19 By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him; 20 for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything. 21 Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; 22 and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. 23 And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. 24 Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us.
The thrust of 1 John is the Apostle John writing to his readers and warning them to be careful of the false teachers who would lead them astray. These false teachers not only lack belief in Jesus as the Son of God (thus are antirchrists), but also don’t show love for the brothers. In the above passage John wants his readers to know that they can have full assurance of faith that they are the children of God. Here is his evidence.
1. We can be assured we are His children because we practice loving others. Verse 19 opens with By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our hearts before Him. He is referring back to the previous verses, which tell us that we are to practice our inward faith by outward acts of love toward our brothers and sisters in Christ. The false teachers did not do this. One of the greatest evidences of our faith is our love for others of faith.
2. We can be assured we are His children because even IF our heart were to condemn us, God is greater than our own self condemnation. Verse 20 is the same as Romans 8:1, which tells us that there is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. Because God is greater than all, He has us in His had and no one can pluck us out of His secure hand (John 10:28).
3. We can be assured we are His children because our prayers are answered. Verses 21-22 tells us that those who believe in Jesus as the Son of God and, naturally, demonstrate that belief by loving His children, will have their prayers answered. We can have confidence in our prayers being answered and the answers to prayer should give us more confidence.
4. We can be assured we are His children because the Spirit of God indwells those who believe Jesus is the Son of God and demonstrate that by loving His children. In verses 23-24 we read that keeping His commandments (summed up by loving others) will be the surest way to abide in Him. That abiding in Him is guaranteed because He sends His Spirit to abide in us.
The false teachers were attempting to dissuade John’s readers from their confidence in Jesus. John counters their teaching by telling his readers they can, indeed, have confidence by simply having faith in Jesus as the Son of God and allowing the Spirit of God to indwell them and produce love for their brothers and sisters in Christ. That is our assurance.
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