1 John 5:13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.
John (known as the disciple that Jesus loved, the Apostle of love, Jesus’ Mother Mary’s Pastor at Ephesus) wrote this. He was a lovely, gentle Pastor. His message was of God’s love and repentance everywhere he went. As John travelled, preached, and ministered in his home church, it was always about God’s great love for us, and what we must do to be saved (repent and believe!)
Jesus even chose John to be the pastor of His grieving mom. Talk about trusting someone!
John 19:26 When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son! 27 Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own
Jesus, like John, is a gentle shepherd. I block more well meaning Christians on Facebook than anyone else because they like to smite the ‘Rock’ (Jesus). Almost every sincere believer I know has doubts about their salvation sometimes. ‘Rock Smiters’ don’t help at all. One on one personal counseling in love is great, but on a public forum no. And the ones that don’t doubt, probably should doubt as well. The fact that you doubt is a good sign that you’re on the right track but Jesus (through His Holy Ghost) used John to write 1 John 5:13 ‘that ye may know that ye have eternal life’. He wrote it to ease our angst.
In 1 John Jesus wrote us an easy checklist to see IF we are saved or NOT. It’s all internal. Only you would know. If you are not, only YOU can change that through the power of the Holy Spirit.
We know we are saved in 1 John if we have;
Obedience: Keeping His commandments and not living in a pattern of sin.
Love: Loving one another and loving God rather than the world.
Righteousness: Practicing righteousness and walking in the light, rather than in darkness.
Confession of Sin: Admitting and bringing sins to God, relying on His forgiveness.
The Spirit’s Testimony: Recognizing the transformation by the Holy Spirit that has been given to us
We know we are not saved if we are:
Living in Disobedience: Claiming to know God but not keeping His commandments means the person is a liar and the truth is not in them (1 John 2:4)
Habitually Sinning: Practicing sin as a lifestyle (not just occasional stumbling) indicates one is not born of God (1 John 3:6-9)
Lacking in Love: Anyone who does not love their brother or sister in Christ, or who hates them, is considered to be in darkness (1 John 2:9; 3:14-15)
Loving the World: Loving the world (system of evil desires) demonstrates that the love of the Father is not in that person (1 John 2:15).
Denying the Son: Denying that Jesus is the Christ or denying the Son (1 John 2:22-23)
Walking in Darkness: Claiming fellowship with God while walking in darkness/sin (1 John 1:6)
Moses did not make it to the promised land because of his anger stirred up by his own self righteousness. He smote the ‘rock’ TWICE (instead of talking to it like God told him). It still worked because of God’s grace, but Moses showed the Israelites an angry God, and God was not angry. Moses misrepresented God and paid a heavy price.
Numbers 20:7 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 8 Take the rod, and gather thou the assembly together, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water….. 9 And Moses took the rod from before the Lord, as he commanded him.
10 And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock…… 11 And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly….. 12 And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them.
It is THAT important for us to have confidence, to not fear death, that Jesus personally wrote that verse to you and me. Jesus is gentle. He does not want us to go to hell, nor to live in dread. As pastors (which we all are high priests), we should represent God as loving and merciful and gentle.
There are other ways that we may know that we are saved. For example, in spite of all of my personal sins and mistakes and the betrayals from supposed Christian friends, rejections from Pastors, churches, and overall criticism by the ‘brethren’ over many decades, I still have an immense peace and joy in my heart. Jesus is very real to me. More real is His presence through His Holy Spirit than other people. His presence is more important to me as well. I know Jesus is alive because I know how I was before I met Him, and how I am now. He lives inside me through His Holy Ghost. Accept Him today! I did. One day, I just opened the door of my heart to Him and He came right in. Just like that.
Rev 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
Lastly, God said it through His Word, and He can not lie. There is not even a particle of dishonesty in Him. The only Truth in the World is in God’s Word. He said we are all sinners. But if we accept Him we are born again. And don’t worry, if there is anything, at all, that we can do to lose our salvation, we would have already! If you’re doubting, and worried about losing your salvation, you haven’t.
Romans 10:9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
God said it. I believe it. Good enough for me!