Reading:1 John 2

I love how this chapter provides answers to so many questions.  Perhaps there are answers here to some of your questions. God wants us to have wisdom and understanding. He wants us to live an abundant life and He wants to provide us with an even better hope of an eternity spent with Him. 

How do we know that we have forgiveness of our sins?  Jesus is our advocate.  He presents His righteousness before the Father on our behalf.  “My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.” (v1-2)

How do we know that we have truly surrendered our life to Jesus? How do we know that we are “His”?

• We keep his commandments. (v 3)
• We live our life with Jesus as our example “Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.” (v6)
• We love others with Christ like love. “Anyone who loves their brother and sister lives in the light, and there is nothing in them to make them stumble” (v10) This love for others is a recurring commandment in the Scriptures, a recurring theme from cover to cover. If you don’t have genuine love for others and think only of yourself, then you have been greatly deceived. In fact, you are just fumbling and stumbling through life with no lasting purpose. “But anyone who hates a brother or sister is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness. They do not know where they are going, because the darkness has blinded them.” (v11)  Sadly, it just takes a quick view of the current news headlines to see that there are plenty of people who are stumbling in the dark. 
• We do not love worldly things. “For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world.” (v16)

How do you know that you have power over Satan?  “...because you are strong , and the Word of God lives in you, and you have overcome the evil one”. (v14)

How do we know that we have eternity to look forward to? “The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.” (v17) We must remain faithful to seek His will and apply His commands. “As for you, see that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father. And this is what he promised us—eternal life.” (v24-25)

How do we recognize those who are trying to deceive us (have the spirit of antichrist vs the Spirit of God) ?

• They deny Christ. “Who is the liar? It is whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a person is the antichrist—denying the Father and the Son.” (v22)
• They leave or turn away from faith in God. They don’t pass the test of time. . “They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.” (v19)

How do we prepare for seeing Him face to face?  “And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming. If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of him.” (v28-29)

Isn’t it comforting that His Word provides answers for the seeking heart. His Word is our blue print, our roadmap, our guide. His Word is a beautiful, compelling, true love story about God’s unequaled and unmerited love for all of mankind. His Word is our nourishment, our hope, our light, our truth. Bring your questions to God and ask Him to reveal answers and instructions to you, How do we know?  We remain in His Word.