FAITH IN GOD’S SON

TOPIC: FAITH IN GOD’S SON

TEXT: 1 John 4:1-6; 5:1-13

MEMORY VERSE: This is the record, that God hath given us eternal life, and this life is in His son, 1 Jn. 5:11.

CENTRAL TRUTH: Having faith in Christ results in eternal life.

INTRODUCTION

Having faith in Christ results in eternal life. Assurance of eternal life gives us a different perspective on life now. We see our earthly existence as only a fraction of time compared to the endless ages that await us. This perspective enables us to live an overcoming life, for possession of eternal life helps us develop a right set of priorities. Serving the Lord and others takes top priority for it is the only expression of our earthly life that will have eternal consequences.

That is the focus of our lesson today: how faith in Christ brings victory and eternal life.

1. CONFESSION OF FAITH 1 Jn. 4:1-6

Some people have a naive faith that sees everything as coming from God, good or bad. When times are good, this perspective works. When things go wrong, though, God becomes the object of anger. John's words help us see that good and evil forces are at work in the world. We must be alert to good and evil spirits and true and false teachings. Without discernment, false teachings and evil spirits can overwhelm believers. So we are to ask God for spiritual discernment, especially for the gift of discerning of spirits (see 1 Cor. 12:10). To accept the Bible doctrine of the Incarnation in v.3 means that we believe Jesus is both God and man. If He were merely man, then His death on the cross would be nothing more than martyrdom and could not have provided salvation. While this is not the only test of a teacher's reliability, it is the major one. The doctrine of incamation, is the great difference between Jesus Christ and all other religious leaders, martyrs and teachers. John proceeded to tell believers how to overcome the world in vs. 4-6. When we accept and hold to the Bible's teaching, we have a sure weapon against deception. The Bible provides clear guidelines for testing doctrines. The more we know the Bible therefore, the better we are equipped to combat evil.

2. OBJECT OF FAITH 1 Jn. 5:1-5

We are born again, by faith. Christians are distinguished both by their belief in Jesus Christ and their relationship with other believers. Christ's commands do not impose a burden on us that is too heavy to bear. It is possible for us to keep them not because they are easy but because we are given the strength and ability to meet their demands. We keep them through love (Gal. 5:13.14).

Christians experience victory by faith 1 Jn. 5:4,5. John gave a biblical definition of the believers victory that suggests it is a permanent way of life, the result of faith. Faith in God transforms a person into one who overcomes the world, which John described in 1 Jn. 2:16 as the lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. Since these things appeal to temporary, world pursuits, those who live by faith overcome them by holding to God and His eternal values rather than the world's fleeting values.

3. THE THREE FOLD WITNESS 1 Jn. 5:6-8.

Cerinthus, a false teacher of John‘s day taught that Jesus was only divine for a portion of His life. He believed that the divine Christ came on Jesus at His baptism and left Jesus before He died on the cross. He distinguished the man Jesus from the Christ.

John responded by showing that at His baptism, Jesus, the son of God identified Himself with humanity and with human need. At the cross, He again identified Himself with us, took our sins on Himself, became sin for us, as He hung there in our place. Then as a final witness to this, blood and water flowed from His side as a Roman sword pierced it. Jesus was born the Christ (Luke 2:11) and remained in the flesh through all the experiences of life, not just beginning at baptism for a time as Cerinthus taught. 1 Jn. 5:6 introduces the Holy Spirit as the one who testified who Jesus is. Whereas water and blood testify as objective historical facts of Jesus' life, the spirit provides subjective testimony that speaks to the heart of a person, guiding them to the truth, because He is the spirit of truth.

John tied the truth about Jesus to eternal outcomes. 1 Jn. 5:9-13 proves that Jesus gives eternal life. There is no hope for any man who keeps rejecting God's witness of Jesus. In fact the person who rejects the fact that the man Jesus is the divine Son of God is accepting the spirit of the antichrist (2:22; 4:2,3) and can not have eternal life because this life is found only in the divine Son of God. Only those who continue to hold fast the Son continue to have the life God has given in His Son.

QUESTIONS.

1 . How did John warn Christians not to be naive about the world?

2. Why is the incantation of such great importance?

3. How does the Bible provide a safe guard against false teaching?

4. Why do some Christians seem to think that obeying God's commands is “grievous” (1 Jn. 5:3)?

5. Is victory more as a permanent way of life or a fleeting spiritual height that believers sometimes achieve? Explain.

6. In what way does the spirit testify on behalf of Jesus?