In the hymn ‘Blessed Assurance’ Fanny Crosby writes about the great assurance that is found in the fact that ‘Jesus is mine.’ She goes on to write about being the ‘heir of salvation’ and ‘the purchase of God’ and the great privilege of singing the story of Christ all the day long. Yet, we could rightly ask, as so many often do, ‘How exactly do we have this blessed assurance? How do we know if we are indeed an heir of salvation and a purchase of God? How do we know if we are a member in the body of Christ?’ Needless to say, many responses have been given to such questions. And if we are honest, these responses are often based more on tradition, at best, and erroneous views of salvation, at worst, rather than being based on the Scriptures. To be clear, to claim that our assurance of salvation is based on a sincere prayer we prayed years ago or that we walked an aisle or something of this nature is not where the Scriptures tell us to find our assurance. These things are not necessarily bad or wrong, yet, unfortunately they have often been used to give assurance to those who have no biblical grounds for such assurance. So then we return to our original questions: what are the biblical grounds for assurance that we know Christ and are indeed an heir of salvation?

This morning as we look at 1 John 2:3-11, we want to ask that question of this particular text. As Lee has pointed out in the previous two weeks, John is writing for the purpose of refuting the heretics and those who have left the fold and also to encourage the believers that they were walking in the truth and that they indeed had eternal life. Our text this morning reflects both of these purposes, as we shall see. Thus, with these purposes in mind, let us ask, ‘What is John teaching us in this text?’

First, John is teaching us that keeping the commandments of the Lord is evidence of truly knowing Him.

John says very clearly in verse 3: By this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. This verse summarizes what John will argue in the rest of our text this morning, as well as in much of the rest of the epistle. The thought is simple: if we are keeping the commandments of the Lord then we are giving evidence that we know the Lord. Of course the obvious question might then be: What commandments? Now we could just say all the commandments that we find in the gospels and the New Testament and I think to some degree that would be correct. Yet, John is more specific in his letter. He gives us a summary of what he means in chapter 3 where he writes beginning in verse 21: Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. Notice then verse 23: And this is his commandments, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. Here, John sums up the commandments of the Lord in much the same way that Jesus does in Mark 12. Responding to the question of what is the greatest commandment, Jesus replies in verse 29: Here O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandments greater than these. Thus, we see, in this passage and the rest of the epistle, John’s claim that our knowledge of the Lord is evidenced by our keeping his commands.

John states this negatively in verse 4: Whoever says, ‘I know him’ but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him. This verse may very well be John speaking against those who have left the Church. It seems, as we saw last week, that those who had left the Church had no concern for morality and yet still claimed to know the Lord. They walked in the darkness and claimed to have fellowship with God. Once again, John points out that this is not a possibility. In short he is saying that not keeping his commands is evidence of not knowing the Lord. To claim otherwise is to be a liar. This is strong language because John wants to make it clear to these young believers that if people are living disobediently to the commands of the Lord, then that is evidence that they do not know Him. John is drawing a clear line in the sand between those who truly do know the Lord and those who are only claiming to know Him. Those who are disobedient to His commands are simply lying when they claim to know the Lord.

Yet, in verse 5 we see a positive example of this principle. John writes: but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. The contrast is very clear. It is the one who keeps the commandments, or the word, that truly knows God. And what will happen in this person who keeps His word? John tells us that the love of God will be perfected in him. Now this could refer to a number of things such as God’s love for us, our love for God, or God’s love for others expressed through us. The language and the context does not really force us to choose. We see all of these loves being expressed in this letter and it seems that John is telling us here that the love of God, however you take it, will be perfected in the one who keeps His word. This should be great encouragement for the young believers and for us as well.

Finishing verses 5 and 6, John writes: By this we may be sure that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked. Here, John calls his readers to simply follow the example of Christ. Christ was one who evidenced his love for the Father by being obedient to all that the Father commanded Him. Christ’s love was no mere sentimentality, for mere sentimentality is not obedient unto death, even death on the cross. No in Christ we see true love for the Father demonstrated in His obedience to the will of the Father. Even as He prayed in the garden: Not my will but yours be done. If we feel burdened by this principle that those who know God will keep his commandments, we need only to look to Christ and his obedience for encouragement.

Second, John is teaching us that assurance is not found in profession, but in action.

