What is your spiritual status?

Austin A Wullschleger

1 John • Sermon • Submitted 2 years ago

1 John 2:12–14

Spiritual Growth

Spiritual Warfare

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John has just gotten done telling them of all the dangers they must steer away from. That there are many things that could cause us to feel worried about our salvation. But here He seeks to confirm to them the confidence they have in the Gospel and where they should put their assurance. Not in wordly things, not in the darkness and the things that will pass away, but in the light which is the son of god.

John uses repetition as a rhetorical tool to encourage them to overcome temptations when they know that the victory has already been won in Christ.

He is asking “where are you in your life? What do you need to help understand.” It also helps to remind us, that each of us is on a different part of our spiritual journey. You, as a student, shouldn’t expect to be at the same place as me or Heath, or someone who has been a believer for 30 years. Now, that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t strive for spiritual maturity. But John’s point is, “where do you need to build confidence in your spiritual walk?”

Knowing our savior

John tells the “little children” that they have been forgiven, and that they have come to know the Father. Two important experiences of a new Christian. To know God and to know you have been forgiven. They seed that through forgiveness they have rejoiced in the fellowship they have with God and the power that comes through the Spirit.

The most important thing that John wants his readers to know is that their sins have been forgiven by Christ. He wants them to be reminded of this beautiful blessing we have been given in forgiveness.

“‘On account of his name’ stands for the person and work of Jesus in its totality. What the person and work of Christ entails has been addressed in 2:1-2.”

That the power that we have comes from His name and his name alone. A name, in that culture, was to give power to the person using the name. If you were sending a message to someone, then the name by which you were send was the authority of which you went from. If you called on a deity, it was their name that you hoped to gain power from. For Christians, the name of Jesus is the name that saves.

We want to speak to a “manager” because they are the one who can help us with what we want. We are scared of the “principle” because they can affect our future. We don’t want to get pulled over by the “police” because we know the authority they have.

John tells them that if they confess Jesus as Lord they know have access to Christ and His power. It is the name of Christ that is used on our behalf before God so that our sins can be forgiven.

Remaining through challenges

John tells the young men that they have conquered the enemy and have been delivered by the Spirit’s power.

He reminds them that the one who saves is also the one who they believe created everyone in the beginning. That this “new message” shouldn’t take precedent over the tried and true message. That they show the marks of being a true believer in following the commands to love God and love one another. As Psalms tells us.

Psalm 119:9-11 “How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping your word. I have sought you with all my heart; don’t let me wander from your commands. I have treasured your word in my heart so that I may not sin against you.”

He reminds them that through Christ they overcome all evil. Jesus defeated death and to be in Christ is to defeat it as well. The reason he says that they can overcome evil is become “the word of God lives in them”. It is only as a result of the truth that they have received and obeyed. They have allowed the message of Christ to remain in them. Without it they could not resist the evil one. That if you remain in God you will continue to live eternally. You will overcome sin and death.

He is reminding them that what the world believes will change, the goalposts will move, but God’s Word remains. Do you know what the phrase “move the goalposts means?” Well, that is what the world does. It gives us different ideas on how we should “live”. But what the world believes as morality now is what the church has believed since the beginning. Hospitals, equality for all people, freedom from oppression, caring for the poor. None of these existed outside of Christianity.

Continuing in relationship

John tells Fathers, those who have known God throughout their life, that the one that they believed in when they are younger they have now come to know personally. They have learned His character and have confidence in what they have learned and what they know to be true about eternity with God.

With any relationship, the longer you are in it the more confident you are in that persons character. You know how they will act, you know what they are generally thinking, you have a personal relationship that allows you to go beyond small talk. You start to know their thoughts as your thoughts.