Living in God’s Peace

by Jeff Curtis

One can be right with God when he doubts his faith, and one can be wrong with God when he feels that everything is right. The longing God is that we would both be saved and be assured of the reality of our salvation. Many of the believers John was writing to had doubts about their relationship with God and their eternal life. John, led by the Holy Spirit, didn’t reprimand them for their doubts, but did everything he could to convince them they should not have such doubts.

A confidence alongside my knowing I have eternal life (1John 5:13-15). John said they should live in confidence (5:13,14). What a difference we would all see in our lives if we lived in such confidence all the time! If we approach God asking for anything that is according to His will, He hears us. We don’t ever have to be concerned that God is too busy for us. If we know He hears whatever we ask, we know that we have what we ask of Him. That is a powerful statement. Our asking needs to be about what we know God wants. When we make our requests, there should be no doubt in our minds that God will grant them. We should live our lives as though they have already been granted to us (5:15).

We are to look after our brothers and sisters (5:16,17). John has talked about acts of sin that we commit when we are trying to walk in God’s light and about how the blood cleanses us in such situations. We have talked about confessing our sins to God when we know of them so that God, who is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, may take them away. We’ve talked about being people who continue to live in sin once we have been born of God – because He remains in us so that we cannot keep on sinning.

John emphasized that acts of sin are cleansed by the blood. He also stressed that if we continue in sin after we have been born of God and do not change our lives after becoming Christians, then we really have not been born of God or had our sins atoned for. The sinner must repent.

We are to stay in God’s keeping (5:18-20). As John reached the end of the book, he reminded us of several important truths: “We know that no one who is born of God sins; by He who was born of God keeps him, and the evil one does not touch him” (5:18). He spoke first of followers of Christ who don’t go on living the same way they did before they were born of God. We must be growing away from the influence of the wicked one. At the same time, John wanted us to know that the One who was born of God keeps us safe, and the evil one cannot harm us. Who is the One who was born of God? That is Jesus, who was born of God as the Holy Spirit came upon Mary to make her pregnant and give birth to Him. His the One who keeps us safe from the evil one when we are living a life of faith in God and striving to be like Him in all we do.

John said, “We know that we are of God, and that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one” (5:19). He put a huge divide between those who are living for God and those who are living for the devil. If we are God’s children, He is our Father; and we are always striving to live in a way that is pleasing to Him. We want to obey His teaching and imitate the life of Jesus. We may see just how evil we can become in this world. On the other hand, we may try hard to be the best person we know how to be; but without the help or cleansing of Jesus, we will fail.

The real question is “Who is leading us in life?” Our answer can’t be based on how well we are living morally. Satan may be convincing us that we are doing so well in the way we are living that we don’t need God, forgiveness, or a submission to God’s will to be cleansed from sin.

People’s lives were changed when they began to finally recognize that He was more than a great prophet. When He was raised from the dead and walked among them, breathing on them the Holy Spirit, their entire being changed. The apostles changed from a band of fearful men to a band of men preaching a saving Gospel to change the world.

Conclusion. Do you know that you have eternal life because you are in Christ, as one who, through faith, was baptized into Him? Are you living the life that means you know you have eternal life in His Son? The opportunity is there for all of us, but the choice is yours.

“For Such a Time as This”

by Jeff Curtis

The book of Esther is an excellent story of God’s providence in taking care of His children. This book is different from most of the books of the Bible. It is named for a woman and it describes the origin of a feast that is not spoken of anywhere else in the Old Testament. Nor does it mention God by name anywhere within its pages. It is not mentioned or quoted in the New Testament. It has been both greatly admired and viciously attacked by Jewish as well as Christian scholars.

In the story of Esther, she has become queen of the Persian empire. She keeps her identity a secret from the king. Knowing she is a Jew she feels may put her life in jeopardy. So, she neglects to tell the king about being a Jew and identifying herself with God’s people; “¹⁰ Esther had not revealed her people or family, for Mordecai had charged her not to reveal it” “²⁰ Now Esther had not revealed her family and her people, just as Mordecai had charged her, for Esther obeyed the command of Mordecai as when she was brought up by him” (Esther 2:10,20). The Jews were captives during the Persian reign.

In the end, through God’s providential care, her silence regarding her race worked out for the best. In order for that to happen, however, she had to be willing to tell the king that she was a Jew when the critical time arrived. To her credit, she did so, identifying herself as a Jewess and linking her destiny with that of her people.

Christians today should be willing, even proud, to identify themselves with God’s people, the church. Jesus identified Himself with the church. When Saul was persecuting Christians, Jesus asked him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” (Acts 9:4). To persecute members of Christ’s body was to persecute Jesus Christ Himself. In fact, Paul wrote that the church is “the fullness of Him who fills all in all” (Ephesians 1:23).

If we want to identified with Christ, we need to be active members of the Lord’s church. Biblically speaking, no one can truly be a follower of Christ without being a part of Christ’s church.

True Conversion

by Heath Rogers

“For they themselves declare concerning us what manner of entry we had to you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come” (1 Thess. 1:9-10, emphasis mine - HR).

The Thessalonians set a great example when they responded to Paul’s preaching. Notice, their conversion consisted of three actions.

First, they turned away from sin and towards God. To convert means to turn. God calls all men to repent (Acts 17:30). He never promised to save us from our sins while we remain in those sins. Have we turned our back on sin?

Second, they served God. Their faith not only turned them away from sin, but it moved them to pursue the true and living God and do His will. We are saved to serve, not to sit. Our faith must express itself in works of obedience to God’s will (James 2:14-26). Do we serve God?

Finally, they lived in hope. These Christians were suffering for their new-found faith, but they were not throwing in the towel. They knew their Lord had defeated the grave and was reigning in Heaven. It is from there that He will return to punish all who oppose Him and deliver His faithful into the Father’s presence (2 Thess. 1:6-10; 1 Cor. 15:24). Are our eyes fixed on Heaven, or are we still at home in this world?