We come now to the last message in the little epistle of 1 John. This will be message number 8. We've entitled it, The True Faith Confirmed and Affirmed. We'll be reading from 1 John, chapter 5, verses 5 through 21. May God captivate our thinking as we read that we may comprehend what we read and recall. Who is he that overcomes the world, but he that believes that Jesus is the Son of God? This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ, not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that bears witness, because the Spirit is truth. There are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost. and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, the water, and the blood, and these three agree in one. If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater, for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son. He that believes on the Son of God has the witness in himself." He that believes not God hath made him a liar, because he believes not the record that God gave of his Son. And this is the record that God has given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that has the Son has life, and he that has not the Son of God has not life. 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. And this is the confidence that we have in him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he heareth whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him." If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death. I do not say that he shall pray for it. All unrighteousness is sin, and there is a sin not unto death. We know that whatsoever is born of God sins not. but he that is begotten of God keeps himself, and that wicked one touches him not. And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lies in wickedness. And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ." This is the true God and eternal life. Little children, keep yourself from idols. Amen. You may be seated. Just as in our last message, the word love repeated itself over and over again, does an expression come from what you have just read to your minds? It's not love here. What is it? It's, we know, we know, we know. And John is going to be dealing in his summation in opposition to the Gnostic teachers that he knew correctly about God. Now, due to the nature of the length of the presentation and the summation of this, I will have to make myself stay close to my notes and not deviate. in extemporaneous speaking. This will make it more difficult for you to follow, but in order to get it all in, we must do so. Now in his concluding section, John provides three witnesses given by God to confirm the truthfulness of the gospel record. This is covered in verses 5 through 12. And then in verses 13 through 20 he affirms five Christian certainties which flow out of the gospel testimony. And then finally in verse 21 he closes with a warm but serious exhortation. We'll look first at the three witnesses as given in verses 5 through 12. Keep your Bibles open before you. Now John begins this section by asking a question. who can overcome the world. And he answers it in saying, only the person who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. To this, another question naturally arises. How then does a person come to faith in Jesus as the Son of God? And John answers the question that we would pose by showing that faith is dependent upon having been exposed to the right kind of evidence, confirmed by valid testimony or witnesses. Faith is not a leap in the dark. Faith is not some type of emotional experience. People come to faith based upon evidence that God has witnessed or testified unto. In verses 6 through 9, John lists three witnesses which God has given to men to support their faith or trust. Then in verses 10 through 12, he describes the two different types of responses to the testimonies about Christ. This whole section focuses on Jesus Christ and his mission for which he came into the world. It begins with a somewhat obscure statement that Jesus came by water and by blood. Divorced from its historical setting, this statement is confusing to the modern reader. And I don't know how many times I've been asked through the years of my pastoral ministry to explain what it is meant by water and blood. Now, some teachers have taught that the two terms refer to the ordinances of baptism and the Lord's Supper. Water being baptism, the Lord's Supper being the blood. Others believe it is a reference to the water and blood which flowed from Christ's body when the Roman soldier pierced his side in his death on the cross, as recorded in John 19.34. But I find neither of these explanations satisfactory. Why so? Because neither of these views explain the meaning of not by water only. Someone has been teaching that Jesus Christ came by water only. Now, most Bible teachers understand the water to refer to the baptism of Jesus and the blood to his death on the cross. I believe this is correct because it fits well into the controversy that John was experiencing with the pre-Gnostic teachers. They taught, as we have seen, that the heavenly Spirit being of Christ descended upon Jesus and began his earthly mission at the point of his baptism. But