"These things have I written unto you
that believe on the name of the Son of God;
that ye may know that ye have eternal life,and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God."
Last Sunday afternoon, Dad gave us 13 indicators of eternal life from the 1st epistle of John. This is such a relevant and important topic to Christians of all ages, that I thought I would share with you his outline. How can we know for sure that we have been saved? The following points are indicators that we have been truly redeemed. We will have:
1. Love for God.I John. 4:19: "We love him because he first loved us."
Revelation 2:4: "Thy first love" 2. Love for God's Word.I John 2:3: "And hereby do we know that we know him, if we keep his commandments."
I Peter 2:2: "As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby."
3. Love for believers.I John 3:14: "We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death."
I Peter 1:22: "Seeing you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spririt unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love on another with a pure heart fervently."
4. Hatred for no believer.I John 3:15: "Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that murderer hath eternal life abiding in him."
Leviticus 19:17-18: "Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart.... Thou shalt no avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD."5. Hatred for Sin.I John 3:9: "Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin because he is born of God."
Hebrews 5:14: "Strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil."
6. Knowledge of Forgiveness. I John 3:5: "And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin."
Titus 2:14: "Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works." 7. Ongoing Purification.I John 3:2-3: "We know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure."
II Corinthians 7:1: "Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit perfecting holiness in the fear of God."
8. Endurance to the end. I John 2:19: "They went out fom us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us."
Mark 13:13: "And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved." 9. Good works.I John 3:18-19: "My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him."
James 2:17: "Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone." 10. Confidence in prayer.I John 5:15: "And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him."
I John 3:24: "What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye reeive them, and ye shall have them." 11. Confirmation by the Spirit.I John 3:24: "And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him."
Romans 8:16: "The spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God." 12. Awareness of spiritual wickedness.
I John 5:19 "And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness."
Revelations 12:9: "And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world."
13. Fellowship with Jesus Christ.
I John 5:20: "And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath give us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life."
II Corinthians 4:6 "For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shine in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." 