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- Preaching the Living WORD through
the Written WORD - 2 Tim 4;:2 - |
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EVIDENCES
OF TRUTH (1 John 3:11-18) Grace
Bible Church, Gillette, Wyoming Pastor
Daryl Hilbert A. Evidences
of Familial Relationship (1Jn 3:1-10) B. Evidences of Love (3:11-18) C. Evidences of Truth (3:19-4:6) 1. Assurance
of Truth (1Jn 3:19-22) a) In
vs. 18, John admonishes believers not just to love in word and tongue, but in
deed and truth (reality). b) The one who does these things gives
himself evidence that he is of the truth (19). (1) “Truth”
comes from the Greek word alếtheia,
which originally meant the real
state of affairs. It is the unveiled realty lying at the basis of
appearance. (2) In the NT, alếtheia, in
essence is God’s divine truth revealed in His Person and His Word. It begins
with the truth of doctrine (Jn 8:32), continues with salvation (Jn 14:6), and
extends to one’s practice (Jn 3:21; 1Jn 1:6). (3) Alếtheia is used some 9 times in 1 John (1:6, 8; 2:4, 21;
3:18, 19; 4:6; 5:6) and in 1Jn 3:19 it refers to the reality of living like
one born of God. (4) This reality will “assure” (peíthō) the individual that he is a believer. c) Verse
20 is a continuation of vs. 19. (1) John’s
point is that believers will experience guilt because they fall short of
Christ’s degree of love (Jn 21:15-17). As the believer continues to attempt
to love, even his smaller degree of love will assure him of salvation. (2) God’s word and truth is greater than our
feelings of guilt. Furthermore, God knows that we are His children and bears
witness with our spirits (Ro 8:16). d) John
states that if we are attempting to practice loving one another we will not
experience great depths of guilt and condemnation in our hearts (21). (1) Therefore,
practicing the truth gives the believer confidence (parresía - openness, transparency, and freedom) before God. (2) On the other hand, a believer who is
temporarily not obeying the truth will not experience confidence before God. e) When
a believer is walking with the Lord and walking in obedience God will hear
his prayers (22). (1) One
reason is that if a believer is walking in love, then he is fulfilling God’s
will and God’s Law (Mt 22:37-40; Ro 13:8-10). (2) Another reason is that the believer’s mind
and life will be aligned with God’s will. Then when he asks something
according to God’s will, the believer can have confidence that his prayers
will be answered (1Jn 5:14-15). 2. Children
of Truth (1Jn 3:23-24) a) The
basic truths that John lays out for believers is to first believe on Christ,
and then love one another (23). (1) The
phrase, “believe in the name of His Son” is not usually recognized as a
commandment (entolế). It is not a commandment I the sense
of some type of works for salvation. Rather it is what God has commanded
everyone to believe (Jn 6:29). Those who reject Christ are breaking God’s
commandment and are not children of God. (2) To believe in the name of the Son is to
declare Christ deity. Jehovah claims the sole right to Savior in the OT (Isa
43:11; Isa 45:21). Therefore, for the NT to instruct faith in Christ as
Savior necessarily means that the NT believes that Christ is God the Son. The
false teachers denied the deity of Christ. (3) Furthermore, God’s children of truth will
obey Christ’s command to love another. b) Believers
know they are children of the truth when God’s commandments abide in them
(24). (1) John
revisits the teaching on abiding coupled with believing, loving, and obeying
- three main evidence of salvation. (2) Those who obey God’s commandments abide in
God and God abides in them. (3) The Holy Spirit reveals to the believer
through obedience to Scripture that he is a child of the truth. 3. Spirit
of Truth (1Jn 4:1-6) a) John
writes to instruct these believers that they are to be alert to the many
false prophets circulating (1). (1) These
beloved believers are not to believe every spirit of teaching as if
everything is acceptable. They are not to be blown here and there by every
wind of doctrine (Ep 4:14). (2) Rather these believers were to test each
spirit of teaching to see if it lined up with the truth. “Test” is the Greek
word dokimázō, which means to examine to approve or reject.
Believers are to discern, detect, distinguish, and test doctrinal content in
every teaching. They are to approve true teaching and reject false teaching. (3) This is only accomplished by comparing any
teaching with the grid of Scripture. (a) Pastors
and teachers are to equip believers with the ability to discern true and
false doctrine (Ep 4 11-12). (b) Elders are to exhort in sound doctrine and
refute those who contradict (Ti 1:9). (c) Believers are to examine teaching with
Scripture (Ac 17:11). (d) The church is to be the support of truth
and sound doctrine (1Ti 3:15). |
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