Second Sunday in Lent

SERMON - Our Salvation Is a Gift from God!

INI

Text: 1 John 2:12-17

I write to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for His name’s sake. I write to you, fathers, because you have known Him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you have overcome the wicked one. I write to you, little children, because you have known the Father. I have written to you, fathers, because you have known Him who is from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the wicked one. Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.

In Christ Jesus, through whom we have been saved and so can be confident, fellow redeemed:

Uncertainty…it can be devastating! It can cause the stock market to plunge. It can cause products to remain unsold. It can cause divisions between peoples and nations. It can cause love to wither and die. Is it any surprise, then, that Satan would try to use uncertainty to undermine our confidence in God and our certainty of salvation? No, in fact we might expect it!

God does not want us to be uncertain about His loving intentions towards us, or the wonderful future He is preparing for us! That is why the Holy Spirit inspired John to record Jesus’ words so very clearly in his Gospel. It is hard to misunderstand Jesus’ meaning and intent when He says: “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (3:16). It is likewise hard to misunderstand the formula of salvation presented by Paul to the Ephesians: “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast” (2:8-9). Yet, down through the ages and even today Satan has succeeded in blinding people’s eyes to these truths, and thereby caused great uncertainty to arise within their hearts.

This was certainly the case in the late first century when John wrote his epistles to the believers in Asia Minor. Their faith was being undermined by a group of false teachers known as the Gnostics. These false teachers claimed that the New Testament scriptures did not adequately explain God’s truths concerning salvation. They further claimed that in order to be sure of salvation, a person had to obtain a secret body of knowledge known only by the Gnostic teachers themselves. That secret body of knowledge, however, inevitably contradicted the clear teachings of Scripture. The same thing could be said of Mormons, or of the various New Age movements, or any other of a number of religious sects today. John reiterates in our text that OUR SALVATION IS A GIFT FROM GOD! He goes on to explain that it is personal, it is complete, and it is everlasting!

I.

Yes, our salvation is personal! Our text is so very interesting. In the original language the first several verses are actually a poem. They address three different groups of people personally and individually—children, fathers, and young men, and they do so two times each. The intention is not to exclude others who might not fall into those three groups, but to emphasize that what John was here writing applied to individuals, no matter who they might be—indeed children, fathers, and young men, but also older people, mothers, and young women. John, who addresses all of his readers as “children” in his second epistle, certainly would not exclude any of his readers as he seeks to impart God’s divine truth to them.

To John and to our Heavenly Father, therefore, we are not simply a nameless mass of humanity, but rather individual souls saved by Jesus’ redemptive work. We are souls whom God has created, whom God has gifted, whom God has now adopted, whom God now instructs, and whom God now guides. The Gnostics suggested that people were not anybody, if they did not know their secret body of information, but that they would be somebody if only they would submit themselves to their select instruction. Then they would be noticed by God. But listen to John in the opening section of this epistle. Does John make it sound as if God does not know us, if we only understand the gospel of Christ? John writes: “That which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. And these things we write to you that your joy may be full” (1:3-4). If through the simple gospel of Christ we know both God the Father and Jesus, His Son; and if through the simple gospel of Christ John tells us that our joy will be “full,” then we can be absolutely certain of our relationship with God and our personal salvation. Indeed, OUR SALVATION IS A GIFT FROM GOD! It is personal!

II.

It is also complete! How do we know that? John was writing his epistle in opposition to the Gnostic teachers, who created uncertainty in the minds of those who listened to them, claiming that the gospel of Jesus Christ was insufficient. As he addresses his individual readers, John states four truths that are absolutely certain for every single believer.

First of all, John says: “Your sins are forgiven you for His name’s sake!” Never let anyone convince you that your sins have not been forgiven…that somehow you must do something in addition to the sacrifice that Jesus Christ made on Calvary’s cross to gain forgiveness. John speaks in a past tense when he assures us our sins are forgiven, for as he explained earlier in his epistle, Jesus’ death on the cross was “the propitiation (a satisfactory payment) for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world” (2:2).

