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That Ye May Know That Ye Have Eternal Life
Or, The Biblical Doctrine of the Assurance
of Salvation
Or, Only Those Who Abide in Christ May Know That They Have Eternal Life
"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, and that ye may believe on the Name
of the Son of God"
(1John 5:13).
by Tom Stewart
Preface
he God of All Comfort (2Corinthians 1:3) takes great
delight in assuring His children that they belong to Him and He belongs to them.
"And he that keepeth His Commandments
dwelleth in Him, and He in him. And hereby we know that He abideth in us,
by the Spirit which He hath given us" (1John
3:24). In fact, the First Epistle of John is the only book of the Bible written
for the express purpose of giving the Children of God the Assurance of Salvation.
"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, and that ye may believe on the Name of the Son of God" (5:13). Only those walking in loving obedience to the LORD Jesus
Christ are assured of their possession of Eternal Life. "And hereby we do know that we know Him, if we keep His
Commandments" (2:3). And, the opposite
is also true, that those walking in disobedience, do not know Jesus Christ. "He that saith, I know Him, and keepeth not His Commandments,
is a liar, and the Truth is not in him"
(2:4).
How Can This Be?
he Holy Spirit, Who is the Blessed Comforter (John
14:16), always and only assures the obedient of possessing Eternal Life--
never the disobedient. "6 If we say that we
have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: 7 But if we walk in
the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood
of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin" (1John
1:6-7). The prized knowledge of the possession of Eternal Life is given by He Who
is the "Spirit of Knowledge and of the
Fear of the LORD" (Isaiah 11:2). He has
chosen to give us that knowledge of the possession of Eternal Life through the Divinely
appointed Word of God. "All Scripture
is given by inspiration of God [literally,
God breathed, i.e., by the Spirit of Truth]" (2Timothy 3:16). That the Spirit speaks through the Scriptures,
is the universal testimony of the Bible. David, the Psalmist, said, "The Spirit of the LORD spake by me, and His Word was
in my tongue" (2Samuel 23:2). The Godly
must limit their knowledge of the possession of Eternal Life to only what the Spirit
reveals, i.e., our sonship is based upon the Spirit's present testimony to our present
abiding in obedience, because that is the method and manner of the Spirit's revelatory
work through the Scriptures. "But as many
as received Him, to them gave He Power to become the sons of God, even to them that
believe on His Name" (John 1:12).
In our ignorance, it is difficult for us to comprehend that we cannot know what
the Almighty does not reveal to us. "8 For My Thoughts
are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My Ways, saith the LORD. 9 For as the Heavens
are higher than the Earth, so are My Ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts
than your thoughts" (Isaiah 55:8-9). In
particular, the knowledge that we have Eternal Life cannot be verified without
the witness of the Holy Spirit-- Who has chosen to reveal this knowledge through
His Living Word. "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" (1John
5:13). Only those who are convinced of the Truth of God's Word may comprehend their
possession of Eternal Life. "But whoso
looketh into the Perfect Law of Liberty [the
Word of God], and continueth therein, he being
not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his
deed" (James 1:25).
Unfortunately, we have not always evaluated our Christian experience in light of
the Word of God; instead, we have often relied upon our faulty recall of events,
i.e., "went forward at the invitation", and emotion, i.e., "felt so
relieved", to assure ourselves that we possessed the Eternal Life of the Gospel.
But, the Doctrine of the Assurance of Salvation is based upon the Holy Spirit's
infallible acknowledgement of our sonship through the testimony of the Word of God.
"And hereby we do know that we know
Him, if we keep His Commandments"
(1John 2:3). Because the common concept of conversion to Christ is so "event
and emotion" oriented, the knowledge of the possession of Eternal Life has become
more a function of how well we recall the event or emotion than "what saith the Scripture?"
(Romans 4:3).
A real problem of this Laodicean Age is that the disobedient have demanded the same
Assurance of Salvation as those who abide in Christ. "He
that saith, I know Him, and keepeth not His Commandments, is a liar, and the Truth
is not in him" (1John 2:4). And, Scripture
is absolutely clear about the destiny of all liars. "But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers,
and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have
their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the Second
Death" (Revelation 21:8). God's Spirit
is unequaled in His Comfort of those that "dwell
in Him" (1John 4:13); but, His Distress
of disobedient, professing Christians is unrivaled for the condemnation and stress
He places on them for their walking apart from Him. "If
we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not
the Truth" (1:6).
