Lesson for August 14, 2024

Book of I John

I John 3:19-24

Verse 19 -20

“We will know by this that we are of the truth, and will set our heart at ease before Him, that if our heart condemns us, that God is greater than our heart, and He knows all things.” 

John has been writing about loving others by means of our deeds. We will know by this means that believers should have enough doctrine in their soul to recognize when they are in step with God’s plan of loving others by their deeds and not just by their words. Know is the Greek word “ginosko,” and means to perceive or to understand. The truth is a reference to Bible doctrine. Set is the Greek word “peitho,” and means to have confidence. Set our heart at ease means that we can have a relaxed mental attitude because we know that we are properly applying the Bible doctrine to love others. 

That if our heart condemns us, that God is greater than our heart, and He knows all things. The Greek word for heart is “kardia,” and is a reference to our thinking. Condemns is the Greek word “kataginosko,” and means to blame. Realizing that you are to blame for not loving others and that God disapproves of your failure to do so is the first step toward using the Rebound Technique and the restoration of your fellowship with God.

Verse 21-22

^“Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; and whatever we ask, we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight.”

The result of being in fellowship with God is confidence in Him. (our heart does not condemn us). The Greek word for confidence is “parrhesia,” and means boldness. We are commanded to come with confidence (boldly) to the throne of grace in Hebrews 4:16.

Whatever we ask, we receive from Him. Inside God’s power system we are able to properly pray in accordance with the will of God. There is a system for prayer that must be followed if you want your requests to be answered. The prayers of believers who are out fellowship with God will not be heard. (I Thessalonians 5:17; Ephesians 6:18; Philippians 4:6; Hebrews 4:16)

Because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight. Inside God’s power system is where God wants us to reside, where spiritual growth occurs. Spiritual growth includes increased capacity to receive blessings from God. Therefore, if we are in fellowship with God, and filled with the Holy Spirit as a result, we will be consistently learning and applying Bible doctrine (keep His commandments), which is doing things that are pleasing in His sight. 

Verse 23

^“This is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us.” 

God is not willing that anyone should spend eternity separated from Him. For this reason, Jesus Christ came into this world and paid the penalty for sin for everyone by dying on the Cross. Believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ means to believe in what His name entails. The name Jesus, for example, means Deliverer, Savior, Anointed One, or Messiah. Jesus Christ, the Messiah of the Old Testament, is the one anointed by God the Father to be the Savior of the world and deliver us from the penalty of sin. This means that anyone can receive the gift of eternal life by a simple act of faith in Christ.

Verse 24

“The one who keeps His commandments remains in Him, and He in him. We know by this that He remains in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.”

The Greek word for keeps is “tereo,” and means to observe or to heed. The word in Greek for remains is “meno,” which means to abide, to be at home with, or to reside. Only a believer who is in fellowship with Christ (remains in Him) can keep the commandments of God. Through the filling of the Holy Spirit, we can have the assurance that we are staying in fellowship with Christ.

Romans 8:16, “The Spirit of God bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God.” The sealing ministry of the Holy Spirit is our assurance from God of a secure future. The Greek word for sealing is “sphragizo” and means to secure, to signify ownership, or to authenticate. We must always interpret Scripture in the time in which it was written. In Biblical times, a seal or signet was used to authenticate a transaction or to show ownership of property.

What exactly does the Holy Spirit seal for believers? We are told in Ephesians 1, where Paul enumerates certain spiritual blessings that are sealed for all believers. In verse four, we are told that we are the elect of God (chosen for privilege) and that we are made holy and blameless before Him (a reference to our position in Christ). In verse five, we are told that we have been predestined (a predetermined plan for each of us) and that we have been adopted into the family of God. Verse six tells us that we have been accepted into the beloved (Royal Family). In verse seven, we learn that we have been forgiven and redeemed, and in verse eight and nine, we are told that God’s will has been revealed to us. In verses ten and eleven, we find out that we have an eternal inheritance as a result of being in union with Christ. And finally, in verses twelve and thirteen, we are told that God places His seal on these blessings by sending His Holy Spirit to indwell us.