Secondly, John says: “You have known Him (that is, your heavenly Father) who is from the beginning.” You and I may rest assured that we know the one, true God. He has revealed Himself to us clearly through the Scriptures. He will not hide Himself from us, nor will He dangle before us an uncertain promise of inclusion in His family. He would never do that! Can He be any clearer than He is in Isaiah 44:6-8, “I (the LORD, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, the LORD of Hosts) am the First and I am the Last; besides Me there is no God…. Do not fear, nor be afraid; have I not told you…? You are My witnesses. Is there a God besides Me? Indeed, there is no other Rock; I know not one!” Can Paul be any clearer about our relationship with the Father than to assure us: ‘You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (Galatians 3:26-27)?

Thirdly, John says: “You have overcome the wicked one!” Notice, that John does not say, “You will overcome,” but that “You have overcome!” Jesus has overcome Satan—“the wicked one,” and we share in that victory. Oh, yes, Satan is still around, but he is mortally wounded. He will be condemned to eternal punishment in hell on the last day. We will stand with Jesus as He carries out that sentence. Consequently, while we must be on our guard with regard to Satan, we do not have to fear him!

Fourthly, John says: “You are strong, and the word of God abides in you!” Notice, again, that John does not say “you can be strong,” or “you will be strong”—he says, “You are strong!” Our strength is tied directly to our use of His Word. We may not feel strong, but we are strong when we immerse ourselves in God’s Word and use it on a daily basis, for that Word is strong and abiding! You could say that every one of our Kindergartners is pumping spiritual iron each day with Mrs. Olmanson, as they learn their Bible stories and memorize their Bible passages! OUR SALVATION IS A GIFT FROM GOD! It is indeed complete!

III.

It is also everlasting! The second half of our text deals with John’s warnings about the sinful world. He writes: “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.”

The word “world” is used in several different senses in the Bible. In John 3:16, which I quoted in the introduction to this sermon, the word “world” refers to all of humanity, whom God has indeed loved so much that He sent His Son to be their Savior. Here, however, the word “world” refers to everything that opposes God around us—the rebellious spirit of man and his love for everything God has forbidden. John describes this as “the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.” Our world is saturated with things that Satan uses to draw our eyes, our hearts, and our minds away from God and His gracious good will—sexual pleasures outside of marriage, the highs associated with both drug and alcohol abuse, the rush of illegal activities which give us a sense of living at risk and being in control, the pursuit of all of the supposed happiness that money can buy!

If we “love” this world, John says, “the love of the Father” is not in us. The word for “love” here is the powerful word “agape.” It refers to a love of understanding and purpose. If our understanding of life is shaped by this sinful world; if our purpose in life is to fit into this sinful world and to enjoy this sinful world with little or no thought about our Savior God, then we have fallen from grace and do not love God! What is even worse for us is that such a chosen path will inevitably bring us sorrow and ruin, for this “world is passing away.” All of the things that we see around us, that seem so impressive and so desirable will ultimately cease to exist. They will, as Peter notes in his 2^nd Epistle, be burned up with all of creation on the last day (cf. 3:10). All that will remain for those who live in defiance of God at that point will be the eternal judgment of their souls in hell.

My dear friends, God does not want that for any of us! We are to love God above all things! That means that our understanding of life is to be shaped by the eternal truths of God. That means that our purpose in life has been established by God. We are His children, redeemed by the blood of His Son, and destined to be heirs of eternal life. As John says, “He who does the will of God abides forever!” Let us, therefore, strive to fulfill the will of God in our lives every day! That will is clearly revealed in Scripture. It is not hidden as the ancient and modern day Gnostics would suggest. You do not have to go to Salt Lake City or to the mountains of Tibet to find the will of God. Sit down with your Scriptures! Simply love as you have been loved! Forgive as you have been forgiven! Remember to give as you have received, trusting that God can and always will give more in return so that your every need will be met! Above all remember that OUR SALVATION IS A GIFT FROM GOD! It is personal, complete, and everlasting! What more could we ever want or need? Amen!

—Pastor Paul D. Nolting
To God alone be the glory!