1 John And Assurance Of Salvation

          "I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life." (1 John 5:13)

          The Apostle John spells out his purpose in writing this epistle. It closely mirrors the evangelistic appeal of John 20:30-31 in that Christ leads us to eternal life. With His name, comes the good news that fallen humanity can have the kind of life that is enduring and otherworldly. It is not the result of natural birth, but comes from God. Throughout his epistle, John includes various standards (i.e. "these things") for us to use in evaluating our standing before God:  

             *According to 1 John 2:1-6, assurance of salvation is based on whether or not we obey Him. One who genuinely knows Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior also does what He says. That man's profession of faith is grounded in the reality of his life. False professions of faith have no validity and such people have no right to claim Christ as their own.

             *A Christian life is characterized with a desire to serve God (1 John 5:2-3). This is not merely a matter of outward conformity to some abstract moral standard, but stems from hearts energized and empowered by the Spirit of God. Obedience to God is the believer's natural way of being. God's commandments are a source of joy and blessing to him.

             *If believers do stumble, then not all hope is lost for them. Jesus Christ is their advocate before God the Father (1 John 2:1). He pleads the sinner's case on his behalf. Christ does so on the basis of His own personal merit. This is analogous to an attorney who intercedes before a judge in a courtroom for a defendant. Christ is the one who made the forgiveness of sin even possible.

             *A lack of concern regarding one's status with God is reason to question his spiritual standing, if he professes to know Christ. Persistent negligence of the things of Him serves as evidence that such a person is a liar. This is a call for one to examine what has gone wrong in his spiritual life. A saved person will seriously confront the presence of sin in his life.

             *A person who loves God and loves neighbor can confidently assert being justified before Him (1 John 3:16-24). John appealed to the example of Jesus laying down His life for others. He did so to encourage his audience to live as Christ lived. It should be noted, however, that not even believers have power in themselves to love perfectly as God Himself loves. We can have assurance of salvation because God is greater than our hearts and knows everything. 

             *A Christian will love truth and is changed by the Holy Spirit (1 John 4:4-6). That God is greater than the things of this world, is the believer's greatest assurance that he is right with Him. His profession is rooted in truth, and God is the God of truth.

          This is not meant to be viewed as an all or nothing proposition. John's message is not intended to be some sort of a legalistic checklist. To use it in this way, is to turn the spirit of his message on its head. No one John's point of emphasis here is our current state of heart.  Are we striving to approach God on His terms? Is the focus of our worship centered on Him? Are we persistently living in sin, without even the slightest concern of how it offends God?

           If a person has doubts regarding his salvation, then he need not at that moment focus on sanctification. He needs to address the matter of justification. That is the very beginning of one having been reconciled to God. Such a person needs to find the root cause of his doubt by using Scripture and strive diligently to resolve it.