Test Yourself To See If You Are In Christ~{Reading 1 John~Week~14}

Test Your Self To See If You Are In Christ|Protect Yourself From Deception

John, {We Believe} wrote this letter before he was exiled to the Isle of Patmos. He writes with love and boldness to warn, encourage, and so to protect his Christian family from deception. We could call the book of 1 John a series of tests.

• Test the spirits to see if they are from God.
• Test yourselves by the Word of God to see if you are in Christ.

Just to clarify. John did pen this letter, he did love his fellow believers and he was bold for Christ but the Holy Spirit inspired his writing. Even though John is calling us to test ourselves it is God that is actually speaking through the pen of John. I felt the need to insert this because there are so many people who will cling to the word of a man before they will to the word of God. {Teachable moment: All scripture is inspired by God! 2 Timothy 3:16} Something we need to keep in mind anytime we are reading and studying the word of God! Back to the Book:)

We Testify and Proclaim To You:

We walk by faith and not by sight. John actually walked and talked with the incarnate Christ.

“What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the word of Life.”

It brings great joy to John to proclaim the good news of Christ Jesus. Can you imagine with me actually living in John’s time, walking and talking and touching Christ! Amazing, but just as amazing is walking with and talking to Christ in the Spirit! Someday we will see Him face to face just like John! But while we wait in hope for that day, I want to have that same joy when I proclaim who the Christ is that I actually walk with and talk with in spirit!

The Message:God’s Authority

As an apostle of Christ, John had authority to preach and teach the truths of the Cross.  Johns call to tests ourselves rests in the authority of God and not his own.

This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you,

What is the message that John is speaking to us from God? What do we learn about God in 1 John 1:5-9? We learn that God is Light. He is perfect in His being without any darkness at all! He is always faithful  even when we are not.

Character of God;

• God is Light~{verse 5}
• There is no darkness in Him at all~{verse 5}
• He is Faithful~{verse 9}

The Message: If We Say:

There are some guideposts that John writes in this letter for us to examine to see if we are walking in the Light.

IF WE SAY;

• We have fellowship with Him yet walk in darkness we are LIARS and do NOT PRACTICE the TRUTH
• We have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the TRUTH IS NOT in us
• We have not sinned, we make Him a LIAR and His WORD IS NOT in us
• We are in the Light yet HATE our brother we are in the darkness until now

If We Practice Sin:

In 1 John 3:4-9 John says that everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness. No one who practices sin abides in Christ. Make sure no one deceives you!!! If anyone practices sin he is of the devil! Very bold truthful words. Should we shutter when we read them? I think they should most definitely get our attention. They should cause us to stop and look at our lives and test ourselves to see that we are in Christ. We should not be like the man in James who looks at his face in the mirror goes away and forgets what kind of person he is.

The key word in 1 John is, “Practice”. Practicing sin is a mark of one who habitually sins, one who is continually sinning. There is no evidence of change.  According to these verses, he is not in Christ! Now, does a true believer sin? Yes, he does, but it is not an habitual pattern of his life. He is one who looks in the mirror of God’s word and sees who he truly is and turns to Christ and asks for forgiveness.

Practice Mortifying Sin:

A true believer will be one who is in the practice of mortifying the sin in his life. Romans 8:13 teaches that if we are living according to the flesh we must die. But if by the Spirit we are putting to death, mortifying, the deeds of the flesh we will live. This should be the pattern of our lives, continually putting to death the deeds of the flesh. No one who is born of God practices sin because the seed of God abides in him.

Do not let anyone deceive you. There are teachers and preachers all around us that say if you are in Christ you do not sin. They are of the devil and the truth is not in them.

We have Come To Know Him If:

John gives us guideposts to see if we are in Christ and sets beside them a contrast to let us know that we have come to know Him. To know Him means to know intimately not just a head knowledge but a heart knowledge. The true believer does know if He is in Christ. Romans 8:16 teaches that the Spirit of God witnesses with our spirit that we are sons of God. What comfort there is in knowing and experiencing  that.

We know Him if:

• If we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.
• If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
• If we love our brother we are in the Light
• If we keep His commandments and do what is pleasing to Him
• If we love we are born of God and know God

Are you walking in Light or in darkness? Examine your life against the word of God. If there is sin confess it. Confessing means to agree with God about your sin!

Test The Spirits:

For the believer, we are given the warning to test the spirits. Satan appears as an angel of light. If we are not in the word looking intently at the word we could be deceived. John warns us that there are many deceivers, antichrist, false prophets, that have gone out among us. They are in the midst of us. Be aware and be armed!

He also gives us a way to recognize these false prophets. If they do not confess Jesus the are false. Confessing Jesus means confessing everything the word of God teaches us about Him. It is one thing to use the name Jesus in sermons or lessons and quite another to truly confess Him. The one that confesses Jesus Christ as Lord is born of God. Jesus is Lord of your life if you have left everything to follow Him and observe His commandments.

According to John 5:13 these things have been written to the children of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. God has not left us in the dark. He has put us in His Light that we may know Him and have fellowship with Him!

Are you in the practice of examining your life against the word of God?

My little children, we have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ. Whenever we need Him He is always there enabling and helping us.

This message from John  is so timely. It is so vitally important for the believer to be in the word of God renewing their minds and learning what the will of God is.

MORE HELPFUL RESOURCES

Why is it That Important to Memorize Scripture

Why I recommend the New Inductive Study Bible

I want to Know You… Studying the Attributes of God

Six Important Questions to Ask When You Study the Bible

PLEASE STAY CONNECTED:)

Thank you for stopping by the blog today!

I would love for you to join my blog community for weekly and monthly newsletters, freebies, and exclusive discounts.
And join me on instagram as we build a community of women cultivating the mind of Christ through in-depth Bible Study.

SaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSave