Preschool
A friend loveth at all times. Proverbs 17:17
How Do We Know That We Are in Him?
Memory Verses
Primary
A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity. Proverbs 17:17
Junior
A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity. Proverbs 17:17
Background Scripture: 1 John 2
Lesson Scripture: 1 John 2:1–17
Introduction
To know that we are in Christ has both temporal and eternal importance. God, in his love and mercy, has given us his Word, his Spirit, and our brethren so we can be assured of our salvation. May each of us, by grace through faith in Jesus, be able to claim this testimony, “It is well with my soul.” 1
Key Verse
By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another (John 13:35).
Lesson Scripture
1 John 2:1 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:
2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
3 And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.
4 He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
5 But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.
6 He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.
7 Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the beginning.
8 Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in you: because the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth.
9 He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now.
10 He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him.
11 But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.
12 I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name’s sake.
13 I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one. I write unto you, little children, because ye have known the Father.
14 I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one.
15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.
Studying the Lesson
Jesus chose people with a wide diversity of gifts and personalities to labor in his kingdom. How inspiring that He called common men from humble and varied trades to be his disciples. He did not turn to the doctors of the law in the temple, nor did He seek those with unusual talent and ability. Rather, He chose numerous of his disciples, including John, while walking along the fishing docks in the city of Bethsaida on the north shore of the Sea of Galilee. John was one of those described in the book of Acts as being “ignorant and unlearned,” yet we are drawn to his gospel and epistles with special affection and appreciation.
In the gospel of John, he, in a simple but profound way, records the life and love of Jesus. Only his gospel specifically speaks of the new birth, as well as the ordinance of feet washing. John captures the warmth and depth of Jesus’s love for his Father, his disciples, and the world. Recording the words of Jesus, he explains the coming of the Holy Spirit, his presence, and his work. Especially in John’s epistles, the importance of love is emphasized—God’s love for us and our love for Him, which is confirmed by our love for each other. He also clearly teaches that God is love and light and describes the darkness of those who do not believe and are not filled with his love. Through John’s writings, many have been drawn to Christ and his salvation, and many troubled hearts have been quieted with the love of God and the comfort of the Holy Spirit.
The lesson scripture contrasts light and darkness with loving or not loving our brother. Does the failure of not loving our brother cause spiritual blindness, or is this love absent because we are already walking in darkness? What do we not see when there is someone we do not love as we should? When one is blind his vision is obscured, so will not loving someone affect our spiritual life that seriously? If so, how do we find our way into the light again? We find answers as we are willing to sincerely prove our standing with God.
Our lesson text also gives a clear warning about not loving the world, including the things that are in the world. Likely, the world has more things today than it has ever had, and certainly they are more available to us than they have ever been. Wealth and affluent living, the myriad offerings of entertainment—some of which seem innocent—the worldly flaunting of immorality, impurity, and lust, and the lure of sports and recreation hotly compete for our love. Surely, we must be secure in God to discern his will in all these things both as individuals and collectively as his church. Should we not humbly admit that we have, to our own detriment and loss, loved the world too much and not despised and abhorred it enough? We need to understand more clearly the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.
Practical Truths for Today
How do we know that we are in Him? Being justified by grace through faith provides the foundation of our assurance. “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom. 5:1).
“Salvation is by faith in Jesus Christ, believing his promise that whosoever will come to Him He will in no wise cast away, but He will honor his request to forgive and receive him as his child. When this promise is truly accepted in the heart without a reserve, then comes a feeling of peace with God, and then joy springs forth as a result. Peace and joy are not the source of salvation but are the fruits of it by faith. . . . To ask and seek an assurance when the requirements are met, is casting a shadow upon faith in the promises of God.” 2
Rueben Koehn, in the lecture “Justification by Faith” at the 1983 General Conference, recalled this illustration: “Minister Ed Frank was driving home from town one day in the summer, and he saw Brother Tobias [Unruh] outside taking a walk. This was a short time before Brother Tobias passed away. Brother Ed drove his car right up to him and asked, ‘Brother Tobias, are you saved?’
“‘Yes, I am,’ Tobias said.
“‘How do you know?’
“‘Because Jesus died for me and I confessed my sins and I believe I am justified by faith.’
“Now that is justification by faith! His testimony was first, and he bore fruit, too.” 3 Justification is found only through the death and resurrection of Jesus, his blood being the atonement for sin and the power of eternal life.
How do we know that we are in Him? We can know by the witness of the Spirit of God. “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God” (Rom. 8:16). When the heart, soul, mind, and body are fully yielded to God, sin has been confessed and forsaken, and salvation is received by grace through faith, there is a sure witness of God in the heart that He is abiding within. David understood that God never rejects a broken spirit and a contrite heart (Ps. 51). Often, perhaps without consciously following the steps described here, when someone falls upon the mercy of God in brokenness and contrition, God moves upon that heart with the quiet witness of his Spirit. The indwelling Spirit gives simple direction about what to do and what not to do or say, but we must listen carefully to hear it. He blesses obedience with the comfort of his approval and seeks to correct disobedience with gentle reproof. We may not always live in the fullness of that witness, but there remains a quiet awareness that God is with us and we are in Him. In the classic Uncle Tom’s Cabin, when the faithful slave, Tom, was asked how he knew the reality of God and eternity, he replied, “Felt Him in my soul, Mas’r—feel Him now!”
How do we know that we are in Him? We know by our obedience to his commandments. The lesson scripture, 1 John 2:3, indicates the importance of obedience. This is only possible by faith. When James said he would show his faith by his works, he was not speaking of flawless performance but about humble obedience. Keeping God’s commandments is done in humility and submission rather than perfection in practice. However, that humility and submission will bear fruit in simplicity and carefulness. It will be a work of liberty and not of bondage. The witness of being in Him includes our submission to the bride of Christ, his church, and to one another. It requires honesty to prove our hearts in this matter, but if there is resistance to the commandment of God as interpreted by his church or the counsel or proving of our brethren, it clouds our testimony of being in Him.
How do we know that we are in Him? We know by our love for one another. “We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren” (1 John 3:14). Jesus placed so much importance on this matter that He said, “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another” (John 13:35). This love is only possible by the Holy Spirit, who is love, dwelling in our heart. This enables us to have a fervent charity that covers our brother’s faults. It gives us grace to live above envy, jealousy, suspicion, and resentment. It causes us to cheerfully, freely forgive. It is so contrary to our proud, selfish nature that it is indeed evidence that we are in Him. By the scriptural emphasis given this matter of loving one another, it is not merely a good grace to cultivate, but it is a deciding factor of whether we are in Him and He in us. There is legend of the apostle John that when he was quite elderly, he repeated again and again to his brethren, “My little children, love one another.” When asked why he said that so often, he replied, “If that one thing were accomplished, it would be enough.”
Let us soberly take stock, according to the Word of God rather than our own judgment, whether we are indeed in Him, that we may be ready at his coming.
Questions
- With the clear, scriptural assurances detailed in the lesson, why do some doubt their salvation?
- How can some claim assurance of salvation without these signs evident in their life?
- Which is surer: my own or my brethren’s proving of saving grace in my life?
- Can we have some love for the world and still be in Him?
- 1 Horatio G. Stafford (1828–1888), “When Peace, Like a River,” Christian Hymnal
- 2 Reuben Koehn, Messenger of Truth, 1974, No. 23, “Assurance of Salvation”
- 3 Selected Editorials, “Justification by Faith,” p. 631
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Source: COGICM Daily Bible Readings (Daily Bible Readings, PO Box 124, Glenn, CA 95943).