Beyond a Shadow of a Doubt: Finding Security & Certainty in ChristSample

Throughout the past week, John has given us assurance of our salvation through his words. He has taught us how admitting and confessing our sins, obeying God’s commands, loving others, and doing God’s will reveals that we are in Christ. All of these actions are a result of our faith in Jesus Christ. After all, it is not our actions that save us—it is by grace through faith in Jesus that we are saved. John reminds us of this truth in 1 John 2:18–23 by teaching us that true followers of Jesus are those who have confessed Jesus as their Savior and put their trust in Him.

In 1 John 2:18–23, John describes the issue that led to writing this letter. There were people within the church in Ephesus who left the church community because they were preaching words that were contrary to the gospel. Essentially, they were denying Jesus’s incarnation, the truth that Jesus is God who took on flesh so that He could die for our sins. This belief is central to the gospel. If Jesus was not fully man and fully God, He could not atone for our sins on the cross and rise from the grave. These false teachers reveal themselves to not be true followers of Christ, for true followers of Christ believe and hold fast to the essential truths of the gospel.

As believers, we confess that Jesus is the Son of God, whose death and resurrection has secured our salvation. It is through this faith and by Christ’s grace that we are saved from our sin, brought into a relationship with God, and empowered to live obedient to the Lord. So in the moments when we question if we are truly saved, we can consider our actions but also what we believe to be true about Jesus. If we have confessed Jesus as our Savior and trust in Him, we can be assured that we are saved. And if not, we have the opportunity to place our faith in Jesus and receive new life in Him.

Reflect and Respond

What do you believe about Jesus?

If you'd like to continue studying 1-3 John, check out our COMING SOON study "Beyond a Shadow of a Doubt: Finding Security & Certainty In Christ" at The Daily Grace Co.!