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John writes to assure those who believe in Jesus that we can know that we have eternal life.
Dan:
Hi everyone and welcome to Training for Life Redeemed. I am Dan, and as always, I’m here with my father David Jackson. We are going through the Bible in various stages. Today we are starting a new little series. We will be looking at the letters that the Apostle John wrote that have his name on it, just to clarify that. So, we’re looking at first, second, and third John today, Dad, we’re just going to be talking about why the letter was written or the letters were written, and then kind of address the kind of point of that and what’s behind it really. So, John tells us in first John chapter five, verse 13, Cause it’s right in front of me. I don’t memorize this stuff. I should. it says “these things I’ve written to you who believe in the name of the son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.” So, Paul seems not Paul John. Looking at John, not doing Paul, John seems pretty convinced that we can know Yep. That we have eternal life. That’s number one. We’re talking about assurance and then number two is obviously there’s people who have eternal life but aren’t sure
David:
<laugh> .
Dan:
That’s right. And say to doubt themselves. And that’s why John is writing this letter, particularly one John. And then obviously he writes two and three. John, we are going to be doing these out of order from what I hear . Going backwards , sounds like fun. Start with this first. Tell me why do you think this verse is so significant f or what’s going on with John? and then we’ll ta lk a bout how that th en i mpacts us.
David:
Yeah. I think assurance of salvation is , something that a a lludes a lot of people. and there are people who have no salvation and have no assurance. People who have no salvation and have assurance <l augh> o n fa lse b a sis. And then you’ve got all the muddle in between and John wr ote h i s g ospel so that you may know, so that you may believe and have eternal life so th at J ohn’s gospel is there so that people get converted and they can have eternal life. And we’re in.
Dan:
Okay, so here , let’s stop there then. So if you haven’t read John’s Gospel <laugh>, read that first and then come back. John. It’s
David:
A good idea.
Dan:
You need to be believing first then, and then you read this and
David:
Then this letter’s for you. Yeah . but it’s also for people who are believing all sorts of other gospels. so I had a, when I was a i n i t ‘s h igh school, I was in the Army Cadets and we used to go on c amp up a t S ingleton every year. And I, while I was up there, I got to know the Catholic chaplain cu z h e was always hanging around. And we got into discussions. I was a young hotheaded evangelical, ready to take on the world. And so we started discussing the difference between Catholic and Bible <la ugh>. a nd we were, we got to be good friends outt a the whole process. So it w as about three or four camps where we just, you know, afte r mes s we’ d have a chat. But there was this one time when he got really, really offended with me and just suddenly he, you know, blew up, turned his back, walked away. And I thought, how many times have men had this feeling? What did I do <laugh>, what did I say? Ev er y day .
Dan:
Every
David:
Day . So I , I went back to him Anyway, the next day after we’d been out on exercise, I came back all hot and sweaty and everything and I said to him, Look, we’ve been mates, you know, we’ve had a civil conversation, obviously I’ve said something to upset you. What on earth did I do wrong? And he said, You said you were saved. And I looked at him, I thought, Yeah, why are you so offended by that? And he said, Well, nobody can say that. Not even the pope. And I think by the look on my face, I agreed with him <laugh> , which didn’t help being the young hothead I was, I don’t get it. What’s the problem? And in his world, you can only be saved if you’ve basically started by believing and then you keep going to mass and you keep paying for your sins and you keep doing better and you do better and better and better. And eventually hopefully you get to a point where you holy enough to get to heaven. a nd I didn’t understand that at the time. So he explained all that and I said, Well what about one John five 13 t hat John says, I can know that I have eternal life. I can know that right now. And I forget where that conversation went from there. B ut I don’t think we had too many more. But that, that was a really sad thing for me t o, that somebody could devote their life to church and not know that they were saved, just live in hope. and so therefore I think one John’s a really important letter.
Dan:
Yeah , I’d agree with you. One John’s an important letter. It’s from one in the canon
David:
<laugh> . Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Dan:
Inspired word of God . Okay. So it’s definitely important for us to know that we can know what is it, what’s, I mean, I know the answer. I can just , what is it that kind of means that we can know ? And it’s because it doesn’t rely on us. Right? Yes . It’s because it relies on Jesus and his work. It’s not about us and whether or not we’ve done enough good to cover our own sins. That’s right. Jesus did the good that covers our sins, paid the price, and now we’re kind of living with the benefits of it. But we can know that Jesus’ death applies to us by how we live out our life basically. Yeah . Afterwards.
