All right, this is lesson number 15 in our series studying the sum of saving knowledge, November the 3rd. And we've come to the third warrant and special motive to believe in Christ. So we're in the third part of the book. The whole third part is about providing these warrants and special motives to believe in Christ. It might be a little confusing, because you might think this is solely evangelistic, as if it's addressing unbelievers. But as we've seen before, they really have in mind encouraging those who are weak in the faith. And we'll see today, especially they have in mind everyone. They have four categories, which I think cover just about everyone. to be addressed by the topic for today. The first part of this actually refers to what we've already studied. So I'm actually going to, just in the introduction, I'm going to pick up in the first paragraph here that if any man shall not be taken with the sweet invitation of God, nor with the humble and loving request of God made to him to be reconciled, he shall find he hath to do with the sovereign authority of the highest majesty. So they're like good teachers, they're reviewing what we've already seen. We've already seen the sweet invitation of God, that was the first part of this chapter, Isaiah 55. We've seen the humble and loving request of God to be reconciled, that was in 2 Corinthians 5. And now they're saying, okay, if you're not taken with the sweet invitation or with the humble and loving request of God, you'll find you have to do with the sovereign authority of the highest majesty. And what we're studying today is in 1 John 3, and it is the commandment of God that we believe in him. So there's a shift from the invitation, from the humble request to a command that we believe in him. And you can see that even in the opening sentence of this, the third warrant that we're talking about, the one we're talking about today is the straight and awful command of God. So David Whitlaw in his updated version has stern and momentous, but it's a serious command of God, charging all the heroes of the gospel to approach to Christ and the order set down by him and to believe in him. So I thought it would be helpful just up front to think about why it is that the passages we've already studied might leave someone unmoved. So we've seen this sweet invitation of God come to the waters, the gracious invitation. It's free. We've seen that. And then we've also seen in 2 Corinthians 5 fact that God took the work of reconciliation on himself, and he calls us to be reconciled because of the work of Christ. So the question that I'd like to ask to get us started on this is, basically, why do we need this chapter, or why do we need this section? Why is it that those two passages that we've looked at, those two calls of God, leave someone unmoved? Why, how could that happen, that someone would not be moved by that sweet invitation or that offer of reconciliation? They have hearts of stone. OK. So they could have hearts of stone. They simply refuse to accept the invitation. They go their own ways. They're not elect. OK. All right. Yeah. The invitation might not be as sweet if you don't understand the consequences of not accepting. So if you don't know you're thirsty, or if you don't know, yeah, the consequences of not accepting, good. OK, Dan? I've encountered this even recently. I guess I'd put it to date. If you think that you're the center of everything, I don't really need that. It's just not something that moves me because it's all kind of about what I want or something. There's not really anything greater than me that's, I know we're going to get into that, that's calling me to it. It's like I pick different things at the restaurant. I just kind of pick what I want. I'm not into that. I'm not into that. I like that. Right. Right. Yeah. Good. So those are good reasons. And those sorts of people are included in the classes of people addressed in this particular passage, this discussion of that passage. Let me add one other, which is also included in our discussion today, is that maybe the person still can't believe that the offer is for them. Right. come to the water, well, he can't really be talking to me because I'm not good enough to come to the water. I've offended God too greatly. So the weaker believer, the one who is especially challenged in assurance, I think is also in danger of being in this category. And there is a danger, right? So what is the, What is the danger of refusing those invitations? It's pretty serious, right? It is to live under the condemnation of God, to be enemies of God. So I thought I'd ask if you think of these as kind of the sweet invitation and the gracious offer versus the command, if you've seen these work out in evangelism or in evangelistic preaching, if you've, you know what I mean? So there are two approaches that you could make, which is the gracious offer of the gospel, the cry of the street vendor, come get the water, you're thirsty, it's free, versus this is the command of God. Have you seen those play out in evangelism? Do you think there's like a real tension between them, or how would you find one versus the other more appropriate in a situation? Trying to get us thinking about the subject before we launch into it. Then? Different people do, humanly speaking, respond at different times to different ways being approached. I mean the same thing happens in sports. You have coaches that are, I don't know if the word is gentle, but they work with players. And then you have your really hard kind of drill sergeant sort of coach, or maybe a coach that knows that some players