VICTORY ASSURED/1 JOHN 2:12-14

John again reminds his original audience as to why he wrote to them. As you recall, he already made mention of his reason in 1 John 2:1. In the verses we are considering now, John seems to return to his original purpose for writing. In between verse 1 and verse 12 John has written some things that might have shaken the confidence of the original audience. And, that was John’s intention in those verses. He does not want any of his audience, then or now, to have a false sense of assurance of salvation. So, he hit us pretty hard with a couple reality checks, or tests we might call them–Do we keep God’s word? Do we walk as Jesus walked? Do we love our brothers and sisters in Christ?

Now in the verses before us today, John wants to give some new encouragement in our walk of faith. He addresses what seems to be a couple different groups–little children, fathers, young men, and children. There is much debate as to whether he is speaking of chronological ages or spiritual ages. I’m inclined to think John is talking to every believer, each of which are at differing levels of spiritual maturity, yet he encourages each group. Let’s see what encouragement he gives to them and to us today. We begin with ...

I) THE FOUNDATION OF MATURITY–V.12

A) There are some things we should never forget as Christians no matter how old we are in the faith. Without such things our faith will be weak, or maybe even worthless. John tells us of one such thing in verse 12: that our sins are forgiven. Let’s spend a little time seeking to understand this important truth.

1) As I said a number of weeks ago, I don’t think there are any more reassuring words to hear, for the Christian, than to hear "Your sins are forgiven you." This is reassuring because without the forgiveness of sins there can be no real and eternal salvation. And this is just what Jesus came to do–to forgive us of our sins. And that is just what He did when He died upon the Cross as the sinless substitute and sacrifice for the sins of His people. What’s of great interest to me here is that verse 12 says that the forgiveness Jesus secures He secures for "His name’s sake." So, our forgiveness is not to be understood as primarily about us, but primarily about Jesus. In other words, the forgiveness He secures is, by Divine-design, a means to glorify Jesus Christ. Forgiveness is to draw attention away from the sinner to the Savior! None of us can boast about the forgiveness we receive, as if we did something to deserve it.

2) Related to this is the wonderful truth that our sins, those who are in Christ by faith, are forgiven. In other words, the tense of the verb "are forgiven" carries with it more than meets the eye. What John is saying is that our sins have all been forgiven, forgiven by Christ’s sacrificial death with the ongoing benefit that our sins will never more be our concern.

3) If we get the foundation (of forgiveness) right, then everything else will be put in the right place. Those who do so will manifest a love for God’s word, and a love for others as John said in 1 John 2:3-11. Then we build upon this foundation with ...

II) KNOWLEDGE OF THE FATHER–Vv.13-14

A) We start out in the Christian life with a basic understanding of forgiveness that should never escape our attention. From this we begin to build a more intimate knowledge of God as He reveals Himself as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We begin to mature as we contemplate God more fully. This is what John is highlighting for us in verses 13 & 14. John points out that his original audience had a knowledge of God from the beginning–the beginning of their salvation, and maybe this even means a knowledge of Jesus’ preexistence. Such knowledge provides assurance, and victory over sin and Satan.

III) VICTORY OVER SIN AND SATAN

A) John helps us also understand that a knowledge of God leads to victory. He gives us some insights into this victory in these verses. First, we could say that, as believers, we through faith in Christ have experienced a "definite break from the bondage of Satan." Christ has given us victory (Colossians 2:15), yet we must be aware of the constant battle with sin and Satan until we are with Him. Sin and Satan no longer have dominion over us (Romans 6; Ephesians 2). But, again, we know of the besetting sins we struggle with (Hebrews 12:1). But "even that besetting sin reminds [us] that [we] have been liberated from the bondage of sin, because there was a time when [we] were in bondage to all sin like we feel [we] are to that besetting sin." Second, we should know that our victory over sin is commensurate with our abiding in God’s Word. This is what John was praising in the young among his audience. So, too, our ability to have victory over sin and Satan is directly related to our abiding in God’s Word. We were saved into a fight. " … the Christian life is not just enjoying fellowship with God and the forgiveness of God; it’s fighting the enemy. The world, the flesh, and the devil, Satan and our sins—the Christian life begins a fight." James in James 4:7 says it well: "Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you." What an assurance! Do you have it? Are you experiencing it? Praise God for it!