A TEST FOR WHETHER A PERSON IS SAVED
TEXT - I John 5
INTRO. - Are you saved? Are you a real Christian? Are
you going to heaven? Not everyone who talks about heaven
is going there. Not everyone who says "Lord, Lord" will
enter heaven. Many people have gone forward at an
invitation and shook the preachers hand and yet did not
get saved. Many have been caught up in the emotion of a
great service and mistook that for salvation. When a
person really gets saved he receives the Holy Spirit.
See Rom. 8:9 The incoming Holy Spirit makes the new
convert a "new creature in Christ Jesus". The Holy
Spirit makes a change in the life of a person. If fact,
the Holy Spirit makes many changes. I John 5 tells us
some of these changes that come into the believer’s life
and heart at salvation.
I. A CHRISTIAN BELIEVES IN JESUS AS THE CHRIST - vs. 1
This shows me that a person who does not put his faith
in Jesus Christ cannot be saved. This faith is not a
historical faith where one believes that Jesus existed.
One can believe in George Washington and not be saved
and one can believe in Jesus Christ in the same way he
believes in George Washington and not be saved.
II. A CHRISTIAN HAS A LOVE FOR OTHER CHRISTIANS - vs. 1
The Holy Spirit spreads the love of God abroad in our
hearts and a part of that love is a love for God’s
children. I wonder about people who claim to be saved
and yet seem to hate others. See ch. 3:14, 4:20-21
III. A CHRISTIAN LOVES GOD - vs. 2
Do you love God. If we really love God then we will want
to meet God at his house, we will want to talk to God in
prayer, and we will want to serve and please Him. See
chapter 1:6.
IV. A CHRISTIAN WILL KEEP GOD’S COMMANDMENTS AND THEY
WILL NOT BE GRIEVOUS -vs. 3
If you are saved you will want to keep the Lord’s
commandments partly out of love and partly out of a new
nature that you have. The commandments will not be
grievous to obey. They will not be some undesirable task
to obey. Some religious people live sad lives trying to
live up to God’s commandments. The real Christian will
find the commandments a joy and desire to obey.
V. A CHRISTIAN OVERCOMES THE WORLD - vs. 4
The world is a powerful thing to overcome. It has many
temptations and pitfalls. It is the devil’s backyard.
There is greed, lust, jealousy, envy, etc.... The real
Christian has the promise that he can and will overcome
with God’s help.
VI. A CHRISTIAN HAS THE WITNESS IN HIMSELF - vs. 10
Rom. 8:16 says that the Spirit bears witness with our
spirit that we are the children of God. Bible salvation
through faith in Christ is a know-so salvation. It is
not a hope-so or guess-so. Notice vs. 13 "that ye may
know". A person who says "I guess I’m saved" is
automatically put on my question mark list of saved
people. When I got saved I knew it from the inside out.
The person who led me to Christ could not have talked me
out of what I knew had happened to me.
VII. A CHRISTIAN HAS THE SON - vs. 12
Do you have Jesus? I am not asking if you have religion,
a church home, a decent life or a baptismal certificate.
The word "Christian" = Christ-i-an or Christ’s I am.
VIII. A CHRISTIAN HAS NO HABITUAL SINNING - vs. 18
See ch. 3:9 This states that a Christian will not sin
as a way of life or have a life style of sinning.
Chapter 1:8 says we have sin. We are not perfect. We
come short. We may and will fall but we will not
knowingly continue in some sinful practice. Are you
practicing sin? A Christian may be unaware that they
have some sinful practice or habit but a real Christian
will begin to fight the sin when God reveals it to him
that he is doing wrong. We will sin but this is
deliberate practice of sin. It is continuing to sin with
no attempt or desire to stop.
IX. THE CHRISTIAN WILL KEEP HIMSELF PURE - vs. 18
Are you trying to keep yourself pure from sin. Many
people will not care one way or the other but a real
Christian will care. He will strive to please God and
want to be clean for God.
IN CONCLUSION --- Are you a Christian? If so, praise God
but if not you need to get saved today.
See - Ch. 2:1
Ch. 1:7 and 9
Ch. 5:11 - 12