The Faith That Saves Is More Than A Passive,
Intellectual Persuasion
ll who have been "born
again" (John 3:3) into God's "family in Heaven and Earth" (Ephesians 3:15) by the Incorruptible Seed of the Word of God (1Peter
1:23), are the children of God. "But as
many as received Him, to them gave He Power to become the sons of God, even to them
that believe on His Name" (John 1:12).
Regardless of any lack of drama in the conversion experience, turning in faith to
the Saviour away from our sins, is Salvation. "For
I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ: for it is the Power of God unto Salvation
to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek" (Romans 1:16). Gospel Faith is alive with works,
i.e., the Works of Faith. "Even so faith,
if it hath not works, is dead, being alone" (James
2:17). "Now the just shall live by faith:
but if any man draw back, My soul shall have no pleasure in him" (Hebrews 10:38).
However, the Laodicean spirit of the present Church Age has divorced the Works of
Faith from the meaning of Evangelical Faith. "They
profess that they know God; but in works they deny Him, being abominable,
and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate"
(Titus 1:16). In the name of upholding Salvation By Faith Without Works, they deny
the necessity of anything outside of a passive, intellectual persuasion concerning
the Truth for Eternal Salvation. "What
doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works?
can faith save him?" (James 2:14). Laodicea's
passive, intellectual definition of faith would satisfy even the demons. "Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well:
the devils also believe, and tremble"
(2:19).
How unlike Laodicea's antinomianism was the Apostle Paul's "obedience of faith"
(Romans 16:26)! The same apostle who was inspired by the Spirit to write, "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that
not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9), finished the thought with the assertion
that, "we are His workmanship, created
in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should
walk in them" (2:10). Anyone abiding
in Evangelical Faith must be walking in "good
works" (2:10), which are the Works of
Faith. Without that walking in "good works" (2:10), they do not possess Evangelical Faith. "Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works:
shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works" (James 2:18).
Paul asserted that those who are presently committing sin shall not enter
Heaven, i.e., "they which do [literally, are doing-- present tense] such things shall not inherit the Kingdom of God" (Galatians 5:21). "19 Now the works of
the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
20 Idolatry,
witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21 Envyings, murders,
drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have
also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not
inherit the Kingdom of God" (Galatians
5:19-21). The Apostle John agreed with Paul that those who were presently committing
sin could not enter and defile Heaven. "And
there shall in no wise enter into It any thing that defileth [literally, defiling-- present tense], neither whatsoever worketh
[literally, practicing-- present tense] abomination,
or maketh a lie" (Revelation 21:27).
Can Eternal Life Ever Cease?
o, for Eternal Life to be eternal, it can never cease,
for Jesus absolutely promised us, "I give
unto them Eternal Life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man
pluck them out of My hand" (John 10:28).
But, our right to lay claim to Eternal Life can cease. Let me explain. The
Gospel of John was written by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit for the purpose
of promoting Gospel Faith in the reader, i.e., "that
ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye
might have Life through His Name" (John
20:31). Likewise, the Apostle John's first epistle to his Little Children (1John
2:1) is the Holy Spirit's follow-up to the New Born Believers to give them the Assurance
of Salvation, i.e., "that ye may know
that ye have Eternal Life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God" (5:13). Therefore, the entire epistle is to be read searching
for the theme, "that ye may know" (5:13) that you are a Christian.
Again, how can we lose our right to claim that we have Eternal Life? Let us examine
a prime example of this concept in the second chapter of the epistle. "He that saith, I know Him, and keepeth not His Commandments,
is a liar, and the Truth is not in him" (1John
2:4). Or, "He that saith [literally, is saying-- present tense],
I know [literally, I have known-- perfect tense]
Him, and keepeth not
[literally, is not keeping-- present tense] His
Commandments, is [present tense] a liar, and the Truth is
[present tense] not in him" (2:4). To paraphrase the verse, 'He that is saying that
I have known Him, and is not keeping His Commandments, is [presently] a liar, and
the Truth is [presently] not in him'. This is the Holy Spirit's Infallible Guide
to teaching His people how He takes away our right to claim that we have known
Him, when we are walking in present disobedience. "6 If we say that we
have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the Truth:
7 But
if we walk in the Light, as He is in the Light, we have fellowship one with
another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin" (1:6-7).
Why should the Father give us His gentle assurance of our acceptance and forgiveness,
while we are willfully, knowingly disobeying Him? "Ah
sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are
corrupters: they have forsaken the LORD, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel
unto anger, they are gone away backward"
(Isaiah 1:4). We would no more reward a dog in obedience training for wrong behavior
than the Father would reward us with His loving assurance of our Salvation, while
we abide in stubborn and willful disobedience. "19 If ye be willing
and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: 20 But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the
sword: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it"
(1:19-20).
