's sovereign grace. And that is why some have more of it than others. It is in the same way that there's no characteristic way believers come to faith in Christ. Some come in adolescence, some come in adulthood, some come quietly, some come dramatically. Likewise, there's no definitive experience of being assured of salvation. Some are assured of salvation from the very first. Moment, others have doubts all the way to the end. Many struggle with assurance because they look within rather than looking without.

30:12But when we doubt, we should never despair. We should not become fixated on our circumstances, and we should not trust our ever-changing feelings. Rather, we ought to gaze at the cross and remember the unchanging promises of God. For assurance of our salvation is not dependent on our circumstances, our feelings, or our perfection, but is on our doctrine. Our Father is the source of our assurance, Christ is the ground of our assurance, and the Spirit is the sustainer of our assurance. But let me close with this example. The assurance of salvation can be likened to Noah's Ark. Some will view assurance to be like Noah offering to put a peg on the outside of the ark and say, if you just hang on through the storm, you'll be saved.

31:15That's wrong. Assurance is not dependent upon us holding on to God like holding on to a peg. What did you do when the ark came? You got in it. It's not you holding on, is it this ark protected you, which is the same as being held securely by Christ? We get in the ark. So I'll say it a different way. Our assurance is not based on the strength of our faith, but on the object of our faith, Jesus Christ. Let us pray.

31:56Lord, this is a rich passage. There's so many directions that we could have gone this morning. It is my prayer that the Spirit can use the three tidbits, the three questions that we tried to answer. May we understand how important it is for us not just to obey your commandments, but to love them. They are helpful. They are practical. And if we can see them as being such, we will learn very quickly they are not burdensome.

32:42And Lord, we cannot be ashamed of the atonement. We cannot be ashamed that it was necessary for Christ to die on the cross, to shed his blood. We can't be like the secessionists who don't want to tell others that it was necessary. For Christ to die on the cross. Why? His atonement is necessary for our salvation. Because if he doesn't pay for our sins, we cannot. Because only Christ was perfect. And only Christ's sacrifice will be accepted by God in our place. And last, may there be those here who have wrestled with the assurance of their salvation. May they recognize that it is not something that they have to wrestle with because of their faith, but it is something that they should focus their object in. May they not rely upon themselves, but rely upon Christ himself and his work. And we understand that there may be some in here this morning who did not know with absolute assurance that they are in Christ. And they look at what we've discussed and they go, I can't check those boxes.

34:11It is my appeal to them through the Spirit that the only way to come to faith in Jesus Christ, the only way to be assured that you will be saved, is to recognize that you are a sinner and that you cannot, through your works, Save yourself, but you must place your faith in Christ's perfect life and his sacrificial death on the cross and confess that he is Lord, and then you may be saved. We thank you for your word. May it encourage us. May it teach us. For it's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen.