Love Is Our Assurance -- October 20, 2013

Sunday, October 20, 2013

LOVE IS OUR ASSURANCE

I John

            A couple of weeks ago as I was going through John 12, I read these verses in John 12:42-43, "Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; 43 for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God."  Notice that John said that these religious leaders (ruler) believed in Jesus.  That's a pretty strong statement.  So would we say that they were true believers, genuine followers of Jesus, what would later be known as real Christians?  No.  Why not?  John says that they believed.  Yes, but he also said that they did not confess Jesus for fear of being put out of the synagogue.  Jesus had earlier said, "Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. 33 But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven" (Matt. 10:32-33).  Jesus was not talking about coming forward in a meeting and saying, "Jesus is my Savior."  Rather, He was speaking about openly confessing Him day by day, as we live out our lives in a hostile world.  The bottom line for those religious leaders was this:  "They loved the praise of men more than the praise of God."  They intellectually believed that Jesus was indeed the Messiah, but they were not willing to trust Him in light of the consequences that would come their way.

            By the way, you need to understand something about that term "believe" in the New Testament, particularly in the Gospel according to John.  The word is used about 100 times in John's gospel, but it does not always point to what we would call saving belief.  Another example of belief that is less than genuine trust in Christ is found at the end of the second chapter.  John 2:23-25, "Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name when they saw the signs which He did. 24 But Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all men, 25 and had no need that anyone should testify of man, for He knew what was in man."  Some of them may have later come to truly trust Jesus, but they didn't at this time.

            This shouldn't greatly surprise us, because we have exactly the same situation today.  Many people make a confession that they believe in Jesus, but that does not mean that they necessarily are His genuine followers.  Some are; some aren't.  How many professing Christians are afraid to confess Jesus day in and day out before men, because they fear the consequences?  How many love the praise of men more than the praise of God? 

            That brings us back to I John.  We began to explore I John because of what it says about loving one another.  You will recall that in our pursuing the ministry of the Holy Spirit, we had come to the gifts of the Spirit.  But how do we know what our gifts are?  How do we exercise those gifts?  I believe we are in general agreement that love holds the key to answering those questions.  That is precisely why we find I Corinthians 13, the love chapter, right in the middle of Paul's discussion of spiritual gifts.  We don't effectively identify our spiritual gifts through artificial surveys, but through love, as we serve one another.  And the motive for exercising those gifts is love.  If we truly love one another, we will long for ways to serve one another, and that's where spiritual gifts enter the picture.  So our discussion of spiritual gifts naturally took us to an examination of loving one another.

            So far in I John we have focused on three truths about love...

                        1.  Love is our duty

                        2.  Love is our heritage

                        3.  Love is our nature

            Yes, we are repeatedly commanded to love one another.   But that is only the beginning.  We can do that because love is our heritage.  "We love Him, because He first loved us" (I John 4:19).  We have been adopted into a family of love.  Our Father loves us with perfect love, and we see that same love demonstrated in Jesus, who is not ashamed to call us His brothers.  And even deeper than that, love is our very nature.  In chapters 3, 4, and 5 it is stated that we have been born of God.  So, even though we are commanded to love, that command is not a burden.  We can love in this way because we have within us the life of God, and God is love.

            But consider again this issue of belief, whether it is only a matter of the mind or of genuine trust.  How do we know?  Closer to home, how do I know whether what I call belief in Jesus is the real thing?  Could I be deceived?  Can I have confidence that I truly know Him and am really trusting Him?  Those are crucial questions.  While it isn't healthy to be asking those questions all the time, Paul does tell us to examine ourselves to see if we are in the faith (II Cor. 13:5).  But how do we do that?  I John provides an answer.  I John 5:12-13, "He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. 13 These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God."  This is the second time John has stated his purpose for writing this letter.  The first such statement came at the beginning of the letter.  I John 1:3-4, "... that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. 4 And these things we write to you that your joy may be full."  Here John says that he is writing that their joy may be full, but notice how closely this joy is connected to fellowship with the Father and the Son. 

