Day 358

Assurance of Salvation

Read: 1, 2, and 3 John

In his gospel, John told us he wrote that we might believe in Christ and as a result have real life. In his first letter, John tells us he wrote so that we might have assurance of such salvation. He urges us not to sin, yet our assurance comes not at all from our attempt to live a sinless life but from knowing we have One who represents us in God’s presence, Jesus (1 John 2:1).

What does he mean when he says that “no one who abides in him keeps on sinning” (3:6 ESV)? This is best understood as saying that although we are not sinless, we will not continue to wallow in sin (habitually) as does the lost world. Assurance comes as we see the fruit of the Spirit, which is love, growing in our lives, for “he who loves is born of God” (4:7). We show that we love God by loving our fellow sinners (v. 21).

The second letter emphasizes the importance of the truth (2 John 1-2). Therefore John is made happy when he sees those whom he has led to Christ “following the truth” (v. 4).

In the third letter, John deals with a sticky situation in which Diotrephes is pushing his weight around in the church. Much better to be like Gaius of whom John can say “I know that it is well with your soul” (3 John 2). This inspired the hymn “It Is Well with My Soul.” Another good example is Demetrius whom everyone knows is a good man (v. 12).

PRAYER
Father, so fill our hearts with love for you and people that we may have assurance of our salvation. In Jesus’ name. Amen.