this divine Christ withdrew his presence from Jesus just prior to his death on the cross, so that it was only the earthly human Jesus who died and not the divine Christ. Over against this heresy, John emphasized that it was Jesus Christ, not simply a human Jesus, who experienced both baptism and crucifixion. John understood the baptism of Jesus in a different way from that of his opponents. They thought of the baptism as the point in time when the human Jesus received the heavenly or divine Christ. But John believed that Jesus was already the Christ when he experienced his baptism and remained the Christ who died on the cross. This is orthodox apostolic Christianity. It was the person of the Son of God who came into the world. He did so in the womb of the Virgin. It was the Son of God who came into this world to seek and to save that which was lost. It was the Son who shed his blood on the cross to redeem lost sinners. And apart from Christ's true humanity, suffering and dying, there could be no propitiation for our sins. In the early church, therefore, the term water and blood became key words or synonymous to convey the true understanding of the incarnation of Jesus Christ. That is that these are terms to testify to the incarnate work of God in the person of sending his Son, Jesus Christ. This is also brought out in some of the early church fathers and their writings. Now John goes on to introduce a third witness, namely the Holy Spirit. It was at his baptism, you might recall, that the Spirit of God came upon Christ in the form of a what? Of a dove. And it was this witness that convinced John the Baptist that Jesus was the Son of God. Turn over with me to John chapter 1, verses 32 through 34. Gospel of John chapter 1. John the Baptist declares, John bear record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him, and I knew him not. But he that sent me to baptize with water the same said unto me, Unto whom ye shall see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him the same is he who baptizes with the Holy Ghost, and I saw and bear record that this is the Son of God." The Holy Spirit was also the one who had inspired the Old Testament scriptures that spake of the coming of Jesus as the Messiah and the Son of God. In other words, the water and the blood are testifying to the deity incarnate in the flesh, and the spirit is bearing witness through John the Baptist, the prophet, and all of the Old Testament prophets, that what is recorded about Jesus Christ is nothing but the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. It is a threefold testimony to the trustworthiness of the gospel record. The fact that there are three witnesses is the main point of the statement, and all three are in agreement concerning the person of Jesus Christ and the mission for which he came into the world. I had to eliminate an informative section here on verse 7. of the three heavenly witnesses, and I haven't time to explain the whole setting there. But nearly all Bible scholars, liberal and conservative, are of the opinion that this has been inserted by a scribe and does not belong in our text. And I wish I had time to explain this, but I haven't or else we're not going to get through today. Because of the text being in question, I'll not be expounding upon verse 7. Now, the theme of the section is Jesus Christ, but the key word is witness. It is sometimes translated in our authorized version. If you have a King James Version and look at your text there, it's also translated record, testimony, or testified, same Greek word as witness. All told, John uses it nine times in verses 6 through 12. Now, why is he using this? It's important to understand the usage of this one word. This word comes from a strict setting found in a courtroom of law. It's not used elsewhere. Now, in a court trial, a certain man is called to be a witness. The witness gives his testimony. He swears to tell what? The truth. The evidence which is compiled is based upon the trustworthiness of the witnesses. If all the witnesses agree, it's easy for the faith or the verdict of the jury to be established. Consider yourself sitting in a jury, in a courtroom, and you're hearing witness after witness. If all the witnesses agree, then you can place your faith in the trustworthiness of the witnesses. Oh, I wish I could leave my notes. Some of you constantly struggle with doubts and fears because you're sitting there as a jurist and you've heard all this evidence and you're saying, I just don't know whether I believe right. No jurist would do that with the evidence that they are hearing. It is not a question of your mystical analysis of whether you're believing strong enough or not. It's based on the record God has given of his Son. And whoever believes that record has eternal life, and whoever doesn't calls God a liar. Throw away your doubts and your fears if you're a Christian. You either believe the record or don't believe it. Don't look and say, I don't know whether I believe strong enough. I don't know whether I feel that I have enough faith. All of that is mysticism. It's not biblical, apostolic Christianity. I belabor that because it will help you immensely with your questions concerning doubts and fears about whether you have true faith in Jesus Christ. Now, the Mosaic Law required that judgment should be founded upon solid, valid evidence. In criminal cases, testimonies were admissible as evidence on the basis of two or three what? Witnesses, whose testimonies had been heard and confirmed to be true. Deuteronomy 17.6 and 19.15. False witnesses were severely punished under the Mosaic law, Deuteronomy 19.16. In the New Testament, this was the pattern for church discipline. Matthew 18.16, two or three witnesses go through two or three stages of discipline. 