            John wants His readers to know that they have eternal life, and he longs for them to continue putting their trust in Jesus.  In between these two purpose statements we find a series of tests.  One author from the past titles his commentary on I John, The Tests of Life (William Law).  In other words, John sets before us principles by which we can test ourselves to see if we truly have spiritual life.  What are these tests?  They have been labeled and categorized in various ways through the centuries. When we view them most generally, I believe we find three basic tests...

    1.  The test of belief -- Who is Jesus Christ?

    2.  The test of obedience -- "He who says he abides in Him ought Himself to walk just as He walked"  (2:6)

    3.  The test of love -- Do I love my brothers and sisters?

            This raises another question:  But what if I apply these tests to my life, and I begin to question whether I really am a believer, a true Christian?  Didn't John write this so that his readers would be assured that they do indeed have eternal life?  Yes, that was John's desire.  However, it is inevitable that if it is possible to be deceived about the genuineness of our belief in Christ, then some who apply these tests will have to conclude that what they thought was true belief is not so. 

            We must also admit that John's method of assurance undercuts the kind of thinking with which many of us were raised.  When I was young, I heard a famous evangelist say often, "If the devil ever causes you to doubt your salvation, you just take him back to the 15th of November, 1975 and remind him of how you walked down that aisle and gave your heart to Jesus."  Though that methodology may be ingrained deep within us, it is not based in the New Testament.  John gives us tests that hit us right where we live every day.

            We, of course, are focusing on the test of love.  But understand that the tests of belief, obedience, and love are closely and vitally connected.  One of the commands for us to obey is, "Love one another."  A failure to do so reveals a failure both at the point of obedience and love. 

            So John's purpose, and our purpose, is to look at love in I John and allow God to bless us with His assurance that we have eternal life.  Nevertheless, it is very possible that the application of this test could reveal to one or more of us that we don't truly have eternal life.  My purpose this morning is not to cause anyone to doubt his or her salvation, but that might very well be God's purpose. Though that isn't our primary goal, we can't provide genuine assurance through the test of love without opening the possibility of doubt concerning one's possession of eternal life.  May the Holy Spirit work within each one of us, blessing us with assurance and conviction, as the need arises.

            Let's look at four questions in relation to the test of love...

I.  Are You in the Light or in Darkness?

            Let's read I John 2:9-11, "He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now. 10 He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him. 11 But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes."  We are immediately confronted with the strong contrasts that are characteristic of this letter -- light vs. darkness, love vs. hate, and later life vs. death.  John doesn't have time to deal with our deceptive shades of gray.  In his language, which is inspired by the Holy Spirit, if you are not loving your brother, then you are hating him.  It's as simple as that. 

            Immediately the question arises, "But what does it mean to love my brother?"  I Cor. 13:4-8a... "Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; 6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8  Love never fails."  I John 3:16-17, "By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. 17 But whoever has this world's goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?"  This kind of love desires God's best for the other person and acts accordingly.  Remember, love is not a feeling and it is not expressed primarily in words, but in deeds.  So if you are not loving your brother (or sister) in this way, then you are in darkness.  You may claim to be in the light, but in reality you are in darkness. 

            That brings up another important question:  "What is the meaning of these terms 'light' and 'darkness'?"  It is obvious that John uses them in a figurative sense; he is not talking about literal light and darkness.  Sometimes we equate light with good and darkness with evil, but that is not the primary meaning.  The best way to get at it is to ask this question:  "What does light do?"  It exposes things for what they are.  It brings out the truth.  Light has more to do with truth than with good, though they are obviously related to one another.

            Go back to chapter 1.  I John 1:6-7, "If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin."  To walk in the light is to welcome God's searching truth, which will lead the believer to repentance and renewed trust in Him.  When you begin to be aware of a particular sin in your life, what do you do?  Do you turn toward the light of truth and face God squarely with your sin?  Or do you try to hide -- get busy and try not to think about it?  That's the difference between walking in the light and walking in the darkness.  Light is closely related to God's truth. 

            Again, John is just expounding on what the Master taught in John 3:18-21...

He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. 21 But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.

