Some Things We May Know
INTRODUCTORY WORDS
There may be some places where uncertainties lend enchantment to the view, but in matters of life and death we want full assurance. It is not enough to hope that we are saved, or think that we may be the children of God. The Lord has not left us wandering in doubt and despair as to the realities and verities of great eternal truths. Jesus Christ said to Nicodemus, "We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen."
Christianity is not builded upon the uncertainties of fables and humanly conceived dogmas; it is builded upon the impregnable rock of Divine and certified revelation. He who trusts in Christ is not left to be carried to and fro by every changeable wind of men's doctrine: he is established in a Word that is forever settled in Heaven.
The Bible never sounds forth an uncertain note. It speaks with authority, and breathes, everywhere, the spirit of assurance. When Christ comes in, doubt and despair go out. Paul could say, "I know whom I have believed." The blind man could say, "One thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see."
All Christians can say, "We know that the Son of God hath come." We know, we know, we know. Oh, what consolation, oh, what rest of spirit lies in the words, "We know!"
How then do we know that we are saved?
1. We know because we believe in Him. God has said. "Whosoever belie vein that Jesus is the Christ is born of God." This has the ring of certainty. But here is the proof. It is given in the thirteenth verse: "These things have I written unto you that believe on the Name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life."
The Gospel of John was written that we might know that Jesus was the Christ, and that believing we might have life through His Name. The First Epistle of John was written to those who do believe, that they might know that they have life. The Gospel was given that we may know Him and be saved; the Epistle was given that, being saved, we might know that we are saved.
2. We know we are saved by His Spirit (1 John 4:13). Here is the way the verse runs: "Hereby know we that we dwell in Him, and He in. us, because He hath given us of His Spirit"
In Galatians it is put this way, "And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father!"
Romans puts it thus: "The Spirit Itself heareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God."
3. We know because we keep His Commandments. "We know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep His Commandments." If we love the brethren, we know we have passed from death unto life. That, however, is not all of it. Here is the other side, we love the children of God only when we love God, and obey Him.
Christ said, "If ye love Me, keep My Commandments." He also said, "He that hath My Commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth Me."
Obedience does not save, but the faith that saves is an obedient faith, James, in the Spirit, said: "Shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works." A faith that is without works is dead, being alone.
If there are any Christians who doubt their acceptance with God, and their real salvation, let them not rest until they know that they are saved.
I. WE KNOW THE SON OF GOD HATH COME (1 John 5:20)
The battleground of the ages, centers, theologically, around the Person of Christ, "What think ye of Christ, whose Son is He?" One answers. He is son of Joseph; another, He is Son of God. One says Christ is Jeremias, or Elijah, or John the Baptist, or one of the Prophets; the other says, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God."
The believer never hesitates between these two opinions. He knows that the One who came was the Son of God; and he knows that the Son of God came. If Christ was not the Son of God, He is not true, and He is not eternal life. If He is Son of God, He is true; yea, He is the True God, and eternal life.
Not all Christ-rejecters reject the historicity of Christ. They often confess that Christ came; however, they deny that He came forth from the Father, and is come into the world. They also deny that He left the world, and went back to the Father.
It is by this that we can discern between the spirit of error and the Spirit of truth. "Every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God"; and "every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God." The former is the spirit of antichrist; while the latter is the Spirit of God.
God hath written, "Many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh," He has also written: "Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he: in God."
When Peter said to the Lord, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God," the Lord replied, "Blessed art thou Simon, bar-jona; for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but My Father which is in Heaven."
The centurion who stood by the Cross, said, "Truly this was the Son of God." Do we know that the Son of God hath come? Do we accept Him and believe in Him with the heart? Then we are the children of God.
II. WE KNOW THAT WE HAVE ETERNAL LIFE (1 John 5:11-13)
Our key verse says, "That ye may know that ye have eternal life." That is a blessed statement. We know that we have eternal life, because we know Him, and He is eternal life. Has not our Lord said, "And this is life eternal, that they might know Thee the only True God, and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent"?
Jesus Christ is Life, and He, therefore, is the Author of life. He is eternal life, and He, therefore, is the Giver of eternal life to those who know Him.
With the fleeting things of time fading before our very eyes, how glorious it is to possess something that shall never pass away. After the earth has passed away with a great noise; after the sun and moon cease to swing in their orbits; then, we will continue on forever and for aye, in the city of our God.
