I hope to help us become richer this lesson, richer than any amount of money could ever make us. As Paul prayed for the Colossians, I pray that we may “attain all the wealth of full assurance” (Colossians 2:2). It is sad that so many Christians today are unsure about their relationship with God and if His wonderful promises are for them. Living in uncertainty about that is like repelling down a cliff with a rope that’s torn and looks like it might snap at any moment. Life is a stressful ride when you’re unsure of your safety. But if you’re confident the rope, bolts and everything will hold, when you’re sure of your safety, you can just take in the bird’s eye view and enjoy jumping off the rocks.
Show me an anxious apathetic Christian and I’ll show you one who is not sure how the Lord feels about him and what he has in the Lord (cf. Hebrews 6:11-12). But show me a Christian who is full of joy and peace and zeal and passion for doing the will of Christ and showing others His greatness, and I’ll show you one who knows the Lord of all creation loves him like a son and that for him to die is gain (cf. Romans 15:13).
How can we know for sure we are saved? How much theological doctrine must we be right about? How much error can we have and still pass? How do we know if our baptism “took”… if it was a valid baptism? How do I know if I’ve been faithful enough since then? Do I have to speak in tongues as some say? Do I need a bright light to shine around me and hear a voice from heaven? Do I need as some say a better felt than told experience? What do I need, to be sure I am saved? Or is it even possible to have full assurance? I have met Christians who said, “Nobody can know for sure they’re going to heaven.” Is that true?
Several times in the letter of I John you find statements like, “By this we know…” Or “We know because of this…” The old apostle John believed we can and should know where we are with the Lord and what our future will be.
John emphasizes and reemphasizes that a main way we can know is by examining our everyday character and lifestyle. How do you value and treat other people, other Christians especially? What is your attitude like toward things that are contrary to the will of God, like sexual immorality and dishonesty and greed? This is how we can tell where we are with God.
Now, we are going look at the text in I John where we left off last lesson, but that won’t be for a while. It will be the conclusion. I want to first try to get across a truth we see repeatedly in II John and that I’m seeing more and more as I study the scriptures. I’ll word it very simply, but I know it will need some clarification.
Good people will be saved. Bad people will perish.
Or it’s worded this way in III John verse 11; the little one chapter book of III John deals with the issue of who we need to esteem as our brothers and sisters in Christ and treat as such. Verse 11 says, “Whoever does good is from God; whoever does evil has not seen God.”
Now, this kind of statement that “All good people go to heaven” is frowned upon in many Christian circles for various reasons.
One reason is because in the minds of ordinary people of the world, most people are good. The only people who are bad in their minds are murderers, rapists, terrorists, extreme criminal type people. And that’s not how John or the rest of Scripture defines good and bad. According to the Bible, most people are not good. The gate is wide, Jesus said, and the way is broad that leads to destruction and they are many who enter through it. The gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it (Matthew 7:13-14).
Another reason this statement may be unwelcome is because some think it would be incorrect to call anyone a good person. They will quote statements like Jesus’ to the rich young ruler, “No one is good but God alone.” And that is true that no one is good in the absolute sense like God. Everyone has some measure of flaws and error. But in lots of Scriptures it’s easy to see that we can be morally ethically good and righteous in a relative sense. I invite you to hold your place here in Acts 11:24, we’ll be coming back to it; Acts 11:24, about Barnabas, “he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith“. So people can become good in a relative sense.
One other reason some don’t like the statement that doers of good will be saved and doers of evil lost, is they don’t really believe that everyday character and lifestyle is what identifies the saved and the lost. To many, the identifying marks of the saved are more where they stand on various doctrinal issues, or their denominational affiliation, what church they attend, or in what manner do they worship, or whether they do certain rites and rituals, or to some it’s simply if they’ve asked Jesus into their heart, or maybe it’s something else they look for to identify the saved.
Does it mean what it sounds like when John says, “Whoever does good is from God; whoever does evil has not seen God.” Is it everyday character and lifestyle that distinguishes the saved from the lost?
Is this what Scripture says?
I know some of you may be thinking “But doctrine is important, isn’t it? And what about baptism and what about this and that…” and I’m going to get there. But first listen to these Scriptures.
Psalm 15:1, “O Lord, who shall sojourn in your tent? Who shall dwell on your holy hill?” In other words, “Who is welcome in the presence of God?”
Some of the ancient Jews, if you would have asked them, might have said, “Well, Jews are acceptable to Him. God loves the Jews… and proselytes, Gentiles who are circumcised and bring sacrifices to the temple with us.” Many today might say, “Evangelical Protestants are welcome to God.” Or “Mormons are the acceptable ones.” Or “Catholics.” Or “Arminian Premillennial 7th day Adventists.” Or “Non-instrumental, weekly Lord’s Supper observing, members of the Church of Christ.” Or some might say, “Anyone who has asked Jesus into their heart is acceptable to Him.” What saith the Lord about it in Psalm 15?