            Back to 2:9, "He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now."  But praise God that it doesn't have to be like that.  2:10, "He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him."  When you are loving your brother, you are welcoming and rejoicing in the light of God's truth.  But when you are not loving your brother, you are running from the light of God's truth and embracing the lies of the enemy.  He would have you believe that your brother doesn't deserve your love, that he shouldn't have treated you like he did, that no one could love a guy like that.  But when you face the light, the Spirit reminds you that your Father loves you, even when you are not worthy of that love.  He reminds you that love is longsuffering and kind, regardless of the circumstances. 

            When you are loving your brother, you are continuing in God's light.  You will not stumble yourself nor cause others to stumble, because His Word is a lamp unto your feet and a light unto your path.  In this life of love, you find deep assurance.

II.  Are you Born of God, or Not?

            Last week we focused on this phrase "born of God."  We saw it in chapters 3, 4, and 5.  If you are a child of God, it is because you have been born of God.  To put it in terms of Jesus' conversation with Nicodemus, you have been born again.  But how do you know whether you have been born of God, whether or not you have this new life within you?  Let's read I John 4:7-18, "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love."  John will never be accused of beating around the bush.  He bluntly comes to the point:  "Everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.  He who does not love does not know God, for God is love." 

            Love is unmistakable evidence of the new birth.  Of course, we must again be reminded of the nature of this love.  Where can we find a picture of this love?  John tells us that God Himself is love.  Then in verses 9 and 10, he explains what he means by that.  I John 4:9-10, "In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. 10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins."  This is simply an elaboration of John 3:16, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son..."  This is what God's love is like.  So I John 4:11, "Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another."  So if you love like that, then you know that you are born of God, that you have experienced the new birth.  You are truly a child of God.

            We have to be careful at this point.  Who can say that he has loved like that?  It is obvious that none of us have done that perfectly, nor will we do so in the future.  Nevertheless, is this the kind of love that is growing in you day by day?  Can you see this kind of love in you, though not in its perfection?  Do you long to see others come to know Christ as the propitiation for their sins, and are you acting in accordance with that desire? 

            Everyone who loves with this godly love, be assured that you have been born of God and you do indeed know God.  On the other hand, if this kind of loving is not your experience, John says that you do not know God.  You have not been born of Him, because God is love.  Perhaps you say, "But I have claimed Jesus as my Savior.  I know He has answered prayer in my life."  But thus says God's Word:  "If you have been born of Him, you will share His loving nature."  Again, John is simply echoing what Jesus Himself said, "If you love me, keep my commandments" (John 14:15).

III.  Have You Passed from Death to Life?

            Now we come to a closely related concept.  John is expressing the same truth, but from a slightly different angle and in different terms.  Let's read it from I John 3:10-15...

In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother. 11 For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another, 12 not as Cain who was of the wicked one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil and his brother's righteous. 13 Do not marvel, my brethren, if the world hates you. 14 We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death. 15 Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.

            Verse 14, "We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren."  But the one who does not love his brother abides (continues, remains) in death.  Remember that we come into this world dead in our trespasses and sins (Eph. 2:1).  That is, we are spiritually dead.  The great need is to pass from death to life, and that is exactly why God sent His Son Jesus into this world.  Through His death and resurrection He came to give us life.  "I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly," said Jesus (John 10:10).  Many of us confess that we have found that life, but how do we know that our confession is genuine?  If we are loving our brothers and sisters, then we know that we have passed from death to life.  Love is the acid test that enables us to distinguish between death and life.

            Notice in verse 14 and 15 that John indicates that not loving our brother and hating our brother are one in the same thing, just as we talked about before.  14b-15a, "He who does not love his brother abides in death.  Whoever hates his brother is a murderer..."  Failure to love my brother is hatred for my brother.  Furthermore, if I hate my brother, I am a murderer.  John is still taking his cues from Jesus.  Jesus said in Matt. 5:21, "Ye have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.'"  You can just hear them saying, "I have never murdered anyone."  But Jesus then continued (vs. 22), " But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, 'Raca!' shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, 'You fool!' shall be in danger of hell fire."  Jesus equates anger toward a brother with murder.  John is doing the same basic thing here.  To hate your brother is essentially to commit murder, and we must all agree with John that a murderer doesn't have new life within himself.

