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In this week's lesson we find the final installment of this series on 1 John. We will learn the last four certainties in the Test of Truth. Last week we learned the first two: We know what a Christian is and we know who Jesus is. Let us now continue with the final four certainties.

3. WE KNOW WHEN WE HAVE ETERNAL LIFE (1 John 5:10-13)

To believe on the Son of God means to believe with all your heart the testimony concerning the Son of God and a total surrender of self, receiving the Son of God as your Lord and Savior. This can only be done as the Holy Spirit testifies to you concerning the Son of God. At the point of believing, one receives "the witness in himself." This is the reception of the Spirit who is responsible for one being cleansed by the blood. Also, your experience will agree with the Word. This is the way one can really know they have eternal life-the Spirit within bears witness to it.

The unbeliever, though he has no internal witness in himself, is without excuse because God has given enough external evidence, which is sufficient and true that one may believe. To not believe the evidence (record) that God gave is to make Him a liar.

Jesus was robed in flesh so that He could die on the cross for our sins. Eternal life, Jesus, was born and laid in a manger. It is that life in Christ which includes all blessedness, and which is not broken by physical death. It is the opposite of exclusion from God (lost) and can be had now.

Eternal life is that life which God is and which He gives to sinners who believe on the Son.

Names in Jewish history were often significant, being sometimes given by God Himself. They served not merely to distinguish one man from another, but to indicate his character. The Divine name suggests the Divine attributes. The purpose of John's writing this epistle is so that we, as believers, may know beyond a shadow of a doubt that we have eternal life, and to encourage us to continue in believing this. This is not speaking of losing our salvation in any way, but even after we are saved our human heart is prone to unbelief in certain areas of our life. Therefore, John was desirous that they would continue to exercise faith "on the name of the Son of God." That is what is called living faith. It is as important to keep a garden from being overrun with weeds in the summer as it was to plant it in the spring. In like manner, it is as important to the cause of Christ to walk by faith as it is to believe unto salvation.

4. WE KNOW HOW TO PRAY WITH CONFIDENCE (1 John 5:14-17)

We can now be fearless and full of confidence when we pray. The saints' attitude toward a prayer-hearing and prayer-answering God is that of cheerful assurance. The secret in all our prayer is to ask "according to His will." This is the proper and the necessary limitation in all prayer. God has not promised to grant anything that would be contrary to His will, and it would not be right for Him to do so. This phrase does not mean that we should first always make sure of His will and then pray, but that we should pray with this expression, "If it be Thy will." Jesus even prayed that way in Matthew 26:39. And the answer may not come as we think it ought, but in His own way and in His own time.

We know that God hears us. He knows our petitions. Since we know that He hears us, then we can be assured, if we are praying according to His will, that God will answer our prayer in the way and at the time when He shall see it best for our good. The specific thing that we asked may not be granted, but the prayer will not be disregarded, and He will give us what we really need. Someone has said He answers all our prayers either "yes," "no," or "wait."

After the assurance that prayer is always heard, never unanswered, John specifies one kind of prayer, intercession, for a brother. A saved man can commit a sin unto death when he closes his ears to the voice of the Holy spirit (inner witness) and closes his eyes to light of truth. This is no certain sin, but when one continues in sin and refuses to repent after God has chastened him and lovingly dealt with him, then the Lord has no choice but to snuff out that one's life and carry him to heaven. When you see a brother in sin and he hasn’t crossed God's line, then pray for him that he may get right with God. John says it's no use to pray for an individual who has sinned a sin unto death. Examples of those who committed this sin: Moses, King Saul, Ananias and Sapphira. This verse could be applied to the lost concerning the sin of blasphemy which is attributing to the devil the manifest work of the Holy Spirit. Whatever is contrary to God's law is sin, but not all sins are sins unto death.

5. WE KNOW HOW A CHRISTIAN ACTS (1 John 5:18-19)

The one born of God does no keep on habitually sinning. There are two thoughts on this. The principle of both are in the Scripture.):

1. Refers to Christ the only begotten Son who "keepeth him"-the one born of God.

2. Refers to the Christian who does not keep himself saved, but he does keep himself out of the snares of the devil by the aid of the Holy Spirit.

Our security is not on our grip on Christ, but His grip on us. The word refers to Satan who is not content to perish in his own corruption, but seeks to drag everyone else down with him to his final doom. The devil cannot lay hold of or grasp anyone who is born of God because Christ keeps us, guards us. The Christian does not fight "for" victory, he fights "from" victory, the victory of Christ on the cross.

We have positive, absolute knowledge that we are "of God." Here is a contrast between the saved who are out of God as a source and the lost who are appointed to the wicked one, therefore, out of the devil as a source.

6. WE KNOW THE TRUTH (1 John 5:20-21)

The Son of God has come, in incarnation, has arrived, and is here. Even though He departed in His glorified body to Heaven, He is here because He remains in His followers on earth. He has so instructed us that we do understand the great truths referred to so "that we may know him that is true." This "know" means to experience Him that is the true God. We are united to Him. We belong to Him. We are His friends. Jesus Christ is identified as being the true God and eternal life. This statement should stop the Gnostics who denied the deity of Jesus.

Knowing the True One will cause you to obey verse 21 in chapter 5. Idolatry was everywhere and the peril was great. John was not speaking of the heathen worship of some statue, but of the heretical substitutes for the Christian concept of God. We need to guard against everything which occupies the place of God.

Verse of the Week

Then hear thou from the heavens, even from thy dwelling place, their prayer and their supplications, and maintain their cause, and forgive thy people which have sinned against thee.

(2 Chronicles 6:39 KJV)

Questions

1. How can we know that we have eternal life?

2. How does the unbeliever make God a "liar"?

3. In whom is eternal life found?

4. How can we pray with confidence?

5. Does God answer all our prayers exactly as we think or desire?

6. What is a "sin unto death"?

7. What is blasphemy?

8. Will one who is born of God continue in a sinful lifestyle?

9. How is it that we have victory? Is it from our own struggles?

10. Are we able to understand the great truths of the Bible aside from the witness of the Holy Spirit?

11. What is idolatry?