“He who walks blamelessly and does what is right and speaks truth in his heart; 3 who does not slander with his tongue and does no evil to his neighbor, nor takes up a reproach against his friend; 4 in whose eyes a vile person is despised, but who honors those who fear the Lord; who swears to his own hurt and does not change; 5 who does not put out his money at interest and does not take a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things shall never be shaken.” It sounds like someone with these righteous character qualities is welcome to God.
Psalm 24:3-5, “Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy place? 4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart [meaning clean actions, pure intentions], who does not lift up his soul to an idol and does not swear deceitfully. 5 He will receive blessing from the Lord and righteousness from the God of his salvation.” (cf. Proverbs 10:27-30; 11:20; 12:19, 22; 15:9; Micah 6:8)
This was not just an OT teaching. This was Jesus’ teaching. Remember how He began the Sermon on the Mount, “Blessed are the poor in spirit… Blessed are those who mourn [that is I think over their sin]… Blessed are the meek… Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness… Blessed are the merciful… the pure in heart… the peacemakers… those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake…” He said, “If you won’t forgive someone who wronged you, My Father will not forgive you. But if you’re the sort of person who forgives those who wrong you, then My Father will forgive you.” (Matthew 6:14-15).
This is what Peter taught. 1 Peter 3:8, “Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. 9 Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing. 10 For [He quotes from Psalm 34] “Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit; 11 let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it. 12 For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous [that is those who live that way], and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.“
This is what Paul taught. As Peter said at the end of II Peter, some things in Paul’s letters “are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures.” Many today distort Paul’s writings to mean that how we live is not essential and all that’s essential is believing certain things. But Paul taught the same things as Jesus and Peter and James and John. Romans 2:6-11, Paul wrote that on the day of judgment “God will render to each one according to his works: 7 to those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; 8 but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. 9 There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek, 10 but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek. 11 For God shows no partiality.” So according to Paul, on judgment day there will be two categories of people. There will be those who were doers of good and there will be those who were doers of evil. The doers of good will be saved, the doers of evil will perish.
Paul is misunderstood in the first few chapters of Romans if he’s taken to be saying that all that matters is faith and not how we live. Because he says very plainly in chapter 2 that God will render to us according to our works and only those who were doers of good will be saved. I think what he’s talking about in Romans is…
How can an evil doer, as typical Gentiles and Jews are, be changed into a doer of good who stands acceptable before God?
How can a person enslaved to sin be freed and begin to live relatively righteously and have God’s forgiveness. He argues it’s not by circumcision or the Law of Moses. That hasn’t changed the hearts of the Jews. They’re generally not any ethically better than the Gentiles. He argues it only happens through faith in the gospel and the working of God’s Spirit within us. Remember Acts 11:24 about Barnabas, “he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith.” I think it’s that “full of the Holy Spirit and faith” that enabled him to be a good man.
Romans 1:16, “The gospel is the power of God for salvation”. The gospel if we believe it, draws us to God, attracts us to God, shows us His amazing love and grace for us, changes our hearts toward Him (cf. II Timothy 3:1-5). “We love” why? I John 4:19, “because He first loved us.” And we learn of His love in the gospel. So some doctrine is absolutely essential. We need to realize God so loved us that He sent His Son, and He was crucified for our sins and buried in a tomb, but God raised Him from the dead and made Him Lord, King, Judge of all, and He’s mighty and willing to save even the likes of me from my sins and from death if I’ll take Him as my Lord. Oh that motivates me, that gives me hope and makes me love Him and want to change.
But I also need the help of God’s Spirit. This is something Paul argues in Romans. At the end of Romans 7 he speaks as a typical Jew who knows God’s Law and admits that it’s good and right and he would like to be that kind of person, but he’s too addicted, too enslaved and entangled. Paul describes the bondage of sin saying, “For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. 15 For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. 16 Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. 17 So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. 18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing.” (Romans 7:15-19). And what happens to those who keep on doing evil? Romans 2, on the day of judgement – there will be wrath and fury, tribulation and distress to every human being who does evil, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. But in Romans 8, Paul describes our situation in a right relationship with Christ and how we are freed from the bondage of sin because the Spirit of Christ dwells in us; by His Spirit we’re putting to death the deeds of the flesh, we’re putting an end to our sinful habits and addictions and developing into the image of Jesus. In Christ by His spirit we are doers of good and there is no condemnation for us.
This is one reason I think baptism is crucially important. It’s the initiation experience into a relationship with Him that Christ has commanded. Romans 6 talks how when we were baptized into Christ that bondage is broken. Throughout the book of Acts which tells of how the gospel and the church spread throughout the world, baptism in the name Jesus was a prerequisite to receiving the Holy Spirit. There’s one exception in Acts, the household of Cornelius, the Spirit came upon them before baptism. But that was a special case where God was working in some special ways to convince the Jewish Christians He’s willing to accept Gentiles and so they should go ahead and baptize them. But generally in Acts, the order was believe the message that the crucified Jesus is the risen Lord, repent, be baptized in His name, and receive the Spirit.