This point follows clearly on the heels of the first. But, in light of how this has been so misunderstood in Church culture, I want to spend some time specifically focusing on this truth.

In this passage (and the rest of the book) John is emphasizing the fact that a person may profess to be in the light, or know God, or abide in Him, but if their actions remain in disobedience, then they remain in darkness and do not know the Lord. This is such a foundational truth to biblical Christianity. As much as we may be tempted to put our assurance in something else, the Bible remains clear on the issue: the one who knows the Lord will keep his commands. Notice in the text how John emphasizes action over profession. In verse 4 he begins ‘Whoever says I know him, but does not keep…’ In contrast, in verse 5 he says, ‘…but whoever keeps…’ Likewise in verse 6 John writes ‘…whoever says he abides in him ought to walk…’ We will see this type of construction later in verses 9-11.

What is John trying to communicate with this? Simple, he is pointing out that assurance is to be found in action, not mere profession. Anyone can claim to know Christ and profess to be a Christian, but the one who knows the Lord will obey, he will act. This point is illustrated in all walks of life. I could claim all day to love my wife, but if I am not willing to do the things that constitute loving her, then the claim is false. I could claim to be a great athlete, but if when it is time to compete I simply do not lace up my shoes and perform well, then my claim is only talk. John is pointing out to us in this passage (and in this letter) that there is more to being a follower of Christ than simply professing to be one. A true follower will act in obedience to the commands of the Lord.

Of course we must address the issue at this point of how much obedience? In other words, is John claiming that only the sinless know the Lord. No. As we saw last week, John calls his readers to confess their sins and not to claim that they have no sin. So, then, what is meant? What John is saying is that the one who truly knows God will be characterized by a life of obedience. The language that John uses points us to continual, ongoing action. Thus, if our continual, ongoing action is to disregard the commandments of the Lord, then John gives us no assurance. Rather, if our continual, ongoing action is to labor in keeping the commandments of the Lord, then we can have assurance that the Lord has indeed redeemed us. Thus, it is not just particular instances, but rather ongoing practices. This is seen in how the ESV renders 3:4-10. Here, we clearly see this idea of practicing obedience or disobedience, which is what the language conveys in 2:3-11.

Before we move to some specific evidence for assurance in verses 9-11, I want to say a word about verses 7-8. John writes in these verses: Beloved, I am writing to you no new commandment, but an old commandment that you had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word that you have heard. At the same time, it is a new commandment that I am writing to you, which is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shinning. It might seem, at first glance, that John is moving to a new subject here. Rather, these verses are continuing to talk about the issue of keeping commandments, an issue which will be taken up again more clearly in verses 9-11. So what is John saying here?

First, let us address the issue of new commandment verses old commandment. In verse 7 John claims that the commandment he is writing is not a new commandment but one that they had had since they first became Christians. Thus, this commandment to be obedient and to love one another, as we shall see in 9-11, is not new but it is old. Yet, in verse 8, John begins by saying that the commandment is a new commandment. So is it old or new? Well, it is both. It is old in the sense that John is not changing the ground rules or coming up with new ideas that have not been there before. Yet, the commandment is new in the sense that these believers are now in the new age. In John 13:34-35, Jesus says: A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. Here, the commandment to love one another is not necessarily new, but loving one another in the way that Christ has loved them is new. Loving one another in light of the person and work of Jesus Christ is new. Also, it is a new command in that the people of God will be characterized and recognized by their love for one another. Thus, as John picks this up in his letter, he is writing an old and a new commandment. As this new age is dawning in which the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shinning, the people of God are called to love one another as Christ has loved them. By this language, we see the New Testament reality of the Kingdom already being here and not yet being here. Undoubtedly, Christ, the true light, is shinning and the darkness is passing away, as is the world and its desires (2:17). Yet, the Kingdom has not yet come in it’s fullness. The darkness is still present, the battle is still being fought (even though the victory has already been won by Christ). This new age reality is seen in believers loving one another in the same way that Christ has loved them. Thus, let us now look at what John writes about us loving our brother.

Third, John is teaching us that specific evidence and assurance is found in us loving our brother.

John has given us the general principle in verse 3 that our assurance is found in keeping the commandments of the Lord. In verses 9-11 John gives us a specific example of a commandment that if we keep gives evidence that we know the Lord. What is the specific commandment here? The commandment is to love our brother. Thus, if we are loving our brother then that is evidence that we know the Lord.