Since our willful sinning is the same as re-crucifying the LORD Jesus afresh, do
we think it is unreasonable that the Father would withhold from us His assurance
that we are "accepted in the Beloved" (Ephesians 1:6)? "4 For it is impossible...
6 If
they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify [literally, are crucifying] to
themselves the Son of God afresh, and put [literally,
are exposing] Him to an open shame" (Hebrews 6:6). The impossibility of renewing them "again unto repentance"
is that it is impossible "to renew
them" while they are presently
crucifying the LORD Jesus, i.e., still unwilling to repent, and unwanting of the
Father's forgiveness. But, the Father has promised even the prodigal, "Return unto Me, and I will return unto
you, saith the LORD of Hosts" (Malachi
3:7). "Behold, what manner of Love" (1John 3:1) is this that the Father would faithfully discipline
the profligate children! "6 For whom the LORD
loveth He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth. 7 If ye endure chastening,
God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is He whom the Father chasteneth
not?" (Hebrews 12:6-7).
In fact, the "deceitfulness of sin" (Hebrews 3:13) is so great, that many who consider themselves
as simply Backslidden, have never truly "tasted
that the LORD is gracious" (1Peter 2:3)
and have never been "born again" (1:23). For this reason, the human memory of events that
are supposed to have been our Evangelical Salvation, cannot be verified without
the testimony of the Spirit. "The
Spirit Itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God" (Romans 8:16). On the other hand, the Spirit warns the
Saints that "if we sin wilfully
after that we have received the knowledge of the Truth, there remaineth no
more sacrifice for sins, 27 But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery
indignation, which shall devour the adversaries" (Hebrews
10:26-27). This is not only withholding assurance, but it is also the certainty
of Judgment to those walking in disobedience. "Of
how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden
under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the Blood of the Covenant, wherewith
he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit
of Grace?" (10:29). Take care not
to tempt the Living God, for "it
is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the Living God" (10:31). The reaction of the Righteous to such a warning only causes
them to trust the LORD more soberly. "But
we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the
saving of the soul" (10:39). "11 For the grace of God that bringeth Salvation hath appeared
to all men, 12 Teaching
us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously,
and Godly, in this present world; 13 Looking for that Blessed Hope, and the glorious appearing
of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ" (Titus
2:11-13).
How to Know That You Know
he Holy Spirit has established immutable rules of
evidence for the knowledge of sonship that no human court can rightfully overturn.
"God is not a man, that He should lie;
neither the son of man, that He should repent: hath He said, and shall He not do
it? or hath He spoken, and shall He not make it good?" (Numbers 23:19). Let us examine another verse, which is adjacent
to the previous example-- "He that saith,
I know Him, and keepeth not His Commandments, is a liar, and the Truth is not in
him" (1John 2:4)-- of losing the right
to claim our sonship; but, this time, the same rules of knowledge and evidence prove
the sonship of the obedient Saint. "And
hereby we do know that we know Him, if we keep His Commandments" (1John 2:3). Remember, also, that all the good works attributed
to the Saints are not only our "reasonable
service" (Romans 12:1) to God, but are
made possible by the grace of the Spirit of Christ (8:9) working in us. "For it is God which worketh in you both to will and
to do of His good pleasure" (Philippians
2:13).
Conclusion
ain is the
help of man" (Psalm 108:12), especially
in gaining the assurance of possessing Eternal Life. Perhaps the plainest
statement of Scripture that any may use to determine their possession of Eternal
Life, is the Apostle John's letter to his Little Children. "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" (1John
2:3-4). PRESENT OBEDIENCE MEANS YOU TRULY POSSESS ETERNAL LIFE, WHILE PRESENT DISOBEDIENCE
MEANS YOU ARE A LIAR. "And ALL liars,
shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is
the Second Death" (Revelation 21:8).
Possibly, the most important thing about the faith which possesses Eternal Life,
is that faith works, and that, by Love. "For
in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but
faith which worketh by Love" (Galatians
5:6). Isaac Watts wrote an hymn with the words:
.
"'Tis faith that changes all the heart,
'Tis faith that works by love,
That bids all sinful joys depart,
And lifts the thoughts above."
May the same heart be found, even in this Laodicean Age. "For
the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole Earth, to shew Himself strong
in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward Him" (2Chronicles 16:9). May you be among those whom the Good
LORD comforts with the Assurance of Salvation. "Faithful
is He that calleth you, Who also will do it"
(1Thessalonians 5:24).
And, may the Spirit of God teach you that
Amen, and Amen.
.
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