So believing the basics of the gospel and baptism is important. Lots of things are important, prayer, reading the scriptures, coming to church, the Lord’s supper, singing to one another. But not because God delights in us doing rituals. That’s not the point. Those activities are important because if we do them the way Jesus intends us to do them, they are aids to our development into His likeness. It is not how often and in what manner we do those religious activities that indicates whether or not we’re saved. It’s Christlikeness that indicates the Spirit of Christ is at work in someone and they are saved.
Galatians 5:19-23, “Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, 21 envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit [that is what the Spirit produces with our cooperation] is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 meekness, self-control…” So if somebody is characterized by those qualities and increasing in those qualities, like fruit grows on a tree, then the Spirit of God must be working in them.
Are you characterized by love for God and people, or self-centered indifference toward God or others? Are you bitter, jealous? Are you characterized by joy, or constant gloom? Patient, or short fused and getting even with people? Self-controlled, or a victim of your passions and desires? I know it’s a growth process. It’s not that fruit must be full grown, but like fruit on a tree that good stuff must be growing.
Jesus said you know people by their fruits. On multiple occasions Jesus said good fruit doesn’t grow on a bad tree. Bad fruit doesn’t grow on a good tree. If it’s growing good fruit it’s a good tree. If it’s growing bad fruit it’s a bad tree (Matthew 7:16-20; 12:33-35; Luke 6:43-45; 13:6-9). So what are we growing? If it’s deeds of the flesh we need to be concerned and do some confessing, praying and repenting, and maybe be baptized in the name of Jesus, if we haven’t. If it’s the fruit of the Spirit we’re growing then we can have assurance of our relationship with the Lord.
Let’s end in I John 2.
I John 2:1-6
I John 2:1, “My little children [not literally, but that’s how the old apostle John feels about his readers, as if they were his own little kids whom he desperately wants to succeed and thrive and he’s trying to impart to them the wisdom and understanding that will enable them to do so], I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. [In other words, “Don’t get the wrong impression from what I said. Just because forgiveness is available when we sin is not a license for us to sin. We must be people who are striving not to sin.”] But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate [a helper, one who pleads our case] with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” In other words, we have the absolute best defense attorney we could possibly have. Because He is righteous, He is close and dear to the Father. Because He is righteous, He will not say anything that is not true in pleading our case. He will not make up excuses for our sin. He will not say we didn’t know any better when we did know better. He will plead for us righteously. And how will He plead for us when we’re guilty? I remember hearing about a trail in a court of law where the counsel for the defense said to the judge, “Your honor, I am not claiming this person is innocent, but I am pleading with you on this ground: He has suffered enough already as punishment for this crime.” Will Jesus Christ the righteous plead on those grounds for us? No, because that’s probably not true that we have suffered enough. But He can say this, “Your honor, I have suffered enough for the punishment of this sin.” And that’s a plea the holy Judge will accept.
John says, “He is the propitiation [the atoning sacrifice, that price for forgiveness] for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.” He paid the price for forgiveness for everyone, even those who won’t receive it because they won’t come to Him or repent. But He’s made it available to everyone.
“3 And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. 4 Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, 5 but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected.”
To truly know God is to know His good, faithful, glorious character, His power and wisdom, His requirements. And anyone who truly knows Him will obey His commands. And if you know Him you will love Him, He’s such a lovely character. And if you know and love Him, you will keep His commands. Your general manner of life will be in harmony with Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7). Your righteousness will surpass that of the scribes and Pharisees. You don’t just refrain from killing the person who annoys you, but you don’t harbor anger against him. You don’t call him filthy names. You don’t just not hop in bed with someone other than your spouse, but you don’t look to lust. You’re not trying to get out of your marriage to be with someone else. You’re truly faithful and committed to your spouse. You don’t just keep your oaths to the Lord, but your yes always means yes and your no no. You’re honest. You don’t take revenge on people, you leave that to God. You’re kind and good even to those who have wronged you. You seek the welfare even of those who hate you. You don’t practice your righteousness to be seen by men. You pray and give when nobody but God knows about it. Treasures in heaven are more important to you than treasures on earth. You’re not hyper-judgmental of people, but you give them the benefit of the doubt. Jesus also explained, as John will indicate later, that His commands can pretty much be summed up into one. And that is, treat people the same way you’d want them to treat you. Read the Sermon on the Mount and examine your life. And if that’s how you’re living generally, then you actually know God and you love Him, and you are one of His own.
Then finally, I John 2 continuing in verses 5-6, “By this we may be sure that we are in him: 6 whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.” Remember at the last supper after Jesus had washed the disciples feet and then reclined back at the table with them and said, “Do you understand what I have done to you? 13 You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. 14 If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. 15 For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. 16 Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.” Do you reflect Jesus? Do you in your daily life seek not to be served but to serve, and to give your life for the benefit of many? Is that becoming more and more who you are? That’s the test that reveals where we are with God.
-James Williams