actually need that and respond to that well, and some need the other and is able to see what motivates or helps a particular player. That's a good analogy. Another analogy might be raising children. Children are different. Some children need one thing versus another, or in some circumstances, the same child may need one thing versus the other. So, I don't think our authors intend to say, okay, this is the approach you need to take, Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, or whatever, you know, Section 1 through 3. But I think it is very helpful for us to see that progression put out for us here. Any other thoughts just on the general setting of this? OK, so the main text is 1 John 3.23, as it's given up here. And so I'd encourage you to turn there in your Bibles. We have a few other references. And in fact, whoever has the 1 John 5 passage, I'm going to call on in just a second. But I'm going to read, before we do that, 1 John 3. Probably 11 through 24 is the best section. I'm gonna trim it a little bit because it'll help, I think, focus on what we're looking at. So I'll read 1 John 3, verses 18 through 24. Different Bibles have different divisions of the sections, but I'll read 18 through 24 of 1 John 3. My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. And by this we know that we are of the truth and shall assure our hearts before him. For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart and knows all things. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God. And whatever we ask, we receive from Him because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight. And then here's the verse for today. And this is His commandment, that we should believe on the name of His Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another as He gave us. Commandment. Now he who keeps his commandments abides in him, and he in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us. And then whoever has 1 John 5.13, if you could read that. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may believe on the name of the Son of God. Okay, so just a reminder, we read that passage earlier when we were introducing the topic of assurance. That's what John is saying his whole book is about. This is why I wrote to you. And then specifically the passage that I just read in 1 John 3, 18 through 24, you can see again, the focus is on assurance. This is how, by this we know we are of the truth and shall assure our hearts before him and there are other references like that. Now, I point that out because if you just look at verse 23 in a study that apparently is about assurance, you might think that they've taken this verse out of context. But they haven't, actually, right? That's what John is talking about. He's talking about assurance of knowing our standing before God, being careful to seek to know our standing before God. And even though verse 23 makes no direct reference to that, that is the verse we're studying, they're actually using in context this verse to help those who need to consider their assurance and to be strengthened in that. And then just immediately in what I just read, you see the context there. It's the love for our brothers. That's one of the tests. That's the word that's often used in studying 1 John. He has these tests for faith. The word test has, well, has the unfortunate, like, you know, examination, and then you freeze up, and this is a terrible thing. Test is probably, doesn't communicate exactly what John is saying, right? The grace that we receive from Christ manifests itself in our life. And how does that grace we receive from Christ manifest itself in our life? Well, one of the ways it does is by loving one another, okay? And another way is by living according to God's law. living righteously, and another way is in true profession of who God is. So those are what are usually called tests. It's more like evidences that are there because of the life that is in us. In other words, these are not things that we work up so that we can prove we belong to God. They are the natural outflow of God's work in us. And that's what he's saying in terms of the love for the brother and in the passage, especially above where we're studying today, verses 11 through 18. pretty much focuses on that. And then verses 19 through 24 address our doubts about assurance, and that's what you would have seen and what I read there. You know, what if our heart condemns us? And what are we supposed to do? And then how can we have confidence toward God? So that's a very important thing to have in mind, that John is really talking about the fruits of faith and how does that manifest itself in our life. One is brotherly love, another is in prayer, verse 22, right before the one we're studying. So those are all ways in which the true work of God manifests itself. And just to comment, even though we probably won't return to this much, also verse 24, which is right after our verse, again, I'm trying to, you know, this is the way you should do a Bible study. You shouldn't just like pluck it out of context. You should see what the author is saying in the context. And right after the verse we're studying, He who keeps his commandments abides in him and he in him. And by this, we know that he abides in us by the Spirit whom he has given us. So Lord, we'll come back to that. It's not like the Spirit gives you some kind of audible revelation, you belong to God. It is a work of the Spirit to confirm that faith that we have in the fruits, right? They are the fruits of the Spirit. And the work of the Spirit to give us an awareness of the fruits when