            Actually, this language about passing from death to life was also taken from Jesus.  John 5:24, "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life."  Do you understand.  The means of passing from death to life is hearing the Word of Jesus and believing on (trusting) the One who sent Him.  But again, it is very possible for a person to think he has passed from death to life, when that is not really the case.  What is the test?  "We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren" (I John 3:14).  Jesus gives the way to life; John shows us how to test whether that passage has really taken place.

            If you are loving your brothers and sisters, rest assured that you have indeed passed from death to life.  Praise God!  The love you are demonstrating is only possible because of the life He has given you!

IV.  Is God Abiding and Is Love Perfected?

            Now I John 4:12, "No one has seen God at any time.  If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us."  That is one powerful truth.  Though Moses was allowed to see God's back parts, no one has seen God "face to face."  Immediately after reminding us of that fact, John then says, "If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us."  Do you see the implication of what He is saying?  No one has seen God, but the next best thing in this life is to have Him abiding in us and have His love perfected in us!  And we know that the key to God abiding in us and His love being perfected in us is none other than Jesus Himself.  How do we know that?  Because of what this same author says in John 1:18, "No one has seen God at any time.  The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him" (NASV -- "explained Him;" literally, "exegeted Him").  God's abiding presence and the perfection of His love comes to us through Christ.

            I am reminded of David's words in the eighth Psalm:  "When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained, what is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that you visit him?" (Ps. 8:3-4).  But that isn't the half of it.  "Lord, when I consider Your unequaled glory, Your awesome power, Your incomprehensible wisdom, how can it be that You would choose to dwell in a man such as I?"  If the very Word of God did not assure us of this reality, to say it would be the ultimate blasphemy.  But the Word does tell us.  "If we love one another, God abides in us."  Perhaps the emphasis here is not so much upon the individual as upon the body of Christ.  As this love for one another can exist only in a group of people, so the fullness of God's abiding is seen in His body, in the household of God. 

            But what about this perfecting of God's love?  While some people view this as our love for God, I believe John is talking about God's love for us.  Of course, the two are tied closely together.  When we love one another, God's love for us has been perfected in us.  That is, it has reached its goal.  Think about it.  What can we give to the God who owns the cattle on a thousand hills?  He doesn't need our sacrifices or even our good deeds.  But when we love one another, our Father is pleased, just as He was pleased to love us in the sending of His Son.  Remember that Paul summed up all the law in one word:  "You shall love your neighbor as yourself" (Rom. 13:8; Gal. 5:14).  God's love for us finds its completion in our love for one another.  It has run its course and fulfilled its purpose.

           

Conclusion

            So what have we done this morning?  Mainly we have simply read the scripture.  For my part, I have emphasized how love is one of the primary tests as to whether we truly know God, whether we truly have the life of Christ within us.  No doubt, some of you are thinking that I haven't been specific and practical enough.  While I am often guilty of that very thing, this morning I have deliberately been a bit vague.  Why?  Because I can't see your heart.  I recognize that what we have looked at this morning is a very serious matter.  While some of you have received assurance from John's test of love, it may well be that doubt has been stirred up in others.  It is a serious thing to bring doubt into the life of a true believer.

            Please hear me.  It is the Holy Spirit who bears witness with our spirits that we are children of God.  This morning I am praying that the Spirit will take the Word we have examined and work deeply within every single person here this morning.  Understand that we can trust God.  If you cry out to Him this morning, by His Spirit He will give believers assurance and will bring conviction to those who don't truly know Him.  This is an area where other people can pray for you and with you.  I and others can point you to the scriptures, just as we have done this morning, but it is the Spirit of God who must apply those scriptures and test the genuineness of your faith.

            I leave you with the words of the Holy Spirit through John...  (I John 1:3-4; 5:12-13)

That which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. 4 And these things we write to you that your joy may be full...     He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. 13 These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.

Pray