Here is a link to last week’s Three Little Letters series from Seed Basket Devotional.
One thing that many professing Christians struggle with is the question, “How do I know that I am really born again?”
Well one of the most concise verses in the Bible sums it all up. Take a look.
If we say that we have fellowship with him and walk in the darkness, we lie and don’t tell the truth.
1 John 1:6 (WEB)
Walking in darkness means that a person is walking in a lifestyle of sinful choices. Nothing ever changes. There is no apparent remorse for living in open opposition to God’s moral law.
For a better idea of what that looks like, read Ephesians 2:3, Romans 1:24 & 25 and Galatians 5:21 & 22.
That’s the old way of life for a believer.
If your life choices are against God, then you are separated from God. If you can live in the darkness, apart from God, the scripture says that you don’t have fellowship with God and that you are being dishonest about your profession of faith.
The thing that is tangible in the life of a believer, is an obvious turn around. It is a complete change of heart, mind and soul. It isn’t that true believers are sinless. But they don’t want to be sinners.
True believers, love God, and seek to avoid sinful lifestyles. They are grieved by their failures. They confess their sin to God. These people are truly born again and can’t lose their redemption.
Some believers struggle with doubts about their salvation. They wonder from one day to the next if they have lost their redemption.
But John 5:24 and 10:27-30 reminds us that Jesus holds us firmly in His grasp.
Don’t stop there, though. If you love Jesus, just grow. You do that by getting to know God through His Word.
You are called to action, service, and good deeds. You are called to love and to share. You are called to bring the Good News in the dark. This is not to earn or keep salvation but to glorify our Savior and Lord.
True seekers are just tenacious. They won’t stop. They are hungry. They want to really know what fuels their faith. It is never enough for them that their parents passed Christian values down to them. They are brave enough to admit that God is too big for their understanding. But they are bold enough to say, “show me God.”
2 Corinthians 13:5, 2 Peter 1:10,
God’s Word always has the answer. God does not intend for you to feel mystified. The problem is that people just simply stop looking. Hebrews 7:25
So where do you go from here? How can I know that Jesus lives in my heart?
John keeps the pathway steady and clear with these simple facts. Take a look.
7 If we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.
- True believers walk in the ways of Christ (the Light).
- True believers stay connected to other believers in unity to support and encourage each other in the faith
- The blood of Jesus has eternally cleansed true believers for every sin, past, present and future–even unknown sins.
8 If we say, “We have no sin,” we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
- It is deception to say that a person is sinless because they are saved.
- Even true believers still sin. We are saved because we are justified by faith.
- To deny that you are a sinner is to deny the Gospel
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
- The first step to salvation is admitting you are a sinner.
- Trust God, to keep His promise.
- He is faithful. He will forgive you of every sin
- God will make you clean by covering your sinful heart with the purity of His Son.
10 If we say that we haven’t sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
If you can’t agree with God that you are a sinner, then you can’t take the step to confess your sin and your need for a Savior. That is the hallmark of open rebellion and opposition to God. It is rejection. This is very clear evidence that a person is lost. John plainly states this, “…and His Word is not in us.”
In the coming weeks, Seed Basket will explore the remaining thoughts from the heart of God through John’s letters. They are so helpful in answering questions.
Share the Gospel in your world!
How beautiful are the feet of those
who share the Good News!
Isaiah 52:7 (Paraphrased)
World English Bible (WEB)
by Public Domain. The name “World English Bible” is trademarked.
Getting the Seed out of the basket and into hungry hearts. Matthew 13 
One thought on “Three Little Letters”