we're maybe too timid to believe that they're actually there. So part of the work of the Spirit is to point us to the work of God in us, as well as to produce the fruit in us. So again, I just wanted to set that out to give us a little bit of context for what we're studying. Verse 23 on the face of it may not have anything to do with those things, but John, that's what he's writing about here. So let me pause there and just see if it's clear for the context of the verse and where John is going, what he's saying. OK, so let's then look at the points that are made in the sum of saving knowledge. As I told Dan before we started last week, I did refer some to the sum of saving knowledge, not nearly as much as we're going to this week. So I'm really just going to go through the points that are made here, because they draw out from this verse in the context of a lot of important observations. So the first we've already looked at, and that is this command that we're studying here, at least in the sequence of our studies, is as if one refused the sweet invitation of God or the humble request of God. So we come to the commandment that we would believe in him. And the first point then, subsequent to that, let's look at the second point, which is that the command to believe is not just one command among many. So you might think of it that way. Well, you know, I'm a sinner. I've committed a lot of sins. Refusing to believe the gospel is just another one of those sins. It doesn't really make any difference which one you believe in, which one you don't. I don't know if you've ever heard debates between atheists and Christians. Sometimes atheists will say, well, you know, You're a Christian, you're a monotheist, you believe in one God. Well, you know, someone who believes in two gods, you believe in one less than them, and I believe in one less than you. I'm an atheist. It's like, I've never understood why that's an argument at all. It makes no sense whatsoever. But in a similar way to say that rejecting the gospel, right, is just like rejecting any other command. I've already done that. Our authors are saying, you better pay attention here if that's what you have in mind. So I'll read what they say. That if any man look upon this commandment as he hath looked heretofore upon the neglected commandments of the law, He must consider that this is a command of the gospel, so the original has posterior to the law or subsequent to the law, given after the law, at least logically, given for making use of the remedy of all sins. which if it be disobeyed, there is no other command to follow but this, go ye cursed into the everlasting fire of hell. For this is his commandment, the obedience of which is most pleasant in his sight. And referring to verse 22, and without which it is impossible to please him. Let's think a little bit about what they're saying here. This point they've made already in our study when we were looking at the way the gospel is there to convince a man of sin and righteousness and judgment, remember that from the second part of the second chapter of the Psalm of Saving Knowledge. They make this point that not believing in Jesus Christ is a greater and more dangerous sin than all other sins against the law. So why is that true? Why is not believing in Christ a greater and more dangerous sin than all other sins against the law? There are lots of possible answers, but what is it that strikes you particularly about the danger of that sin, of not believing in Christ? Okay. So, right. I think actually that's the verse for next week. So hold on. Or at least that's in the context of next week. That's good. Very good, Tim. Right. So the one who has not believed is condemned already. He's in a state of condemnation. Other thoughts on that? Kind of like not accepting the presidential pardon. Right. Right, and that's like there's no court of higher appeal or something like that. This is it, right? This is the thing that you're rejecting as the final thing. Yeah, Dan. Would you tie in the interpretation of the unpardonable sin? You are basically committing the unpardonable sin as you take to your grave the rejection of the Spirit's testimony of Christ. It's interesting you should ask that. So I've mentioned before, David Whitlow has produced a study guide with the Sum of Saving Knowledge. And he refers to the two main passages, well, not the one in 1 John, but other passages in connection with that. I didn't actually include that in our scripture references. But it is a very sobering truth, because you have rejected, well, so like Henry's analogy, you've rejected the last opportunity. And there is no other pardon. I would add, in a sense, it's one of those where you're not given grace while you're in sin. It's not an excuse to live in unrepentance, but there's always some measure of sin in our lives, and God graciously is merciful to us in the midst of that sin. Right with the final rejection, yeah, that's very good and I think I Yeah, I think that's underlined now that we're reflecting on this together. I think that's probably underlined by the steps they've taken. First, we've got Isaiah 55, come to the water, and you've rejected that. And then 2 Corinthians 5, God has made a reconciliation in Christ, and the gospel call is to be reconciled to Christ, and you've rejected that. And now And now if you reject the command, there is nothing left for you. And I think that's part of the sobering nature of this study. That's why I wanted to think up front, is this an evangelism? Do you turn to the command in this way, or do you think about the invitation? It really is a