The Birthmarks of the Believer
Dr. Ernest L. Easley
I John 2-5
February 5, 2006
Now join me in the New Testament book of 1 John. And what a wonderful little book it is! Let me tell you why God gave us the book of 1 John:" so that you may KNOW that you have eternal life." 1 John is the epistle of assurance!
In fact ... the word "know" (????????????? is used 39 times in these 5 chapters of First John. To "know" means to understand .. to get knowledge .. to know as fact. God doesn't want you wondering if you belong to Him. God doesn't want you hoping that you're saved. He wants you to know that you're saved! You can know beyond a shadow of a doubt that your sins are forgiven .. that you're a child of God and that Heaven is your home as though you were already there!
Now ... some people don't have that kind of assurance and shouldn't because they are not saved. If you're not saved ... you shouldn't have any assurance. Jesus said in Matthew 7.21, "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord' shall enter the kingdom of Heaven.'" There are a lot of people today who claim to be a Christian and they have no assurance they a Christian and they don't need any assurance because they've never been saved.
They may have walked down some church isle and joined the church. They may have prayed some prayer and then baptized. But they've never repented of their sin. They've never been born again. They've never had a new birth experience.
One day a woman boasted to evangelist D.L. Moody, "Mr. Moody, I've been saved 25 years and never had a single doubt." Moody replied, "Then I doubt you've been saved. That would be like saying that you've been married 50 years and never had an argument. I doubt you've ever been married."
Now somebody says, "Can I be saved and have doubts about my salvation?" Well .. let me ask you this: who was John writing this book too? Those that were saved or those that were lost? The saved!
You can be saved and doubt it and ...
Dr. Ernest L. Easley
I John 2-5
February 5, 2006
Now join me in the New Testament book of 1 John. And what a wonderful little book it is! Let me tell you why God gave us the book of 1 John:" so that you may KNOW that you have eternal life." 1 John is the epistle of assurance!
In fact ... the word "know" (????????????? is used 39 times in these 5 chapters of First John. To "know" means to understand .. to get knowledge .. to know as fact. God doesn't want you wondering if you belong to Him. God doesn't want you hoping that you're saved. He wants you to know that you're saved! You can know beyond a shadow of a doubt that your sins are forgiven .. that you're a child of God and that Heaven is your home as though you were already there!
Now ... some people don't have that kind of assurance and shouldn't because they are not saved. If you're not saved ... you shouldn't have any assurance. Jesus said in Matthew 7.21, "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord' shall enter the kingdom of Heaven.'" There are a lot of people today who claim to be a Christian and they have no assurance they a Christian and they don't need any assurance because they've never been saved.
They may have walked down some church isle and joined the church. They may have prayed some prayer and then baptized. But they've never repented of their sin. They've never been born again. They've never had a new birth experience.
One day a woman boasted to evangelist D.L. Moody, "Mr. Moody, I've been saved 25 years and never had a single doubt." Moody replied, "Then I doubt you've been saved. That would be like saying that you've been married 50 years and never had an argument. I doubt you've ever been married."
Now somebody says, "Can I be saved and have doubts about my salvation?" Well .. let me ask you this: who was John writing this book too? Those that were saved or those that were lost? The saved!
You can be saved and doubt it and ...
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