We who live in Him, we who are saved, know that we have eternal life. Let us, therefore, weigh our every act in these terrestrial scenes, in the aspect of that life which is to come.
III. WE KNOW THAT CHRIST HAS TAKEN AWAY OUR SINS (1 John 3:5)
With what assurance do the words ring out, "Ye know that He was manifested to take away our sins."
1. We would not belittle the fact of sin. We know that all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God, We know that there is none righteous, no, not one. The fact of Christ's atonement does not take away the fact of our sin, it establishes that fact. He died for us, because we were sinners.
Calvary with its weight of woe, forever shows forth the heinousness of sin. Calvary makes sin to appear exceeding sinful. One cannot consider deeply the penalty for sin and for sins, which Christ bore upon the Tree, without realizing the depths of iniquity that caused so great a woe.
Since God has laid on Him the "iniquity of us all," we know that our guilt was unfathomable, because the sufferings of Christ were unfathomable,
2. We would not forget the impossibility of self-salvation. No sinner can take away his own sins. The leopard cannot change bis spots, neither can the Ethiopian change his skin. Thus, the sinner cannot change his evil heart.
There is nothing "good" within the sinner to counteract his "bad." Even if the wicked could cease from his wickedness, that would in no way settle the sins of the past. A new sheet on top of the old sheet, does not change the blots on the old.
3. We would rejoice in the fact that Christ does take away our sins. Jesus Christ is the mercyseat for our sins. He became "sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him."
On the authority of God, the One with whom each sinner must deal, we have the statement: "The Blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin." Once more we read, "Herein is love * * that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins."
The Great Multitude of Revelation fourteen, had washed their robes and made them white in the Blood of the Lamb.
John, in his Epistle, writes, "I write unto you. little children, because your sins are forgiven you for His Name's sake."
Thank God our sins are taken away. They are removed from us as far as the East is from the West. They are buried in the depths of the sea. They are behind His back. They will never be mentioned against us any more, forever.
IV. WE KNOW THE LOVE OF GOD TOWARD US (1 John 4:16)
There is much rant these days about the love of God. There are some who vainly prate that God is love, to the exclusion of His justice and judgment There are others who strongly aver that God does not love anybody. There is, therefore, room for some very strong and Scriptural statements that will clarify the truth as to God's love,
1. God loves the world. John 3:16 is sufficient proof of this. God commends His love toward us inasmuch as, "while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."
He loved us before He washed us. He loved us while we were far from Him, groping in sin and darkness. He loved us, and therefore He sent His Son to die for us.
God's love for the sinner does not make it necessary for God to love the sinner's sin. Sin is heinous to God. Sin carries death, sin falls under wrath.
2. God loves those who are saved. Our text says, "We have known and believed the love that God hath to us."
In John's Epistle, chapter three, we read, "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God," In the fourth chapter we read: "God is love." Again we read, "In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent His * * Son into the world, that we might live through Him."
How great is that love toward us! Who can know its height, and depth, and length, and breadth. It passeth knowledge. God loves the sinner, but He loves the believer, His own. with a peculiar and particular love.
3. The saved should, accordingly, love God. We should love Him, not in word only; but also in deed and in truth, If God is love, we should dwell in love, we should love His love.
Here is what we want to say, "We love Him, because He first loved us." Here is something more which we want to say, "The love of Christ constraineth, us." Here is yet another word, "The fruit of the Spirit is love," and, "The love of God is shed abroad in our heart by the Holy Ghost."
Walking with God. and talking to God, and knowing God, floods our lives with love. If we catch the love of God toward us, we will, in turn, love our brethren; we love those who love God, and those whom God loves.
V. WE KNOW THE TRUTH (1 John 2:21)
Here is something to make us stop, look, and listen: "I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it."
Jesus Christ said, "I am * * the Truth." If we know Him, we know the Truth, for He is the Truth.
We remember how the Word was made flesh, and how it dwelt among us, full of grace and truth. The Law had come by Moses; but Grace and Truth came by Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus was both the Way, and the Truth, and the Life.
The Holy Spirit came to testify of Him, and the Spirit testifieth to the Truth. Let us give you some deductions:
1. Since Christ is Truth, then he who saith, "I know Him," will walk, not in darkness, and not in a lie, but he will walk in the truth.