sobering thing to reflect on. Yes? The entire Bible has been talking about this, about Jesus. So if you reject Jesus, you rejected the entire system of what the Bible has been talking about from Genesis on. Yeah, thank you. That was very helpful. Yeah. So one reference which actually came from this study guide that I passed out is Hebrews 10, 28 through 31. Does someone have that? It's on a small Post-it note, but it's a longer passage. If you could read that. Anyone who has rejected Moses' law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three prophets. Of how much worse punishment do you suppose will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot? Yeah, so that especially that last verse is a That's the chord they're striking here. And that passage, I think, is really helpful in connection with the comment that Liz made because, you know, even the Old Testament prepares us for this and the severity of the mountain thundering and the people were terrified. And we might say, well, we're in the New Testament, so everything is, you know, nice and sweet. There is a sweet invitation, that's true, but what the writer of the Hebrews is saying is beware if you reject that offer, that it's an even more serious matter. I was struck by the fact that they said, well, OK, this will be the last commandment that you'll hear. And again, these are sobering truths. They're not light matters. Last time I was comparing the, or two times ago, comparing the come to the water to the guy at the ballpark selling hot dogs. Okay, we're not there anymore, right? This is a very serious and sober matter. So they say, if this is disobeyed, that is the commandment to believe, there is no other command to follow but this. And then they quote from Matthew 25, sorry, I wrote down the reference here, 41, go ye cursed into the everlasting fire of hell. There is a command that remains, but it's not a command that could possibly be rejected. It is the dismissal from God's gracious presence and forbearing presence into that. Yeah, so there's a lot to get through here. But let me just add one other thing, that in spite of the sobriety of this and the seriousness of this, it's striking to me that they add Yet the obedience of this is most pleasant in his sight." And here they're comparing Scripture with Scripture. So verse 22, the one just above, the one we're looking at, refers to the commandments are doing the commandments, are doing those things that are pleasing in His sight. And then what is most pleasing in His sight? Well, Hebrews 11.6, without faith it is impossible to please Him. So there's still the invitation held out here that the incentive to believe is not just that this is your last opportunity, but also that This is an opportunity to please God. The things that are pleasant in His sight are casting ourselves wholly on Him and saying that we are wholly helpless before God. We are condemned and in need of a salvation. And they remind us that that's what God delights in, and that's what He holds forth to us in the gospel. So although I guess I would say that is a very sobering point, this second one up here, it ends on a still what is indirectly, you might say, a call, a sweetness of a call to delight in the things that our father delights in. There's a lot more that could be said about that point. Any questions or comments further? OK, so now let's turn to the third point. And this is really, I think, connected with what we just said. Because the third point, as I said, has these four classes of people who should take seriously. And then at the end, they say, OK, but especially you should think of everyone in the visible church. That is, you shouldn't think of those people out there like, you know, the guy on the street who's never been to church and, you know, maybe he's in some other religion or something like that. They say, especially at the end of this long paragraph three, especially those that are within the visible church, that is, those who have professed the faith, have been baptized in the church, those that are somehow connected with the church in a visible way. These especially need to pay attention. And that passage that Rachel read from Hebrews is really talking about people in that kind of circumstance. They know what it is they're rejecting. OK, so let me read a little bit of what this third paragraph says. Yeah, I don't know how many sentences it is, but there's a semicolon and a bunch of commas. That everyone who heareth the gospel must make conscience of the duty of lively faith in Christ. So let me just pause there. The conscience, again, they're using the context in 1 John, because when John has been referring to our hearts condemning us, or if our hearts are not condemning us, he's especially thinking of the heart in terms of the conscience. And so here, He's calling us to make conscience. And the other thing I'd like to highlight in that first clause, it's the duty of lively faith in Christ. So they're not interested in a bare profession of faith. They want a lively faith, a faith that grasps Christ with our whole hearts, delighting in him. And that's what they're gonna come to, but they say that up front. Okay, so here are the four categories. The weak believer must not think of presumption to do what is commanded. That's the first. The person inclined to desperation must take up himself and think upon obedience unto this sweet and saving command. Third, the strong believer must dip yet more in the sense of his need he hath of Jesus Christ, and more and more grow in the obedience of this command. And then fourth, the most