DEALING WITH OUR DOUBT!

I John 5:1-13

INTRODUCTION: Today we will be dealing with our doubts from a biblical standpoint. Now, we

all know people who have honest doubts about the Word of God even when what it says is very

clear. The apostle John writing to the church said very clearly we can know now that we have

eternal life: 1 John 5:9-13. Sadly, even in the church men believe the word of other men and

doubt the Word of God. The apostle John wrote the Gospel of John so we could know how to

be saved. He wrote 1 John so we can have absolute assurance that we are saved! Now you can

be saved and still doubt it because having a doubt doesn’t mean you are unsaved, it simply

means you doubt your salvation. 2 Timothy 1:12. In 1 John, the apostle John gives us three

tests that we might know that we are saved!

I. THE COMMANDMENT TEST!

Number one is the commandment test. 1 John 2:3-6. This is such a simple test of our

salvation. If you claim to be saved but you do not keep the commands of God you are a fool or

a liar. Luke 6:46-49. Now John gets even more to the point: 1 John 3:6; I John 3:8; I John 3:9;

I John 1:8; I John 1:10; 1 John 2:1. So John is not saying here you cannot ever sin or you are not

saved. John is saying you cannot live in sin and truly be saved! When we get truly saved our

lives change to be like our Lord’s life. 2 Corinthians 5:17-18.

II. THE COMPANION TEST!

This next test John will tell us about is the companion test or the love test! 1 John 3:14.

How can you know for sure that you have passed from death unto life? Because we love our

brothers and sisters: 1 John 3:15; 1 John 4:20-21; 1 John 5:1. It is very clear here that if we

claim we love the Father we are going to love others. One of the signs of true salvation is that

we love to meet with others who love our Lord: Hebrews 10:24-25. Other believers may not be

easy to get along with but we love them anyhow. Now why is love a mark of true salvation?

Because when we are born of God, one of God’s attributes is love: 1 John 4:7-12. God is love

and when you are born again into His family you take on this characteristic of God! Jesus Christ

is the head of His body the Church and if we love Christ we will love His body.

III. THE COMMITMENT TEST!

The third test John gives us is the commitment test! 1 John 5:10-13. The Bible word for

“believe” means to commit, it means to trust. Now not do you have an intellectual concept of

Jesus Christ, but have you committed yourself to Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior?

Belief is always present tense in the Scriptures. Do you know right now that you are saved?

Not what you did twenty years ago: but do you today pass the commandment test? Do you

today pass the companion test? Do you today pass the commitment test? 1 John 5:10.

Salvation is not some thirty second experience that you get over! Is there right now an

assurance in your heart that you are a born-again son or daughter of God? 1 John 5:10.