True witness in believers
Key Verses: 3, 11-12, 13, 17,
“Obey” is the new four letter word. Most people hate it when applied to themselves. We want our kids to do it, but we don’t want to do it ourselves. But it is the outward sign of the inward change. When we obey the Lord, then we show the world that our faith is genuine, that Jesus is alive in us. When we obey, we show the Lord that we love Him.
This faith in action shows that Jesus is who He says He is: the unique Son of God, the second person of the Trinity. Look at the text again. God has commands, not suggestions. They are not optional. We don’t like that in our “have it your way” culture, but this is the reality. We want people to follow the command of the traffic laws which tell us which side of the road to drive on, and we get very upset when someone violates that command. So why do we get so upset when God commands us? Rebellion?
God has testified about Jesus’ identity in various ways over the years. We need to believe His testimony. If we have Jesus, we have eternal life. If we don’t, we don’t. Pretty simple. Pretty straight forward. Pretty inflexible. Pretty close-minded. Politically incorrect. True.
So how can we know if we have the Son, and therefore have eternal life? Have you confessed your sins? Have you turned away from them? Are you obeying? Do you continue to trust Him? When we do the Holy Spirit comes and testifies to our spirit that we are His child. Satan will also try to mess with believers. He doesn’t do too much with non-believers, since he already has them in his camp. So if you feel this spiritual battle, and you have done the first things, chances are you have eternal life.
Not all sin has equal consequences. Some can get you killed. Some can get your face slapped. Some have seemingly no consequences. Not trusting in Jesus as God’s Son is a fatal sin, for now and for eternity. When we have Jesus, we have life itself. We move from death to life. We can know God personally, intimately, interactionally.
The Arnold Journey 