There are 5 points brought out in 1 John that must characterize us if we are to be sure that we belong to God.
First, we must believe in the Savior, Jesus Christ. There is no other One who died for the sins of the world. There is no other One who rose from the dead. There is no other One who gives the hope that He is going to return and set up His Kingdom.
The Scripture says, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen,” (Hebrews 11:1, NASB). Faith carries with it the idea of accompanying assurance. If we have faith, God gives us the assurance, the certainty, the knowledge, that we have passed from death unto life. Do you believe?
That word “believe” carries with it the idea of total surrender, putting total assurance in what Christ did for us on the cross-not trusting our good works, not trusting our money, not trusting anything, not even church membership, but trusting in the Person of Jesus Christ.
Second, we must have a changed attitude toward sin. What does that mean? Well, 1 John 5:18 says, “We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not,” (KJV). You may be thinking, “But Christians do sin sometimes.” True. That’s why we must understand what “sin not” means. It means “a true believer does not practice sin.” Sin is no longer a habit in our lives. You and I may trip up and sin, but we do not plan to sin nor is it habitual in our lives.
If we do sin by yielding to temptation for a moment. What happens? We have to confess that sin. Name it to the Lord and say, “Lord, I have sinned.” The Scripture says, “The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin,” (1 John 1:7, KJV) and “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins,” (1 John 1:9, KJV). Not only are we to confess, but we are to forsake.
There’s no use repenting of sin and saying, “I’m sorry, Lord, I’ve sinned,” and then going back and repeating it. That’s not repentance. Repentance carries with it the idea that we do not repeat it. In other words, sin is no longer a practice in our lives. We may slip and fall from time to time, but it’s not a practice. We don’t deliberately do it.
The best way to keep from falling into sin is by renewing our fellowship with God daily. The Scripture says deny self daily. It’s hard, I know. But when we deny our fleshly desires, we find and life the life we desire and Christ died to give us.
Third, we must have a desire to obey God. “And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments,” (1 John 2:3, KJV). That doesn’t mean that we can keep them all the time, but we have a desire to keep them. We want to. We try to, with God’s help. We do good, we feed the poor, we visit people in prison—but not out of duty but out of love and gratitude toward God.
Fourth, we must try to be separated from the world. First John 2:15 says, “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world,” (KJV). We are to live in the world, but we are not to partake of the evils of the world. When I face something in the world, I ask, does it violate any principle of Scripture? Does it take the keen edge off my Christian life? Can I ask God’s blessing on it? Will it be a stumbling block to others? Would I like to be there, or be reading that, or be watching that, if Christ should return at that time?
Fifth, we must be filled with the Spirit. The first fruit of the Spirit is love. “We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death,” (1 John 3:14, KJV). Do you love? Does love dominate your life? If not, what does?
All these things are signs that we can know for certain that we belong to God. If you…
Believe Christ is the one and only Lord and Savior
Do not habitually practice sin
When tempted, are quick to confess your sins
Desire to obey God
Separate yourselves from the ways of the world
And live by the power of the Holy Spirit…then you can be assured that you are a child of God.
If you would like to give your life to Christ then pray this prayer. Then, leave me a comment and let me know that you have asked Jesus to be your Savior! I want to celebrate with you. Also, if you have a prayer request, perhaps an area where you are struggling, I’d love to pray for you.
Lord Jesus Christ, I know I am a sinner and do not deserve eternal life. But, I believe You died for me and rose from the grave to purchase a place in heaven for me. Lord Jesus, come into my life and take control; forgive all my sins and save me. I’m turning from my sins and now place my trust in You for my salvation. I accept the free gift of eternal life. Thank you, Jesus for saving me, forgiving me, and filling me with peace.
In Jesus name I pray, a-men.
Angelita says
I am not a perfect person by no means but I am trying daily to come closer to the Lord through Jesus Christ. I pray in the mornings, during working, and before bed every night.
I pray that the Lord guides me away from speaking ill about certain people. I pray that he shows me how to improve myself and become a better woman.