1 Timothy 5.19, 2 Corinthians 13.1, all relating to the two or three witnesses before a verdict is reached. Now, if the system of human witnesses is worthy of respect by men, then how much more should God's collection of witnesses be respected? Through the voice of the Old Testament prophets and the New Testament apostles, God has given us a trustworthy record of the truth concerning the person and mission of His Son, Jesus Christ. Do you believe that is an accurate, trustworthy record? The Christian faith, as I stated, does not require a blind leap into the dark. It is confirmed by, quote, many infallible truths. Now, the response to the evidence found in the gospel record which God has given confines a hearer to reach one of two verdicts. Either it is truth to be believed, or it is a lie to be rejected. Now, you're the jurist. You've heard the record. Either this is God's truth or it is a lie. That's the only two opinions that you're left with. Now, what say you? What do you believe about it? Based on the biblical record, The claims which Jesus Christ made for himself require one to believe that he was either a liar, a lunatic, or the Lord God. That's what you're left with. I tell you, nobody goes around claiming to be God. who's either not a liar or he's a lunatic, or else he's who he claimed to be. Now, you're the jurist. You're hearing the record. What do you think of Christ? Whose son is he? The verdict one makes reveals his standing before God. If he believes the witness or testimony of God, he is then given an internal witness which confirms that he has heard the truth and is now in possession of the truth. The verdict has been decided upon. And thus the Spirit bears witness with what? With our spirit. That we believe the truth. This is the verdict we've arrived at. In contrast, the person who rejects the testimony of God makes God out to be a liar. This insult upon God's character continues as long as the person remains in unbelief. The wrath of God abides upon him, John 3.36. One cannot profess to believe in God and at the same time reject God's testimony concerning his own son. And this is what the Gnostic teachers were attempting to do. We don't believe that Jesus was God, but we are all right in a right relationship with God. John says, absolutely not. If Jesus is not God's own Son in the flesh, then God is no longer the truth. He is a liar. He who has the Son has life, and he who does not have the Son does not have life. Unbelief is willful rejection of the evidence which God has testified unto. Your question with your doubts and fears is not the weakness or the strength of your own subjective faith. Your question is whether or not you are believing the record God has given of His Son, or whether you are doubting the trustworthiness of that record. Which category are you in? Let's move to verses 13 through 22, where John now lists some Christian certainties and affirms them as true. Verse 13, he begins the conclusion of his epistle. His purpose was to help believers who were being confronted with opposing views of what composed or comprised true Christianity. he wanted his readers to know with confidence that they had followed the truth. And in the remaining verses, he uses the word know seven times. Now, the Greek word for know was used for knowledge characterized by certainty. The false teachers prided themselves to be in possession of the true and advanced knowledge. They got it directly from God. God says no. We know some things about God also, and the things we know are certain. We know that we know. He then lists five Christian certainties, and in doing so, he gives a complete summation of all that he's taught in his epistle. Verse 13, the first certainty is assurance of eternal life. These things have I written unto you who 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." John sums up his letter by saying the things which he has written should help to give assurance to believers that they possess eternal life. May I ask you all of my here at the Question who have been with us through this series Has there been anything read and said in this series which has helped you with your assurance? That's what John's hope is, to help these with their assurance. Those who had left the teachings of the apostles had shaken the faith of the remaining faithful. And by their remaining faithful to the fundamentals of the faith, their salvation was sure. Don't listen to the apostates. You're okay. The fundamental tests were correct doctrine, which involved the correct view of Christ. Secondly, correct love. a self-giving for the brethren, and thirdly, a