Speaker 1: Welcome to Faith Passed Forward where we present scripture based content that edifies the church and glorifies God. This is a ministry of Bible Baptist Church and we feature the teaching and preaching of our pastor, Stephen Cox. We hope you are encouraged and helped by today's content.
Speaker 2: First John three nineteen. And hereby we know that we are of the truth and shall assure our hearts before Him. A short reflection. Most believers want assurance. We want to know our faith is real.
We want confidence that we belong to Jesus. But there are times when doubts creep in, and questions arise. John points us to one piece of evidence that brings assurance: love. And hereby we know that we are of the truth. John isn't teaching that our love saves us.
He's reminding us that genuine faith produces genuine fruit. When God's love is at work in our hearts, it begins to show itself in the way we treat others. The presence of that love doesn't make us perfect but it does provide evidence that God is continuing His work within us. Love becomes one of the ways God reassures our hearts that we belong to Him. The bigger view, one of the themes running throughout first John is assurance.
John wants believers to know their faith is genuine. He wants them to have confidence in Christ rather than living in constant uncertainty. Here in verse 19 he writes, And hereby we know that we are of the truth and shall assure our hearts before him. Notice John connects assurance with what he's just been discussing. The previous verse speaks about loving in deed and in truth.
In other words, genuine love is more than just words, it's visible. It takes action. Then he says, And hereby we know, the evidence points back to the love he has just described. When God's love is working in our lives, it provides reassurance that we're walking in the truth. That doesn't mean believers never struggle with doubt or have questions.
And it certainly doesn't mean we earn our salvation through good works. What John is describing is evidence, not a basis for salvation. Apple trees produce apples because they're apple trees. The fruit doesn't create the tree it reveals what the tree already is. In the same way, acts of love do not make us Christians.
They reveal the work Christ is doing within us. That's why love, truth, obedience and confidence are so closely connected throughout this passage. When we walk with God, his character begins to shape ours. We become more aware of the needs of others and more willing to serve and forgive, not perfectly but progressively. And as we see those evidences of God's work in our lives, our hearts are encouraged.
John's purpose is not to turn our attention inward until we become obsessed with ourselves. His purpose is to help us recognize the fingerprints of God's grace. The very same God who saved us is still at work within us. And when we see His love being expressed through our lives, our hearts can rest assured that we are walking in the truth. Why
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Speaker 2: you think believers sometimes struggle with assurance? How does verse 19 connect with the command to love in verse 18? What is the difference between the evidence of salvation and the basis of salvation? Pray, Lord, thank you for the assurance that comes from knowing you. Help me to see the evidence of your work in my life and to grow in my love for others.
Continue shaping my heart to reflect your character so that my life points others to you.