impenitent, profane, and wicked person must not thrust out himself or be thrust out by others from orderly aiming at this duty. However, how desperate soever, it's funny how that, I used to write things, how desperate soever his condition seems to be. For he that commands all men to believe in Christ doth thereby command all men to believe that they are damned, and lost without Christ. He thereby commands all men to acknowledge their sins and their need of Christ, and in effect commands all men to repent, that they may believe in him. So it goes on a little bit from there. But what I'd like to do, especially in this part, is to think about the four classes of people. And maybe one of them interests you more than the other, and maybe you can see especially the relevance. But the first of these is the weak believer who must not think at presumption to do what is commanded. Okay, so we've met this weak believer several times in The Sum of Saving Knowledge. You might say especially their intended target, the one who is a believer, maybe a new believer, or maybe struggling with assurance. So what do they mean when they say the weak believer must not think it presumption to do what is commanded? It's not entirely clear. What do you have? I can't presume upon God to take this invitation. I'm not worthy. I'm too big a sinner. Yeah, and that's why I add it when we were talking at the first about the sorts of people who might need the command versus the other, why someone might not accept the invitation. There are people who don't accept the invocation because they think they're not worthy. Well, I mean, OK, we're all not worthy. But that especially weighs upon them that even though it says all who are thirsty come to the waters, they would say the street vendor isn't going to serve me. Or I'm not good enough even to come for free waters. And that is a serious thing for us to think about. We've probably all known people like that. Maybe we've been like that. Certainly in my past, I've sensed that sometimes myself. And in effect, what they're saying is, what then? Must not think it presumption to do what is commanded. Why is this third part of the study especially helpful for a person in that situation? to teach them that it's presumption to not. Right. God is telling you to do this, OK? It's one thing to refuse an invitation. No, I don't think I'll go to your house for dinner or whatever. Who would turn that down? But there might be reasons why you might decline the others, I suppose. But here, God is commanding it, OK? Which is kind of an interesting, if you think of the weak believer, you might think the command might be like the hardest thing, but they're using it here as a reason to call the one who struggles to consider the fact that God isn't saying it's simply an invitation. After all, an invitation, in God's eyes, is really a commandment, right? Come to the waters, that's a commandment, essentially. It doesn't work that way with the vendor at the ballpark, but it, well, he might think it is, but right here, it is a commandment, and it's a striking, I think, insight and understanding the difficulty that a weak believer has, that they worded it that way. So we'll never get anywhere if I go so slowly on all these. What about the person inclined to desperation. So what do they mean by that, do you think? And what's the counsel given to that person? What does inclined to desperation mean? I've got to do this. It's almost being compelled, like the Russians in Tsarist Russia, you will believe, or you will be killed. I see. So they baptize everyone in the river to get them. Yeah. Or else they're drowned. Right. Yeah. Yeah. So what's the note of desperation then? How does that enter in in this category? Desperation means? I think in the older sense of the word, it could be related to despair. Right. So they have no hope. They're hopeless in themselves. That is a very dangerous position to be in. And what is it they say to them? I'm not quite sure, speaking of whether the meaning has changed over time, must take himself up. So they're getting our attention, and they're calling us to use our mind. So go back to Dave's class on meditation. The way God typically works in us is through our whole being, but here especially, we're called to think upon obedience unto this sweet and saving command. Here's the sweetness of it that he talked about before. It's something that's pleasing to God and it will be a blessing to us and it's a saving command. So he calls them out of their desperation to engage their minds and what the matter at hand is and to consider what this means. Any thoughts about that? Again, we could maybe spend time on all of these, but that's the way I read what they're getting at with a case of someone who's in a desperate condition. It's time to memorize Shabbat. Time to take it seriously. So you might think of characters in Pilgrim's Progress. I mean, Banyan does represent different people, different classes like this by different people in his books. Maybe also that you weren't always in this disparate condition. Oh, good. OK. Yeah. So why didn't you take up the invitation when things were different? Very good. So? So what? Yeah. So the seriousness of rejection involves that it might lead us to despair later on. If you get me through this, I'll then change my mind. Oh, OK. Very good. Thanks, Greg. I'm in a bad spot now. This is my only hope. Good, okay, thanks, that's helpful. You're gonna say something, Tori? I got a question. Do you think that like, when I think of the phrase, take up himself, I think about the guy who was blind, and he was like, you know, kept