Certainty

1 John 5:13

          There are few things in life about which we can be absolutely certain. Some believed their spouse’s love was a certainty until the affair was discovered. Some believed their child was safe and healthy until the fever wouldn’t let up, and the diagnosis came. Some thought their pension was safe until it was seized by their government to pay off debt or create equity. But none of these things is certain. No matter what we as humans point to, it is uncertain.

          But there is one thing about which we can have certainty. We can know we have eternal life. We don’t have to guess or hope. We can know it. And this knowledge is not some heady, abstract knowledge, but a knowledge that is experienced, head, heart, soul and body. This kind of knowledge encompasses every aspect of our being.

          In our world where there is so much turmoil and so much personal cost to following Jesus, it can be a sweet relief to know that our eternity is secure. We may not be paying the ultimate price yet, as some of our brothers and sisters are around the world, but our time will come. There will come a time when the words “Convert or die” will be spoken to us. So we had better get our hearts prepared now for that moment.

          John wanted his readers to not listen to the false teachers who had infiltrated and caused such dissention. They introduced doubt into an equation where there was no need for doubt. We as Jesus-followers can know for certain, right here, right now, that we have eternal life, here and now. And that eternal life that we start to experience now is the same life we will experience when we transition to heaven.

          Now these words of assurance are not written to everyone in the world. They are written specifically to those who are Jesus-followers, those who believe in Jesus as outlined in the Scriptures. And this kind of faith is followed by obedience to His standards and commands. We don’t get to make up our own list of rights and wrongs based on the way we would like the world to work. We must accept His lists.

          And there are some lists here in the New Testament that were written after the ceremonial laws of the Old Testament were superseded by Jesus sacrificial death, once and for all. No need for pointers to the event when the event has already happened. No need for guidelines for living when we now have a resident guidance system, the Holy Spirit.

          So rest in the knowledge we have. Eternal life is promised for us who believe. We begin to experience that life now in our present walk with Him. Enjoy and be obedient.

The Winning Game

1 John 5:4-5

          Have you ever entered a contest knowing in advance that you were going to come out on top, that you were going to be victorious? Most of us don’t have the chance to be in a sporting event and know in advance that, not matter what it looks like at the moment, we are going to win. We go onto the field and face out opponents and size them up. We know their record and their team’s strengths and weaknesses. Our coaches have given us plays and strategies during the week to help us overcome any disadvantages. But in the end, we don’t know that we will win. Even the better team doesn’t know. They might be pretty confident, but they still have to get out there and work every play to victory.

          I wasn’t in sports growing up. Instead, I was in the band, and in our school, you couldn’t be in band and in sports. The band took too much time and effort. We had a world-class band, literally. So early mornings and after school were full of rehearsals. In fact, we started about four weeks before the school started in the Fall. We began rehearsing.

          So when we entered a competition, we knew we were the best. And we came out on top. But that didn’t mean we didn’t have to get out there on the field and play. Every step and turn had to be just right. Every note played had to be in tune, on time, and blended. The flags had to spin at just the right speed. They had to be caught when thrown. The music had to be perfectly timed with the various formations that we marched on the field to maximize the effect. Everything had to be synchronized. If a line wasn’t straight, perfectly straight, then points were deducted. And if point were deducted, we could lose.

          We as Jesus-followers are assured of victory. We win in the end. There is no doubt about who will be wearing the victory crowns. We will! But we still have to get out there in life and live the winning strategy. We must make every move according to His plan. His commands keep us exactly where we need to be to keep His coordinated strategy moving forward. We choose to be part of His team and we choose to follow His plan. If we are part of the team, we must follow the plan.

          That is how we know His commands are not a burden. They bring us victory. They are the path to winning the fight. He knows us. He knows our enemy. He knows the challenges ahead. He knows the battles that will come ten years from now and what character must be woven into us in order for us to survive and come out victorious in Him.

          You see, it is our faith in Him that changes us. His power is at work in our earthly bodies. He changes us as we yield to His plan. We will overcome. We are on the winning team.

Spiritual Rest

1 John 3:19

          Some today, and many in our culture, say that it is not possible to know the truth, because there is no such thing as truth. But then they get upset when their lives get ruffled by someone else's beliefs. If there is no truth, then your truth is no truer than anyone else's!

          But there is Truth! You may not like it, but it does exist. We usually don’t like someone’s version, and that is the rub. We see this in the news as religious freedom is being attacked in the name of tolerance. It seems as if tolerance and acceptance only works one direction for some people!

          John tells us that compassion requires that we love our fellow Believers. And when we do that, we are living the Truth. When our words and our actions match the Gospel, we are living in the light. And that is how we can KNOW that we belong to the truth. We can know for certain that Truth exists and that we are living it.

          For the Gospel to be effective in the world, it must be effective in our lives. When it is effective in our lives, then we can know our future is secure. The one hindrance to the Gospel reaching the world is us. When we don’t live the Gospel by loving each other, we let the World down. They need us to love each other.

          When we are obedient, we are at rest. When we disobey, our spirits are not at rest. I like rest. I’m not at rest all the time. There are times when I am not obeying, just like you. I too must repent. But in those moments when I am obedient, the rest is nice.

          Notice that John says that we set our hearts at rest. When we love as we are supposed to love, we can rest in the assurance of obedience. We set our hearts. We put them in a place of rest. We can be in the very presence of Almighty God and be at rest. Sin has no hold on us. I His presence there is only righteousness. Our sin is gone and Jesus’ righteousness takes its place. No shaming secrets will be exposed.

          We can rest because He laid down His life for us. We can love our brothers and sisters in Christ without fear. We can be generous and meet people’s needs. Our words can match our actions.