The Test of Evidence

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Faith that overcomes READ: 1-5

This is a neat section; beginning with faith

 

– everyone who believes, 1 and ending with faith, he who believes that Jesus is the son of God.

I think if you were to ask someone in the street what they thought "faith" was, they would either equate it with a religion – the Jewish faith, or Hindu faith, or they’d say it was a very personal thing – the personal ability believe in their understanding of a god or way of life

 

 

 

 

 

 

But faith in the Bible is never subjective. It is however both personal and objective. We have two separate words – faith and belief. In the Greek they have to same root; To believe = to have faith = to trust. They are all the same.

Now, when Bible uses the word it focuses on the object of faith:– its faith IN, or faith THAT…. the object of faith is all important. It’s WHO or WHAT we trust. Look at 5:1, 5, 10 – the faith is directed to Jesus Christ.

We have seen that there are various tests that we may use to know if we have eternal life; we called them the truth test – is Jesus true? Is there historical, physical evidence? John has assured us there is. We’ve spent quite a bit of time on the social test – especially love for our brothers. And we’ve looked at the test of obedience. Do we do what God asks of us?

In 1-5, John shows how all these tests embrace one overarching vision. They are not three separate entities, but embrace one whole. Look at this with me closely please:

v. 1 everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ

 

– that’s the truth test. If you believe that truth, then you are born again. But you can’t just believe this fact on its own. You must also believe correctly in Christ in order to enjoy the benefits of his cross-work, namely his regenerating work.

But John continues

 

, 1b and everyone who loves the Father, loves his children as well.

If you are truly born of God, you ought to love your siblings. It’s unthinkable that you don’t love others who are regenerate as you are; you are both undeserving; both now rescued; you are blood-brothers in the gospel.

The truth test, grounded in the cross, leads to the love test. Or we could put it the other way round; how do we know we love God’s children – cos we love God.

2 This is how we know that we love the children of God, by loving God and carrying out his commands

 

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If we only love our brothers and not God, something’s wrong. Indeed its also wrong if we’re not prepared to obey God and do what he requires of us. So we have the obedience test – 3a. And we enjoy doing what he wants – his commands are not burdensome – for it proves we are regenerate, and therefore we overcome the world – which I think means, overcoming the world’s pull on us.

Here’s the victory, 4 – our faith – which is shorthand for "our faith in the truth about Jesus that his death is the full sacrifice for our sins" So we are back to the truth test. They all fit together

Love for God shows itself by loving others; obeying what God says (his commands). It’s the result of the new birth, being regenerate. By trusting in Christ, the spell that the world has over us is broken.

So what’s the evidence that we believe in Christ? Is it that we are born of God? – yes, that’s essential. But there is more. How do we know we possess this new birth? Well look at the way people love God and love others. Look at the way people submit to the Bible and obey God’s commands. And see if the world has a hold on them, or if they have overcome its pull.

The test is in what we see; what’s the fruit. We must constantly say that we are never saved by our conduct; only by faith in Christ. But the new birth must result in new life; if it doesn’t – then we offer no evidence that we are a believer at all. True faith always connects me to God’s resources. That’s how we overcome the world. As David Jackman puts it: the light of God’s truth overcomes the darkness of this world’s lies, and the warmth of God’s love expels the coldness of this world’s self-centredness.

That’s the faith that overcomes; not blind, but based on good evidence – indeed it is evidence of new birth. The new birth enables us to trust Christ, and it will show. If there is no evidence; there’s no new life.

Sometimes we wonder whether a person is truly a believer; they used to be keen for Christ, but now they’ve wandered off. Are they really Christ’s – will they return? Have they just slipped back – or were they never truly converted? The truth is only God knows another person’s heart. All we can look at is evidence. Are they obedient to God? Do the love the Christians? Is their belief real?

Testimony that assures READ: 6-12

John presses home the objective truth that Jesus was real, saying he came

 

by water and blood, 6.

What does he mean by that? Not water alone, but water AND blood.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some think …. Water = his birth; blood = his death. Others see water and blood as the 2 elements that flowed from Jesus’ body when the soldier pierced it on the cross. So it refers to his crucifixion.

And there are those who see the two sacraments – water = baptism; blood = Lord’s Supper.

But John says that Jesus came by water and blood, 6.

Remember the heresy behind Johns writing – Gnosticism, where body and spirit are kept apart. Spirit is good, physical body can be disregarded. John has been keen to emphasise that Jesus came in the flesh, in a real, physical body -a body that

 

we have looked at and our hands have touched,

he says.

One Gnostic, the man Cerinthus, claimed that since spirits could not suffer, Jesus must have lost his divine nature before the cross, dying only as a man. The "Christ" part of him had returned to heaven much earlier. The body that Jesus the man had, was merely the house for the spirit of Christ.

Now, perhaps we can see why the water and blood are so important for John and his readers. They were divine signs – either because both were there at the cross, or they were the points at which the Father authenticated his ministry.

So the

 

water probably refers to his baptism, when the voice of God was heard – This is my son whom I love That’s when he began his ministry, and was fully approved by his Father. The blood

is a reference to the cross, where he cried out. And there is a third witness, the Holy Spirit. Now in Jewish circles it was essential to have at least two witnesses in court. John offers us three! 6-8.

We could have human testimony, but here is divine witness – God testifying about his own son.

It is testimony to the physicality of Jesus. Judaism does not believe God could be a human; indeed many people try to sentimentalise God; so he doesn’t have a real physical birth – its just made-up for Christmas, nor does he have a real death and resurrection – its just a way of picturing love.

But John insists on a historical, physical, down-to-earth God – who understands from personal experience the pain and agony of human birth, life and death.

That’s why we must establish the historicity of Jesus; not merely cos it is worked out by us humans, but it is authenticated by God himself, 9. You see when we talk and reason and give our own view as to why Jesus is historically real and true and physical, we must also show that God’s assessment is infinitely greater than ours!

Now the challenge:

 

, 10a BUT .. if you don’t believe in Jesus – that’s calling God a liar, since he has given ample evidence and you refuse to accept it, 10b

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The problem for us is NOT ignorance – there is ample evidence. Our problem is rebellion

 

. It’s not that we can’t believe in Jesus and follow him, its that we won’t believe in Jesus. Our will is where the problem lies.

Life that transforms READ: 11-12,

God in his great wisdom and infinite mercy, has given Jesus to this world. In Christ is life, eternal life, is ours for the asking. If we embrace his Son, and take him to ourselves – ie trust him, then we have this LIFE; if not we don’t and we’re dead and damned.

 

You won’t find life anywhere else – only in Jesus the Son. So take Him; embrace his person and work. Live for him; for you’ll never regret it.

~~ end

Prayer:

Gracious God, we thank you for the gift of faith. We thank you that it is based on your action on our behalf. We can believe cos of what you have done – far more than we can ever do. Our problem is our will – or more specifically, I won’t. Will you knock out all our excuses, so that we can see clearly that obeying you and loving our brothers are the good things that flow out of your love for us. We want to be really sure that our love for you is genuine; that our lives are truly transformed by the regenerating work of your Spirit. Help us to see how the evidence all holds together, as we trust in Christ on a daily basis. May we never lose sight of Christ and his cross, we pray. Amen

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