calling out, son of David, Jesus, you know, and then he like stopped the procession and was like, you know, who's calling me? He's doing it, come get him, and then they said to him, Take heart get up. He's calling you. Mm-hmm. Yeah, good. Very good Yeah So he's a movement here, right? Don't don't wallow in our despair Take up very good. Okay. Well, thank you Okay, the third is The strong believer. Okay, maybe sometimes we think of ourselves in that category. Maybe sometimes we don't what was the strong believer do and I like the use of the word dip. Must dip yet more in the sense of his need he hath of Jesus Christ. Do strong believers have need of Jesus Christ? Right. Might strong believers not think about that? Yes. Right. So that's part of the beauty of the command that's given here. Right. It's to everyone without exception, especially as they're saying it's it's focused on the visible church. And they give a reason for that later on. But. Yeah, so it is for all of us, if we hear this command to believe in the name of the Son of God, Jesus Christ, then we must do that. Yeah, we must respond and grow more and more in obedience of this command. And that part will especially come up later. There's a real paradox here. If you don't have this, I don't want to use the word desperate because they used it in the previous one. If you're a strong believer and you don't have that palpable need for Christ, then you're not a strong believer. Good. Right. Yeah. So, yeah. You're deceiving yourself. Right. Yeah. That's very good. You might be resenting yourself as a strong believer. Therefore, take a step back and process your, you know, dip into your life. Right. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, you may be, you've suddenly become You have faith in yourself now or whatever, just in your own strength. You may not even realize it. Yeah, the more, at least I go through the study, I hope it's helpful for you too, I realize the real pastoral care and probably why this book was so useful back when people read it, because it doesn't let us be content in our condition and sort of say, well, I'm coasting along fine. It calls all of us to consider the need we have of Christ. Yeah, that's good. Very good. Yeah, that's right. Yeah, so you can't say, well, this will never apply to me, right? Yeah, right. And the fourth, and most maybe sobering of all of these, is in terms of what they call the most impenitent, profane, and wicked person. It's interesting what they say. They don't say, forget it, buddy, right? They say, must not thrust out himself or be thrust out by others. Don't let anyone tell you you're too wicked to believe the gospel and be saved. Never tell that to someone else, right? That is, your condition, even though it is maybe more desperate, like in that other category, than you realize, that must not be the response to the command. And instead, they give this counsel to them. And that's, in fact, the part that goes on the longest. How desperate soever his condition seems to be, And the reason is that God commands all men to believe that they are damned and lost without Christ. He commands all men to acknowledge their sins and, in effect, commands all men to repent that they may believe in Him. So it's not as if the most wicked person is left out of that commandment, right? The most thirsty person, to use Isaiah 55, is included in the vendor's address, right? Especially the most thirsty person, if they come to recognize their need and their thirst. And so it's a really beautiful call that no one is excluded as a category of people from the call of the gospel and from the offer of salvation, even the one most wicked. Maybe Saul, who became Paul, would have placed himself in this category before he was saved. But whatever sort of person you might think is beyond the call of the gospel, they hear say, even the most, even the impenitent, and maybe especially they are called to believe. And then they close, and I've already referred to this and we're running out of time, just they close the paragraph, but especially to those that are within the visible church. Okay, so it's a little subtle again. All of this is coming from one verse, like this is what those guys used to do back then. So I think the visible church is weak, right? He's writing, John is writing to the Church of God. And he says, this is his commandment that we should believe on the name of his son, Jesus Christ. I think that's probably why they especially have in mind the visible church. It is the group that is being addressed by John, right? Earlier in John, he says, some went out from us, even though they weren't of us. And so he acknowledges that there can be within the visible church those who do not truly believe in Christ. commandment than he understands as being addressed, of course, to all men without exception as to category, but especially here he has in mind the visible church. Okay? All right. So a few minutes left for what I think is the richest part of all of this, but it's also in some sense review. So There is a sweetness in the command. They've already said this. And furthermore, they say in point four that this command is, yeah, thank you for tracking when I haven't been asking you to, that this command makes your salvation to be built upon a solid ground. And that solid ground is who our Savior is. And this, again, is a very helpful pastoral emphasis of the sum of saving knowledge. The tendency when our faith is weak or we need assurance is to look inside ourselves and ask whether I'm doing all the things I need to do. Now, as we've already quoted, examination