As John did earlier with the general principle, he also gives a negative and positive statement concerning the specific principle. In verse 9 we see the negative statement. John writes: Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness. Notice again that the emphasis is not on profession but action. We can claim all day that we are in the light, but if we hate our brother then we are only in darkness. John returns to this in verse 11: But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness is blinding his eyes. Again, John seems to be addressing those who have left the Church. Not only are they immoral, but specifically, they do not love the brethren. John is telling these young believers that their (the ones who have left) hatred for the brethren is evidence that they are walking in darkness and do not know the Lord. Again, John is drawing the line in the sand and using strong language to do so. He is making it clear for these young believers, and for us, how to distinguish between those who know the Lord and those who do not. To not love the brethren is clear evidence that a person is not walking in the light.

In verse 10 we see the positive statement of this principle. John writes: Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling. Those who love their brothers are abiding in the light. Having love for our brothers and sisters in Christ gives evidence to our abiding in Him.

Now, in this passage, John is not explicitly commanding us to love our brother. This command will come later in the letter and is definitely implied here. Rather, John is saying that love for our brother will be evidence that we have come to know God. I point this out, simply to say that loving our brother is not an action we can do to manipulate God. We do not love our brother in order to get in good with God. Rather, because of what Christ has done for us in dying on the cross and purchasing our redemption, we love our brother. Loving our brother gives evidence to the saving work of Christ in our lives. In this it gives us assurance that we are His.

Let me now offer a couple of ways these truths can be applied to our lives:

First, if we are looking for assurance, let us examine our actions and not just a profession.
If you are here this morning and you are asking the very question that we began with, namely, how can I have assurance that I know the Lord? Then my challenge to you is not to try and discern whether or not you were sincere when you prayed the prayer or walked the aisle. Rather, examine your heart and your life now. Ask yourself, am I a person who is characterized by continual obedience to the Lord’s commands? Or more specifically, am I a person who continually loves the Body of Christ? If your answer is yes to these questions, then praise God for His glorious and continual work of grace in your life.

Now if you answer no to these questions, there are two things to consider. First, if you are honest with yourself and your heart is genuinely callous toward keeping the commands of the Lord and if you simply do not love the Body of Christ, then based on this text I have no grounds to offer you assurance of your salvation this morning. I plead with you: repent and turn from your sins and place your faith in the saving work of Christ. Ask Him to take out your heart of stone that is cold toward Him and to give you a heart of flesh that longs to be obedient to his commands and follow hard after Him. Second, if your thought is this morning: William I do want to be obedient to the commands of the Lord and I do want to love the Body of Christ, but right now loving my brother is hard. Maybe you are thinking of a particular person that is difficult for you to love. Maybe you are a college student and your commitment to loving the Body is simply not there. My exhortation to you this morning is to look to the cross. John tells in verse 6 to walk as Jesus walked and to love as Jesus loved. Thus, may we remind ourselves of just how much we have been loved by Christ. May we remind ourselves that Christ died for us while we were yet sinners and enemies of God. May we beg God to give us love like that. Let your time of coming to the table this morning be a time to remember the love of Christ.

Second, we need to encourage others to base their assurance on action and not just profession.
Assurance of salvation is something that we need to take very seriously and very cautiously. In fact, I do not believe that it is ever the place of one person to offer full assurance to another person. We must be very careful in this. Rather, I think our call concerning assurance is to simply exhort one another in the Scriptures and ask them to examine themselves. All we can say to a person who is living in continual disobedience is that based on the Scriptures, we have no grounds to give them assurance. Again, we must do this with great care and great caution. It is not our job to be Judge. At the same time, we cannot claim to love someone if we are not willing to hold them accountable. We must be willing to speak the truth in love and offer no assurance other than what is offered by the text.
As we come to the table this morning, may it indeed be a time of examination. The text is not calling us to live in constant doubt of our salvation and this is not my hope for this morning. Yet, the Scriptures do call us to examine ourselves. May we examine our hearts this morning as we take this time to remember what Christ has done and look forward to His return. May we indeed long to be obedient to his commands in our lives this week. May we indeed have love for one another in the same way that Christ has loved us.

ASSURANCE IN OBEDIENCE

Listen to Audio