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1 John 3:24-4:19

The following is from OBC’s daily devotional for today:

Believers have the Spirit of truth and must distinguish between truth and error. The proof that genuine believers have the Holy Spirit is they (1) obey God’s truth (3:24) and (2) believe God’s truth (4:2, 6).

True believers have been loved by God, love God, and love one another (4:7-19).

Truths to Nail Down and Meditate On

  1. Christian, you must discern and distinguish true Christianity from false Christianity. In Scripture Jesus gives the criteria by which you must evaluate (judge) false teachers: full belief in and confession of all Christian truth. A particularly essential aspect of such obedience is love for other Christians. Identifying errant, false Christianity does so to protect the church and honor Christ, and thus requires saying, “That is a false teacher” and having nothing to do with such a one (separation).
  2. Christians can and must be assured that they have eternal life. The evidences or tests of true Christianity that John gives here are: (1) right belief in Christian truth, 4:6, 15; (2) love for other Christians, 4:7-8, 11, 20-21; (3) the Holy Spirit’s internal testimony, 4:13; and (4) obedience to God’s commands in Scripture, 3:24.
  3. In 4:7-19 John touches on key, essential salvation truths. Listed in their proper order they are:
    1. God is pure spirit, invisible, 4:12
    1. God is love, 4:8, 16
    1. God loved sinners, 4:10
    1. God the Father sent God the Son into the world so that the Son became a man (incarnation), 4:9-14
    1. The incarnate Son died as a substitute for sinners, bearing/enduring God’s wrath they deserved (propitiation), 4:10
    1. God gives life to spiritually dead when they hear the gospel so that they turn to, trust in, and live for and like Jesus Christ (are born again), 4:7, 9, 15-16
    1. The Triune God indwells believers, 4:12-13
    1. Believers love one another, 4:7
    1. Believers have assurance of and confidence in God’s salvation through Jesus Christ, 4:17-19
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