correct obedience doing what God says is right. A clear understanding of the gospel record gives a legitimate ground for Christian assurance or certainty. I wish I had known that, Mother, when I went through those experiences in that church altar. and wondering why in the world God would never talk to me. I didn't know what to believe. I was looking for a mystical voice or experience from heaven. I say again, a clear understanding of the gospel record gives a legitimate ground, Brother Ron, for Christian assurance or certainty. Believing, loving, obeying. are the evidences of eternal life. Do you believe? Do you love? Do you obey? All of this indicates that you have believed the record based upon the testimony of the witnesses that God has given. The verdict is in. As for me and my house, I'll serve the Lord, huh? This is what I believe because of the evidence that has been presented to me. And I don't have any option. If I reject it, then I have to do away with the whole thing. You know, I used to be a professing atheist, and I do not yet understand these people who say, well, I don't believe the Bible, but I'm a Christian. I want to hang around the Christian church. Get out of it! You're either for him or you're against him, Jesus said. You either believe the record or you don't believe the record. Throw out this book if it's unreliable, and eat, drink, and be merry. You've only got a little gusto. You're going to get it just in this life, but oh, woe for the life to come. But if this is the record, then base your destiny on the trustworthiness of this record. Look at verses 14 through 17, the second assurance of answered prayer. This is the confidence that we have in him that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him. If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death. I do not say that he shall pray for it. All unrighteousness is sin. And there is a sin not unto death. Answered prayer is the second Christian certainty. Now, to pray means to ask. That's what the very word P-R-A-Y means is ask. And the word confidence in your text means to speak openly or freely. It was used to describe the free citizens in Athens. who were permitted to speak their minds boldly before the assembly or the city council. Slaves were not given this privilege or this right. Only a citizen could speak before the city council in Athens. They could speak with confidence because they had a right to do so. Christians have a right to speak freely toward God. as the text means, face-to-face toward God. We don't have to creep up behind Him and whisper in His ear. We have a right to talk to Him head-on. Let us therefore come Boldly, same word, confidently, unto the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. We are citizens of the kingdom. We're children of the family. And I'm violating my announcement. I was going to stay with the text. Can't get the preacher out of me. The words, he hears us, means to hear with favor, not merely to listen to. God doesn't say, I'll listen to you. No, he hears us with favor. The believer can be certain that God hears any request with a favorable attitude, as long as it is in accord with his will." And this passage provides a key to answered prayer. Oh, if we could get a hold of this, how it would help us in our prayer life. Now, one such condition for answered prayer was already given back in chapter 3, verse 22, where living in God's will was prescribed. Here it is praying in God's will. Do you recall that even Jesus submitted his will to the will of the Father? As he faced the cross, he prayed, Let this cup pass from me, nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. If the sinless Son must do that, then all of his frail sons You and I must also do that, submitting our wills to his will. Prayer must not be viewed as our attempt to get God to see things from our point of view. Rather, prayer is our attempt to see things from God's point of view. Get it? It is not getting our will done up there in heaven, but it's getting God's will done down here on earth in me. That's why we pray. George Mueller, who fed thousands of orphans with food provided in direct answer to prayer, said this, quote, Prayer is not overcoming God's reluctance. It is laying hold of God's willingness. Isn't that great? That's profound. Prayer is not trying to argue God, who's reluctant to give, to do for you what you want Him to do. Prayer is laying hold on God's willingness. Find out what His will is. The more you pray, the more you'll discover that. David, Psalm 37, verse 4. says, delight thyself in what? In the Lord. And what's the outcome? He shall give thee the desires of your heart. See, that's praying in the will of God. Verses 16 and 17, now John turns from assurance in prayer to the ministry of prayer. And he shows how prayer in accordance with God's will results in God's answering our petitions. But in contrast, there are some things for which we are not to pray or intercede. Now, John's not introducing some rabbit that he's chasing out after, some new thought. He's staying with his thought all the way through this. He's still on prayer, and he's still on dealing with the problem of the false teachers. Now, John's