2. Since Christ is the Truth, He will sanctify us by the Truth, for His Word is Truth.
3. Since Christ is Truth, we should love Him in deed and in truth; and thus, being of the truth, we can assure our hearts before Him.
4. Since Christ is Truth, every one who confesseth Christ will confess the truth and deny the error. Hereby will we know the Spirit of truth, and the spirit of error, because we know Him; and believe Him.
5. Since we know Christ, and Christ is Truth, we will know the truth, and walk in truth, and testify of the truth, and do the truth.
What is the conclusion? The spirit of error which has crept subtly into the realms of world-thinking, denies the truth under two outstanding heads: (1) It denies that Christ has come in the flesh. (2) It denies that Christ is coming in the flesh.
This twofold denial sums up the spirit of antichrist, whom we know will soon come into the world. Saints will not be caught in the nets of his cunning craftiness; nor will they be swept adrift by his winds of doctrines, where he will lie in wait to deceive.
Many deceivers have gone forth into the world. These deceivers deny that Jesus is the Christ. They abide not in the truth. Those who are Christ's know the truth: if any one comes unto them, and he brings not the truth, they will not receive him into their house, nor will they bid him Godspeed.
Let us seek to so live that we will obtain from God a good report, because we know the Truth, and because we bear record to the Truth.
VI. WE KNOW THAT HE ABIDETH IN US (1 John 3:24)
How blessed are the "we knows" of the First Epistle of John. "We know" "we know." God forbid that we should ever live on the plain of uncertainties, when it is given unto us to know the things which are freely given us of God.
We come now to our final consideration: We know that He abideth in us.
1. The doctrine of Christ's abiding in the believer is precious to Him. When the Lord was speaking to the disciples on the occasion of His "Last Supper," He emphasized a twofold abiding. Let us give you a few of His words:
"Abide in Me, and I in you."
"Cannot bear fruit, * * except ye abide in Me."
"He that abideth in Me, and I in him, * * bringeth forth much fruit."
"If a man abide not in Me* * he is withered."
"If ye abide in Me, and My Words abide in you."
"Abide in My love, * * abide in His love."
"My joy might remain (abide) in you."
The seven quotations above may suffice to enforce the beauty of our abiding in Christ, and of His abiding in us.
Christ said this, also, 'If a man love Me, he will keep My Words: and My Father will love him, and We will come unto him, and make Our abode with him."
When we come into the Book of Ephesians, we first find that we have seen outstanding spiritual blessings in Christ, That is in the first chapter. Next we are described as with Christ, in His death, resurrection, and exaltation. That is in the second chapter. In the last verse of the third chapter we have God taking up His abode in us, through the Spirit. In Ephesians 3:17 Christ is dwelling in our hearts by faith.
Thus, in Ephesians, we have three things: "In Christ," "with Christ," and "Christ in."
2. The doctrine of Christ's abiding in us is precious to us. It is precious to us, because it brings us fellowship, and "truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ."
It is precious to us because it gives us confidence. "And now, little children, abide in Him, that, when He shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before Him at His Coming." It is precious to us because, as He abides in us, He enables us to walk even as He walked.
God grant us to know the deeper meanings of this truth "We know that He abideth in us."
AN ILLUSTRATION
THE ECHO
"We love Him because He first loved us. Love is like an echo, it returneth what it receiveth; there is no echo till the sound is heard. Oar love to God is a reflex, a reverberation, or a casting back of God's beam and flame upon Himself. The cold wall sendeth back no reflex of heat till the sun shines upon it, and warms it first; so neither do we love God till our soul is first filled with a sense of His love." Hence the impossibility of producing love while we are under a legal spirit; it will not come to order, it will only rise to the bidding of its like. Love alone begets love. Purchase price for it there is none; the bribe would be scorned.
Love is not the result of effort on our part. As the fountain rises freely in the valley, pouring forth its crystal flood with spontaneous eagerness, so doth love sparkle and flash forth in the soul. Secret reservoirs, far up in the mountains, supply the water-springs; and eternal deeps of boundless love in the everlasting hills supply the love-springs of the believer's soul. Is it not written, "All my fresh springs are in Thee"?
O my heart, take care that thou answer to the Lord like an echo! When He saith, "My love." do thou answer with the selfsame title. Be as the rocks which glow beneath the heat of the sun, and give forth warmth themselves. Love as long as thou livest, for love is the cream of life, and all of it is due to thy Lord. Chas. H. Spurgeon.