- Live Notes
When we abide in God, Jesus and the gospel become the rock solid anchor in our faith.
By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. (1 John 4:13)
The first piece of the anchor given to us by God is the Holy Spirit.
In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory. (Ephesians 1:13-14)
The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God. (Romans 8:16)
And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. (1 John 4:14-15)
The second piece of the anchor given to us by God is the character of God.
So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. (1 John 4:16)
The saying is trustworthy, for:
If we have died with him, we will also live with him;
if we endure, we will also reign with him;
if we deny him, he also will deny us;
if we are faithless, he remains faithful –
for he cannot deny himself. (2 Timothy 2:11-13)
By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. (1 John 4:17)
The third piece of the anchor given to us by God is knowing that in Christ, you are righteous just like Jesus.
There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. (1 John 4:18)
We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother. (1 John 4:19-21)
“The visible manifestation of an individual’s love for God, however, will eventually show up in his dealings with his brothers and sisters in Christ, who indeed are very visible … The unloved brother has been and continues to be in sight, while God has been and remains out of sight. This is no sporadic occasion but a constant and sustained situation. It is not just unlikely, but it also is impossible for a man to love God if he fails to love his brother. Love for God and hatred for a brother cannot coexist in the same heart. They are mutually exclusive and completely incompatible.”
– Daniel Atkin, New American Commentary: 1,2,3 John
The fourth and last piece of the anchor given to us by God is knowing if you have the Son, you have life.
And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.
I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life. (1 John 5:11-13)
When we see that our faith is secure because of who God is, what He’s done for us through Jesus and when we begin to live our faith by confessing Jesus and abiding in God’s love, we end up with assurance in Jesus and it brings joy into our lives.
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