15 Evidences of Genuine Faith—Part Three

The last two months have taken us through the first six evidences of genuine faith found in 1 John. This book continues to be a challenge to me in my faith, yet, at the same time, I find the evidence of genuine faith that John shares comforting to my heart in an age that is filled with so much uncertainty.

Remember the theme verse of the book is 1 John 5:13. John exhorts us that there is certainty in faith – “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.”

​Maybe there are doubts in your mind today about your salvation. Friend, may I encourage you to search the Scriptures to see what Jesus has already done for you and then to ask the Lord to search your heart and to provide you with that certainty today. ​

Maybe these evidences in past posts (Part One and Part Two) or the ones today help you to recognize the finished work of Christ in your life and encourage you to continue on for Him.

​Here's a review of the first six we have looked at:

1. Personal Acceptance (1:1-4)
2. Practical Fellowship (1:5-7)
3. Personal Purity (1:8-10)
4. Persistent Obedience (2:1-6)
5. Precious Brotherhood (2:7-11)
6. Prohibited Affection (2:12-17)

Let’s dive in to the next few evidences in 1 John 2.

"Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us. But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and you all have knowledge. I write to you, not because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and because no lie is of the truth. Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also. Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you too will abide in the Son and in the Father. And this is the promise that he made to us—eternal life.

I write these things to you about those who are trying to deceive you. But the anointing that you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as His anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie—just as it has taught you, abide in Him.

And now, little children, abide in Him, so that when He appears we may have confidence and not shrink from Him in shame at His coming. If you know that He is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of Him." 1 John 2:18-29

7. Powerful Association (2:18-23)

John opens this section on the heels of his caution against worldliness and acknowledges that there were people who had left the church and the apostolic leadership of that day and were acting in the spirit of the antichrist.

Already in the first century, John was telling believers to be careful who they associate with because this was a prevalent spirit in their day. How much more prevalent is this spirit of the antichrist today that is just setting the stage for the climax of all history as John would later record in Revelation? (This is a HUGE topic and not the focus of this study, but such an important thing for us to be aware of.) John notes that these people “were not of us” (v. 19) because they had taken their contrary views out of the church. I am not saying that people in the church should not think for themselves, but we are all subject to the biblical teaching of God’s Word. These people had balked against that teaching and left.

Verses 20-21 point us to the work of the Holy Spirit to help guide believers into truth and even teach us (vs. 27). The association that we make in learning biblical truth MUST be in tune with the leading of the Holy Spirit. John tells us that those who are associating with the spirit of the antichrist will lie and deny Jesus as the Son of God (vs. 22-23). It is happening all around us today in such subtle ways. We must ask the Holy Spirit to help us be careful in our associations and always be walking in the Spirit.

8. Precious Abiding (2:24-29)

This last part of 1 John 2 is such a wonderful passage that encourages us as believers to abide in Christ. John wrote more about this topic in John 15 as well if you want to do further study on this topic, but here the Apostle John encourages believers to let what they have learned from God’s Word and the work of the Holy Spirit abide in them. In light of his admonition against the spirit of the antichrist prior to this, “John’s point was that if the readers would resist the lies of the antichrists and let the truth they had heard from the beginning ‘abide’ (or ‘be at home’) in them, they would continue to ‘abide’ in the fellowship of God the Father and God the Son.”[1]

Friend, do you find yourself “at home” in God’s Word or is it an uncomfortable sitting room you avoid or bypass all together? When we are at home in God’s Word, we can rest in the promise of eternal life (vs. 25), and we don’t have to be swayed by those who would try to lead us astray (vs. 26). John encourages believers to abide in the teaching of the Holy Spirit—that is the anointing (vs. 27).

When we are at home in God’s Word, we can rest in the promise of eternal life (vs. 25), and we don’t have to be swayed by those who try to lead us astray (vs. 26). John encourages believers to abide in the teaching of the Holy Spirit—that is the anointing (vs. 27). When was the last time the Holy Spirit taught you and you didn’t need someone to teach you from the Word, because the Holy Spirit did that for you? That kind of precious abiding only comes from time spent with God in His Word and in submission to the work of the precious Holy Spirit in our lives. That is not to say that we should not hear teaching and preaching, but there is just something special about the way the Spirit witnesses with my spirit and teaches me like no human can do. This is precious abiding, but John doesn’t stop there. Look again at 1 John 2:28-29.

John uses the word abide again and calls believers, “little children,” to abide in Christ but with a future look. Why should we abide in Christ? Because one day “when He shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before Him at His coming” (vs. 28). It’s not just about abiding now. This abiding in Christ now will provide confidence for the believer when we stand before the Lord at the Judgment Seat of Christ. What a blessed thought that the time I spend with Christ now in this life will have an eternal impact when I stand before Him one day! But the idea of shame is included here as well. I never liked the idea of being ashamed by disappointing my parents. As a child, that really helped me to choose to do right because I loved the approval of my parents. Even when I did disappoint them, they did not disown me or stop loving me. This is one simple illustration that helps me understand that John cannot be speaking about losing your salvation here. But I believe that there will be some who will hang their heads in shame when as a believer they stand for the Lord having done nothing in this life to prepare. They chose not to abide in Christ. May that not be something any of us ever have to experience.

​Then John finishes this section with a statement about those who are Christ’s and have experienced the new birth. Those people will be righteous people, but not because of something they have done to be righteous. Righteous people are only thus because of the righteousness imparted to them at salvation (Titus 3:5). When we abide in Christ, His righteousness is on display and identifies us as one of His children.

So how is your association and abiding today? John’s letter is one that should cause us to search our hearts and be encouraged when we see these evidences present in our lives. May the Lord help each of us to carefully choose our associations in a world full of antichrist mentality, and may we choose to abide in Christ looking forward with eagerness to the day when we will stand before Him.

How is your faith holding up to these next checks of genuineness?

[1] John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck, Dallas Theological Seminary, The Bible Knowledge Commentary:
​An Exposition of the Scriptures, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 892.

Read 15 Evidences of Genuine Faith—Part Four.