THE LIGHT OF CONFIDENCE (6 OF 6)
Scripture: 1 John 5:13-21
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The Light of Confidence (6 of 6)
Series: Walk in the Light
Dave Gustavsen
1 John 5:13-21
This winter we’ve been walking through the book of 1 John, which is a letter written by John the Apostle to Christians living at the end of the first century. And there’s a phrase in the first chapter that we’ve been using as the big idea for the whole series. In 1 John 1:7 it says walk in the light, as he is in the light. One last time, would you say that with me? Walk in the light, as he is in the light. That’s the invitation of this letter: to come out of the shadows and live your life in the openness and truth of Christ. It’s a beautiful way to live.
So today we’re wrapping up the series, and at the very end of the letter, John talks about The Light of Confidence. What does it mean to be confident? It means to know something for sure. Last week we talked about the recent rise in agnosticism. An agnostic is someone who says, “I don’t know. I don’t know about God; I’m not even sure spiritual truth is knowable at all; so I’m just going to live my life and try to find happiness the best I can.” That’s a growing view in today’s world. More and more people are saying, “We just don’t know.”
But there’s also some encouraging news. About four months ago the Barna Group interviewed about 2,000 U.S. adults about their spiritual beliefs. And one of the statements they were asked to respond to was this: “I am more open to God today than I was before the pandemic.” And look how the responses differed by generation. Isn’t that interesting? The younger the generation, the more openness to God has increased since the pandemic. The highest rise is in Generation Z, which is people who are currently 25 and under. Now: those same people tend to have very low trust in any kind of organized religion, but they are spiritually open, which is a good thing—because it means they’re willing to consider moving past their agnosticism and finding God.
So as John finishes this letter, th ...
Series: Walk in the Light
Dave Gustavsen
1 John 5:13-21
This winter we’ve been walking through the book of 1 John, which is a letter written by John the Apostle to Christians living at the end of the first century. And there’s a phrase in the first chapter that we’ve been using as the big idea for the whole series. In 1 John 1:7 it says walk in the light, as he is in the light. One last time, would you say that with me? Walk in the light, as he is in the light. That’s the invitation of this letter: to come out of the shadows and live your life in the openness and truth of Christ. It’s a beautiful way to live.
So today we’re wrapping up the series, and at the very end of the letter, John talks about The Light of Confidence. What does it mean to be confident? It means to know something for sure. Last week we talked about the recent rise in agnosticism. An agnostic is someone who says, “I don’t know. I don’t know about God; I’m not even sure spiritual truth is knowable at all; so I’m just going to live my life and try to find happiness the best I can.” That’s a growing view in today’s world. More and more people are saying, “We just don’t know.”
But there’s also some encouraging news. About four months ago the Barna Group interviewed about 2,000 U.S. adults about their spiritual beliefs. And one of the statements they were asked to respond to was this: “I am more open to God today than I was before the pandemic.” And look how the responses differed by generation. Isn’t that interesting? The younger the generation, the more openness to God has increased since the pandemic. The highest rise is in Generation Z, which is people who are currently 25 and under. Now: those same people tend to have very low trust in any kind of organized religion, but they are spiritually open, which is a good thing—because it means they’re willing to consider moving past their agnosticism and finding God.
So as John finishes this letter, th ...
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