statement in verse 16 has led to much debate. over its meaning among Bible students. A lot of aspirin went into this human body in trying to work through all of the commentaries on verse 16. Time won't permit to give all the different interpretations, but the subject is sin among the He says there is a sin for which prayer is efficacious. It can be forgiven. But that there is a sin unto death for which prayer shall not prevail. Difficult passage, perhaps, but maybe not. Three major questions arise which affect one's interpretation of the passage. First, who's the brother? Second, what kind of death is spoken of, physical or spiritual? And thirdly, what is the identifiable sin? Now, before we deal with these questions, we must first address the sin which is forgivable. Why? Because in this passage John mentions it three times, and the unforgivable sin, but once. Obviously, this is his primary focus. is on the sin which can be forgiven, not upon that which is not forgivable. The term brother refers to a person who has identified himself with the visible community of faith, namely, believers. It does not include those who are pagans or who have never professed faith in Christ. Incidentally, I won't have time to elaborate on it, but look at your passage. Something I hadn't noticed until my study this time is that the sin unto death is not identifiable with a brother. He says if you see your brother's sin, here's the action you take. But there is a sin unto death, but he doesn't directly call him a brother. He just says there is a sin. But brother means those which have identified themselves within the Christian community of faith, what we might call in modern times a church member. But now look carefully. The sin not unto death is a sin which other Christians can see and identify. How are you going to know whether to pray for it or not if you don't see it? If you see, a man see his brother, it's an identifiable sin. We aren't left to have to guess at what the sin unto death is or the sin not unto death. It was something that could be known by this community of believers. And it's a repeated sin in the sense that the present tense of the verb is emphasized. But as we have seen, John has consistently declared that a genuine Christian cannot continue in a pattern of sin. God will not allow it. He will make correction that they be not condemned with what? With the world. Thus a person can pray for a sinning brother, and God will answer such a prayer by using corrective means to restore the sinning brother. Paul describes a case over in Galatians 6.1. Flip over there just a moment. Brethren, if a man be overtaken Get it? In a fall. It's as if sin caught up with him and overtook him. You who are spiritual, restore such a one in the spirit of meekness, considering yourself, lest you also be tempted. I found it interesting that John's statement somewhat parallels The situation found in James chapter 5, verses 14 through 20, which I covered some two years ago in our exposition to the book of James. You recall there James describes a believer who is sick, and God has chastened him because of his persistent sin. And the man has come to understand his case, and he sins for the what? the elders who come and pray for him. They pray the prayer of faith, and his sins are forgiven and his health is restored. Recall that? The prayer of faith, I submit, in James, is the same as the prayer in the will of God in 1 John. Praying in the will of God, praying the prayer of faith. Now, this helps to answer the question then in John as to why the sinning brother should need intercession by others. When you sin, Asa, can't you pray for yourself? Can't you make your own confession? Then why can't the sinning brother but do this? Why does someone who sees him sinning have to take action? I'm glad you're asking these questions. If you didn't ask all these questions, I wouldn't have anything to preach on. You ready? The answer is that his sin is of a visible public nature which has affected the community life of the church. If any man see his brother's sin, as the church then prays in the will of God and confession is made on the brother's part, then fellowship life within the church community can be restored. So the sin not unto death is any sin which can be forgiven by a sinning brother which has disrupted the church life, which can lead to restoration." The church fellowship. Make sense? Something you can see and identify. Now, in light of this, if you're staying with me. Now then, we must consider John's meaning of the word death. Is he referring to physical or spiritual death? In addition to using it three times in verse 16, he has used the word twice back in chapter 3 and verse 14. Look at that. We know that we have passed from death to life because we what? We love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death. Anyone who does not love the brethren remains in death. I submit that John is not here thinking of physical death, but of spiritual death. Throughout his entire letter, John has been contrasting the true believers with the false believers. He now is contrasting spiritual death with what? Spiritual life. Get the contrast? It would be confusing if he's