David:
Yeah. So, you know, as a young believer, about the same time I wasn’t sure I was saved. and all of my classmates decided that I was a hypocrite. That didn’t help, d idn’t help particularly cu z t hey were right. my lifestyle didn’t match my profession of faith. and that was glaringly obvious. So I went to my minister and I said, Okay, so how do I know that I’m saved? I don’ t kno w wha t I’m going to do tomorrow, let alone next year. how many people fall away from believing in Jesus? How do I know I’m not one of them? And Reg P ipe r was my minister. And if, i f you come across Reg looking up on the web, great preacher. And he just looked at me with that Reg smile and just went, David <laug h> the hand motion is important. <laugh>. Did Jesus die in your place? Do you believe that? Well, yes. That’s the easy part. No problem there. He said, Well then you have no worries. Cause it doesn’t depend on you. If he’s died in your place, God isn’t going to lay your sin on him and then turn around and lay it on you as well. if Jesus died in your place, f inished, done deal, i t doesn’t depend on you. A nd I went, Oh, it had not occurred to me that it didn’t depend, at least in part on me. A nd he said, There’s your basis for y our salvation. All you gotta do i s live up to it. but yo u’re s aved and you’re living up to where you are, not earning where you want to be. And that was just mind boggling.
Dan:
Yeah.
David:
So, yeah. So then I go , go back and read one John and went, Wow, I can know that I have eternal life.
Dan:
Yeah. And I think knowing you have a eternal life comes from, you know , one your head knowledge of Yeah . What’s happened, but also comes as you live it out. Like you see what you do day to day and how you , you make specific decisions Yeah . And how you go about that decision making process and you know , the Holy Spirit working in you through you, around you <laugh> . Yeah . Right. And like , I , I really enjoy, there’s a great book that’s called Enjoying God. Yes. and I think part of the concept of that is the idea of actually just being purposefully thoughtful about, you know, whenever you’re encountering things in creation or when you’re reading a Bible o r a ll that k ind o f stuff, you’re actually thinking about, h ow God has done that in that context right there for you with you, with you. Ye ah. And you’re actually li ke, he’s purposely doing things and it e nables you to enjoy God a lot more and not be like, fearful of him and not li ke, not feel like a lot of Christians ta lk a b out h ow sometimes God feels a long way away and sometimes he feels really close. reality is he’s always close. Just sometimes you’re turning away from him a nd sometimes you’re looking at him < laugh>. But I think that kind of applies h ere too. Like the idea of knowing that you have eternal life and then the idea of kind of feeling that and living it out day t o d ay. T hat is k i i t’s like I know in my head I ‘m s aved a h undred percent. And whenever I actually gave a sermon on this not too long ago at church a nd I talked about, w henever we ar e d oubting, it’s actually normally because we haven’t come to the foot of the cross. Yeah. An d, an d w e’re starting to think about other things that are involved and we doubt stuff. But as soon as you come back to who Jesus is and what he’s done, everything else be comes s o simple. Ye ah. An d y ou’re like, That’s right. I’ve made something really complex ou t of Something that wasn’t necessarily meant to be, Life can be complex, but that ability to just kind of day to d a y u nderstand and feel and yo u k n ow, Yes, I know it, but then I also have to have that other element of Yeah,
David:
I
Dan:
Have to today. I’m not doubting it <laugh> ,
David:
But , but the things that throw up doubt. John goes through the things that a ffect our assurance, our sense of assurance. So there’s the ground of our salvation. What makes it actually real is what Jesus did on a cross. But then when we go, you know, I’ve committed to that, I’ve accepted that I believe that I’m saved. And then day t o d ay we sort of wander around sometimes with our eyes on Jesus, sometimes looking at other things and we start wandering off the path. And the next thing you know, you’re sitting there going, I ‘m lost. Am I really saved? What happened? And so John does this really fun thing, wh ere he lists the things that will make you feel or question whether you are saved. Mm. A nd I think more, the mo re the , t he way to put that is these are the things that raise questions about whether you are a believer. The first thing is whether what you believe is true. So if y ou doctrine is wrong, then that’s going to start raising some questions. and we’re all go n, we’re on a learning curve. So we ar e l earning our doctrine, we’re learning what is true. We ar e c orrecting wrong ideas all the time. That’s why it’s called discipleship training for life. Mm -hmm. But if what I believe is not true, well then that’s going to create some doubt as to where I, whether I’m in the right place. I remember I had a deacon many years ago in our church, and, he had been following a particular theology all his life. it, I mean, it was wrong, but it was, you know, didn’t deny the gospel. but he came one night knocking on my door and he was a bit of an emotional mess. And he said, Jacko , I t hink I’ve only just got converted. And I said, You’ve been a believer for 30 years. What’s going on here? he said, No, but I understood the Bible to teach this. And now I’ve realized, well, that 3 0 ye ars I was wrong. and it’s like, everything’s upside down now. And I said, Well, that doesn’t mean you’ve b een converted what that means, because did you believe Jesus died o n the cross in your place i f you’ve got the gospel right? A nd h e said, Yeah, I got that bit right. I said, Well, then you saved, You can know you have, have eternal life. Let’s just sort out the rest of what we’re thinking about. And we a re learning to get things more in focus. M m. So, but doctrine c an raise some real questions. Am I s aved? A m I not? Y eah.
