Tuesday, December 6th

Today's reading from the Chronological OT/NT Reading Plan is Ezra 3-4, 1 John 5

For thoughts on our Ezra passage, see last year's post that I did - I noticed the same verses this year as I had last year, so there's no sense in just repeating myself! ;)

So, today I'm going to focus on our 1 John passage, specifically the last 9 verses.

According to society today, truth is completely subjective. What's true for some is not true for all. What kind of truth is that anyway? It's not truth.

There IS such thing as absolute truth. And that truth is certainly not subjective, it is objective. As believers we recognize that truth does not come from within us, as that would make it subjective. It comes for outside us - specifically from the Word of God. Everything the Bible teaches is truth, and anything that conflicts with it is not truth. The Word is the determining factor.

In our 1 John 5 passage, John outlines several things (according to John MacArthur, there's at least 5) that we can know for sure.

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

This one's pretty basic. According to the Word of God, all those who believe in the name of God have eternal life. Starting now! Of course, we won't have it in the fullness of heaven until we get there, but it starts now already.

This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us - whatever we ask - we know that we have what we asked of him.

If anyone sees his brother commit a sin that does not lead to death, he should pray and God will give him life. I refer to those whose sin does not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death. I am not saying that he should pray about that. All wrongdoing is sin, and there is sin that does not lead to death. 1 John 5:14-17

So, the first part of this one is fairly straitforward as well. Even though we have the future of heaven to look forward to, God recognizes that we will be dealing with hard times down here while we wait. There will be problems. But God promises that when we come to Him in prayer and pray in line with His will, anything we ask for will be granted. He will always hear us, and He will always answer us.

Now, there is a rather confusing section that follows and MacArthur goes into it in a lot of detail in this sermon, but I'm going to see if I can summarize it here.

There are two possible meanings to this passage, and in fact both meanings may have been intended.

The first possible meaning is that it is a reassurance for those who prayed and prayed for someone to be restored into right fellowship and the person dies without that ever happening. Now we know that God would want a believer to be restored into fellowship with the church, so if that is the will of God why did it not happen? Because it fell into the category of divine judgment and God is not able to answer that prayer any longer. Divine judgment could mean that the person was not a true believer and that this person had willfully turned away from the truth and rejected God forever. But, we shouldn't stop praying, because we don't know the hearts or intent of people - only God does.

Divine judgment could also mean that the person was a true believer but had committed a sin that required their death in order to protect the church. God had to take their physical earthly life for the protection of the integrity and purity of the gospel and witness of the church. (ex in Acts 5 where Ananias and Sapphira were struck dead for lying to God, and in 1 Corinthians 11 believers who treated the Lord's table with hypocrisy and superficiality also died).

But either way, it's a sidenote for reassurance, it's an exception to the rule that God will answer the prayers of believers who pray according to His will.

We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the one who was born of God keeps him safe, and the evil one cannot harm him. 1 John 5:18

According to this verse, and many others like it, we know that God has given believers victory over sin, and He keeps us secure.

We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one. 1 John 5:19

This one is pretty basic too. The world belongs to Satan, but believers belong to God.

We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true - even in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. Dear children, keep yourselves from idols. 1 John 5:20-21

We know that Christ is the true God and eternal life. And he warns us "keep yourselves from idols", don't get distracted by other false gods. All other gods are imposters and no one else is eternal life nor can they give it to anyone else.

Our faith is not theoretical, our faith is based on an abiding reality, the Son of God has come. Born of a virgin. Lived a sinless life. Died a substitutionary death. Rose literally from the grave. Ascended to the right hand of the Father interceding for us and some day will come again. And we not only know the Son of God has come but we know that He has given us understanding so that we might know Him who is true. And not only know Him but we are in Him who is true in His Son Jesus Christ.

We know we have eternal life. We know that along the way we have answered prayer. We know we have victory over sin. We know we belong to God. And we know Jesus is the one true God and eternal life.

That's the truth.

Tomorrow's passage: Haggai 1-2, 2 John 1