contrasting physical death with spiritual life. He's contrasting either physical death with physical life or spiritual death with spiritual life. But since he's never made reference to physical death in the letter, What would be the reason for him suddenly to introduce the subject? There would be none. There is nothing in the historical context of John's letter which would indicate that he is speaking of the physical death of a believer. And thus, one of the major interpretations in modern time which holds that the sin and the death is the physical death of a believer under the chastening hand of God should be rejected." John is not talking about God chastening a believer with physical death. Now, this leads us then with the task of identifying the sin under death and who commits it to Now remember, if the sin not unto death could be identifiable by the church community, then the sin unto death could also be identifiable by the church community. In his commentary, William Barclay notes that the Greek expression, sin unto death, means, quote, the sin which is going towards death. The sin whose end is death. The sin which, if continued in, must finish in death." So the sin unto is the sin which is towards death that, if persisted in, will result in permanent death, namely, the spiritual loss of the soul. So the sin is of a spiritual nature and is fatal to the soul's eternal well-being. The identity of the sin can best occur by identifying who commits it or who has committed it. In the context of the epistle, it would be, now listen, those Antichrist or false prophets who have left the apostolic fellowship. They went out, what? From us. But they were not of us, for had they abode with us, they would not have gone out from us. From the opening verses to the closing verse where John says, keep yourself from idols He never leaves his purpose. He is unrelentingly dealing with these apostate teachers who have abandoned apostolic Christianity. And he is going to expose the false Christian from the truth. It is those who have separated themselves from the church and are now coming back into the little church gatherings trying to deceive the church that can be visibly identified as the false brethren. Their sin consists, now listen, in their refusal to confess the doctrinal truth concerning Jesus Christ. the refusal to love the community of apostolic brethren, and the refusal to obey the moral commands of God. Their sin and their separation from the brethren marks them out visibly as apostates for all to see. They do not share the common fellowship with the Father and the Son, which brings believers together in a common bond. They lack the signs of the new birth. They are clearly unbelievers. Mark them and have no fellowship with them. As the confession of Christ with the mouth and belief in the heart leads to salvation unto life. So the denial of Christ with the mouth and unbelief in the heart is the sin which leads unto death. It is a refusal to abide in the truth. It is committed by those who may yet confess to be Christians but who are reprobate concerning the faith." They've gone out and established another church and say this is the true church. They profess Christianity, but they refuse to embrace apostolic Christianity. The Greek scholars Marvin Vincent, Kenneth Wiest, A.T. Robertson, and Henry Alford among others, all reach the same conclusion that your pastor has just presented. So by their denial of Christ and his redemptive work, these false prophets have placed themselves beyond the scope of Christ's redemptive work and intercession. We don't need an atonement, they're saying. Well, we haven't sinned. In John 17, 9, Jesus said, do you remember these words? I pray for them, I pray not for the world, but for them who you have given me, for they are thine. Was Jesus praying in the will of God? He certainly was. He always prayed the will of God. And there were some for whom Jesus did not intercede. Jesus said in Matthew 7, verse 6, Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under your feet and turn again and rend you. One cannot pray for God's blessings to be upon those who harden their attitudes toward the true Christ and His gospel. That's over. If one persists in doing so, they are praying out of the will of God. Look over in 2 John, verses 10 and 11. No chapters, just one. Look it there. Second John, verses 10 and 11. John goes so far as to forbid financial support and God's blessings upon false teachers. If in doing so, the Christian community would only promote further heresy. Now look in these verses. Same problem in 2 John as in 1 John. False teachers. They transgress, they don't abide in the doctrine of Christ. Verse 9, If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, your house church. Neither bid him what? God's speed. For he that biddeth him God's speed is partaker of his evil deeds. I submit to you that if one is not to embrace these apostates as fellow believers and provide them financial support when they come by on their itinerant journeys to preach in your churches, if that's to be forbidden, then it's also the reason why they are not to be prayed for. They have committed the sin. They have placed themselves