Christian Confidence Series

Confidence in Christ 1 John 5:11-13

John is the apostle we know as the “beloved disciple” who was close to Jesus for his three years of public ministry. He was right there with Jesus up to His death on the cross, his burial and resurrection. When John was told the tomb was empty he raced as fast as he could to the tomb to see for himself that the stone was rolled away and the grave clothes were folded and laid aside. John later met the resurrected Jesus. John saw it first-hand and he wrote his gospel that we might believe in Jesus.

That is why John wrote his Gospel to help people believe in Jesus. He wrote for his readers to put their faith in Christ. John 20:31 But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

If there was ever a fork in the road of your life this is it. Which road will you take? One direction is eternal life the other direction is not. John writes his gospel because he wants us on the right path of eternal life. To believe in Jesus Christ is eternal life.

John had a related but different purpose in writing the letter of 1 John. John explicitly tells us why he wrote his gospel and why he wrote this letter of 1 John. In fact John the beloved disciple of Jesus says he wrote the Gospel of John so that believers in Christ might have confidence in their eternal life found in Jesus. John states his purpose explicitly in 1 John 5: 13: I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.

In the gospel witnessing program Evangelism Explosion there is a question they are well known for asking about assurance of salvation. Have you come to the place in your spiritual life where you can say you know for certain that if you were to die today you would go to heaven?

Look at this passage and see that John wants us of to have confidence to answer this question. He wants us to know we have eternal life.

1 John 5:11-15

11 And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. 13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.

John’s letter is important because the vast majority of people do not have this assurance of salvation. If you ask someone if they know they will go to heaven when they die the common answer they give is, “well I hope so”.

Why is it that believers in Jesus can have this confidence that they will go to heaven when they die and others are not sure, only hopping so? John clarifies this that it is not our good works. It is not that our good outweighs our bad on a judgement scale.

It is because when we believe in Jesus our sins our paid by His death on the cross. Jesus lived a sinless life. The Bible says all have sinned (Romans 3:23) and that God is Holy and even one sin will keep us out of heaven just as one sin caused Adam and Eve to be banished from the Garden of Eden.

The sin in our life that separates us from God does not have to be a heinous crime that would send us to prison. It could be making a promise and breaking that promise. It can be a matter that others may think is minor but God is Holy and there is no fellowship with righteousness and unrighteousness.

That is why Jesus came. That is what the prophets wrote about in a coming Messiah. That is why when Jesus was born in Bethlehem the angels announced good news of exceeding great joy a savior is born for all mankind. Jesus was the only one who lived a sinless life. He never made a promise and broke that promise. Jesus was righteous and he died the righteous for the unrighteous to bring us to God that we might have eternal life.

John wants us to know we have eternal life when we believe in Jesus. There is no need to believe in Jesus and hope that we have eternal life. John wrote this that you may know you have eternal life.

How do you feel when you start out on a trip without a confirmed air tickets reservations? I remember changing my plans at a meeting and leaving early. I went to the ticket agent and they said they could get me on my next flight, but to reach my final destination there were two more flights. I was on standby for both of them. My trip was full of anxiety because during my flight I never knew if I would get on my next journey and if not what was going to happen.