of ourselves is important, but the examination needs to be grounded on an external, an exterior truth. And here is the fundamental truth, which is, okay, John has been, again, the context, John has been talking about this over and over again in the book, who Christ is, who the true Christ is. And here, this is a beautiful statement. we should believe on the name of his son, Jesus Christ. Okay, so they take some time to spell that out. Now we've done that before. They actually don't miss the covenant of redemption here, but they could have, you know. So let's just think a little bit about that. So the first, the name is a rich idea. It refers to not just, you know, whatever your parents decided to give you, but the character of the person, who the person is. And so the name of his son, Jesus Christ, talks about who God the Son incarnate is. The way they do this, it's in reverse order from 1 John 3, 23. I'm not quite sure why. So they start with Christ. Christ means anointed, the Messiah, which makes us think of the offices of Christ. He is the prophet and priest and king. So that's why they spell that out. They're connecting that with the name of Messiah or Christ. So as they say, he is completely furnished with all perfections. So this is the sweetness of the command. We're not commanded to do something, go out on the bridge, we think it might fall down when we step on it, but we're supposed to go stand on it anyway. No, this is a sure foundation. And the sure foundation is in who Christ is, right? So whenever you waver in assurance and whenever you're uncertain about things, the first thing you should think about is the fact that Christ is a sure Savior. There are other things to think about. There's self-examination that's called for, but the first thing, and the sweetness of the command and the sure, solid ground of the command is, okay, so I'm never going to get through this, is that He is the Anointed One. He is the Prophet, Priest, and King. And the second is that he is Jesus. And to interpret that, they go back to what Jesus means. His name was interpreted for us at his birth. He is the one who will save his people from his sins. So they say here, he has embraced a Savior who is able to save to the uttermost. So we looked at that in connection with the covenant of redemption. In Hebrews 7, because of the oath of the Father to the Son, this Savior is able to save to the uttermost. And this beautiful statement, who doth effectually save everyone that cometh to God through him, for he is Jesus, the true savior of his people from their sins. So just in his name, Jesus is the assurance that coming to him will be therefore a sure way of salvation. And then the third thing is reference to his being called son. And so he that obeyeth this command hath built his salvation on the rock. God is the rock. The only firm foundation for anything is God himself. That is on the Son of God, to whom it is no robbery to be called equal to the Father, and who is worthy of the object of saving faith and of spiritual worship. For this is his command, that we believe in the name of his son, Jesus Christ. So there is one more paragraph along with this little piece of reasoning. So let me just make a few comments on point five, and then we'll see if you have any comments overall. And this is where we cover over the clock and keep going. The fifth point they make is, this call to believe in Christ and also to love our brother. And the point they're making here is that it is possible to misunderstand what it means to be saved by grace through faith and to say, therefore, that the law as a believer is completely irrelevant to your life. Okay, saved by grace, forget the law, I can live any way I like. Okay, so there's a danger in that. And the way John addresses that you might say here is, well, it is in both parts of the verse, because it is a command to believe. And it's also a command to love our brother as ourselves. So here in this fifth paragraph, they point out that what's usually called the first table of the law and the second table of the law are both involved here. And they actually refer to the command of Christ. Someone had, John 13, 34. So I'll talk a little bit more, and then Henry can read that. They understand that in verse 23, that it says, as he gave us commandment, as referring to Christ's commandment to love one another. So John is actually referred to that earlier in 1 John, but John 13, 34. In your commandment, I give to you that you love one another as I have loved you, that you also love one another. Thank you. OK. So in conclusion, there's this little bit of reasoning, this syllogism. And in the syllogism, the idea is that if you, in your sinfulness and fear of God's wrath, and at the command of God, flee to Christ, And if you engage your heart to the obedience of the law of love, that doesn't mean that you write off perfectly obey God, but that you're giving yourself wholly to God, then those are the ones who have a true and saving faith. That's, again, the emphasis here on the evidences of faith, not that we are saved by our works, but that they will be manifest in our life through the work of the Spirit. OK, I really ran over there. But I will see if you have any comments or questions on this last part, which I went over quickly, or the whole study. So I hope this will help you reflect in terms of not only our speaking to ourselves, but also speaking to others that this sweet invitation, which is also combined with this sober command, and yet it's also a sweet command because we're called to an all-sufficient Savior. Let's close in prayer.