beyond the scope of Christ's redemptive work and his intercessory work. So what good would it do to pray? There is none. You'd be praying out of the will of God. Verse 18, assurance of victory over sin and Satan. We know that whosoever is born of God sins not, but he that is begotten of God keeps himself, and that wicked one touches him not. In verse 18, John affirms a third Christian certainty flowing out of his letter. It is the certainty of victory over sin and Satan. Except for a minor variation in wording, the first part of the sentence is virtually identical with that of chapter 3 in verse 9. whosoever is born of God does not commit sin. We've seen that John does not teach sinless perfection, but he does affirm that all those who are regenerated by the Spirit of God cannot continue to practice sin. This is true of all Christians, not just some Christians. So those who would use 1 John as teachings for the deeper Christian life, the carnal Christian, and all of this leveling two different classes of Christians are going to the wrong book. Whoever is born of God is characteristic of all those who are born of God. They do not practice sin. This establishes the doctrine of the preservation and perseverance of the saints and refutes the teaching, listen, that a regenerate child of God can fall away from a state of eternal life and be lost. This is a reputation of that belief. Whosoever is born of God does not sin and Satan cannot get his grasp on him. So therefore, Asa, he couldn't commit the sin unto death. Get it? Anybody who is born of God cannot commit the sin unto death. So those who would use this passage to teach that a true, regenerate child of God can commit a sin unto death and fall out of their regeneration have gone the wrong path. The question is, how does a believer keep from practicing sin and succumbing to Satan's power? Our authorized version translates from one set of Greek manuscripts in this manner. Look at your text if you have an authorized version. He that is begotten of God, the believer, keeps himself, and the wicked one touches him not. Now read in this manner, it establishes human responsibility and the duty to persevere. but it should not cause a believer to trust in his own willpower. But there is an equal number of Greek manuscripts, both ancient and newer, which provide this translation. Let me give it to you. He who was begotten of God, Christ, keeps him, the believer, and the wicked one does not touch him," the believer. If this is the correct translation, this would teach the preservation of the saints by Christ's power. Do you remember Peter's experience with Satan? It will help us to understand this truth. Luke 21, 31 and 32, we read, and the Lord said, Behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat, but I have prayed for you, that your faith fail not, and when you are converted, strengthen the bread. Christ will keep all those whom the Father hath given him, and will not lose one." And verse 12, remember that when the hedge is pulled apart and that roaring lion is permitted to come in and seek his fangs in you, he can't get a grasp upon you. That's what the text means. When he lays hold on you. He may touch you, but he can't get you in his grasp. You're in the Father's hand and Jesus' hand. Verse 19, true Christians belong to God. We know we are of God and the whole world lies in wickedness. John's fourth affirmation of what we know as Christians is that mankind is divided into two camps, those who belong to God and those who belong to the evil one. Those who have been born again and those who have not. There's no middle ground. No purgatory after death, no middle ground between the kingdom of Satan and the kingdom You don't have one leg in the kingdom of Satan and another leg in the kingdom of Christ. You're in one camp or the other. Not to be born of God is to be holy under the power of the evil one. Regardless of any doubts which the false prophets may have caused, John and his readers can be assured they belong to whom? The Father. We are of God. We know that. The word lieth or lies carries the idea of passivity. The whole world lies in wickedness. Those who are under the control of the satanic world system do not even struggle or try to be loosed from its power. They're in love with themselves and what they can obtain to make themselves look better than others. They're passive. They're not struggling to get out. They're lying under the control, and they like it. The Christian life of faith, love, and obedience is viewed as a bondage to the person who's in bondage to this present world. That's why people aren't knocking down the church doors of where apostolic preaching is going on to get to hear it. Lastly, salvation, verse 20, comes through the knowledge of God's Son, Jesus Christ, who is the true God. We know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true even in his Son, Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life. The fifth thing that a Christian knows for certain. is that salvation from sin comes only through the knowledge of God's Son, Jesus Christ. There's no other name given where? Under heaven or among men, whereby we must be saved. The Christian knows that.