Dan:
And then the element of even like God declares you to be holy, but then you have to live <laugh> Yeah. For a long time on earth, yet as holy <laugh> . And you’re like, I have this position and statement of holy Yeah . And I’ve been made holy , but at the same time I’m living out and I’m sinful
David:
And that , that was the , that was my classmates in year nine. You know, what’s a hypocrite answer? Jacko. Yeah . And you go, Really? And then you stop and you pause and you look, there’s what I say, there’s what I do and they don’t line up. And therefore that creates doubt that I’m saved. Yeah . therefore I have to bring those things into line. I am saved, but when I sin, that doesn’t mean I’m not saved. M m-hmm. < affirmative>, i t means things aren’t where they should be. Y eah. And John, we’ll get to one John t hree. It’s beautiful. Y eah. Everybody wants to water one John. Three
Dan:
More weeks . Three
David:
More weeks . Three more weeks. <laugh> . But John just says, if you’re a believer you can’t sin, it’s not on. Can’t do it. Everybody wants to water that down and say, Oh yeah , but we do. So I guess that can’t be what he meant. And you go , No, that’s what he means. You can’t do this.
Dan:
Yeah . Doesn’t mean it’s impossible to do. This just means you can’t, It’s just not on like a rule. Yeah.
David:
Well, it , it’s a contradiction of what you say. You’re a believer and you live like that, that contradicts this. Which one’s true? And you say, Well, I know I’m saved. That’s the thing that’s wrong. Yeah . And you go fix it. the third area is he raises the issue of love, but it’s in that context, love was a big issue. But it’s your attitude. You can be r ight in your doctrine, rigorous in your lifestyle, and think you’re better than everybody else. < laugh>. Y eah. A nd
Dan:
Have p right there . Fun
David:
Putting them all down. You know, where’s the love where’s the understanding of grace, Where’s the heart? Mm . So, we describe it as head, heart , and hands. Yep . and any one of them that’s sort of not up to par is going to create some questions. And you’re going to have to go back to the cross and go back to the what’s o utta s ync and work it out. But you can know that you’re saved and it’s on that basis you can deal with all these other things. So if you w anna read one John and two J ohn, three John with u s, t here’s a l ittle exercise you can do just for fun. You can do it in your own Bible or you can photocopy it, but get some colored pencils out. So red, wh at a r e t he primary colors I’ve forgotten? Red, blue,
Dan:
Red , blue and yellow .
David:
Yellow. Yellow. That’s right. Red, blue, and yellow. Okay ,
Dan:
So you can tell me really <laugh> .
David:
Yeah . so if you take your r ed, y our blue p en out and y ou color i n everything to do with truth or doctrine, c olor that passage in blue. If he wants to talk about love, red sounds like a good color. If he wants to talk about behavior yellow. And then when you’re finished, you’re going to have all these passages that are purple, green, and orange. Yo u k n ow, an d y ou’re going to go, hang on. It all overlaps. and that’s because we are lo oking at life from three perspectives. We’re not chopping it into three bits. Mm. a nd that’s the goal . Yo u can know that you’re saved. And then we’re going to go around and we’re going to tune all the aspects of our life into that reality. And that’s called discipleship. And we can do it if we know where we stand with Jesus.
Dan:
Well , that brings us to the end of this episode. So I hope you will join us as we go through the three books that have John’s name on three letters. We’re going to start at number three in our next episode. So please make sure that you read chapter three. We would love you to do that with three . Yeah . John three , chapter three. John
David:
One , three .
Dan:
I’m doing really well today. <laugh> Third John. It’s only one chapter. So read through that. We look forward to chatting with you about that next week. And together we’ll come to a better understanding of how we can know that we are saved and have eternal life. if you wanna grab the study notes to go along with it, this episode, head over to trainingforliferedeemed. com/8 9. You can grab all the study notes that go with this and make sure you hit the subscribe button. Come and join us again next week when we hit that first book, which is the third book, < laugh>, or the third letter of John. Thank you so m uch. See y ou then.
