1 John 5:18 We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not. 19: And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness. 20: 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. 21: Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.

Introduction

We come now to the closing section of this epistle. As he closes this letter, the apostle John summarizes some of the main subjects that he has covered earlier in this epistle. You will notice that three of the last four verses of this letter begin with the phrase “we know”. “We know . . .” (v18); “And we know . . .” (v19); “And we know . . .” (v20). There are many things that we don’t know in this life. I love what Thomas Edison once said, “We don’t know a millionth of one percent about anything”. We Christians do not claim to know it all. There are many things that we do not know, but thank God there are things that we do know. As Christians there are things that we are fully persuaded of. We Christians know things that the lost world do not know and cannot know as long as they reject God and His Word.

This morning, as we conclude our study on this short but amazing letter, I invite you consider with me three great things that we that are born again Christians know and are fully assured of. And these precious certainties are the Christian’s Practices, the Christian’s Protection, and the Christian’s Perception. 

I – The Christian’s Practice

1 John 5:18 We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not ...

John addressed this letter to those who have been begotten of God and he reminded them that those who have been born again “sinneth not”. “Sinneth not” is in present tense, meaning this is not an isolated, or occasional sin or disobedience, but a continual course of sin. A true born-again Christian does not practice sin as his lifestyle. This doesn’t mean he will never sin or disobey God. John in the earlier chapters made clear that Christians can and will sin.

1 John 1:8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9: If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10: If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

1 John 2:1 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:

1 John 5:16 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.

But having made it clear that Christians do sin, John reminds them that believers will not be dominated by sin. There may be falling in sin and failure in practice in the life of a Christian from time to time, but there cannot be a continual, habitual, and persistent practicing of sin.

Steven Cole puts it this way, “While true believers do fall into sin, they cannot live in it indefinitely. The changed nature results in changed behavior. If a pig falls into a mud hole, he wallows in it and doesn’t try to get out, because that is its nature. But if a sheep falls in a mud hole, it wants to get out, get cleaned up, and avoid that hole in the future, because it has a different nature. So, it is with a true child of God”.

The reason why a true Christian does not and cannot practice sin is because of the new birth. That’s what we read in our text, “We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not” (v18). He “sinneth not” because he has been born of God. Earlier in this letter, John wrote, “Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God” (1 John 3:9). We who are genuine Christians do not and cannot habitually practice sin, not because of our own power and ability, but because we have been born of God and because we have God’s “seed” in us, and that “seed” abides in us. The “seed” refers to the fact that we have been partakers of divine nature through the new birth. Our new nature prevents us Christian from habitually sinning and gives us power and desire to live godly and righteously. Jack Arnold writes, “The Christian, after having received a new spiritual birth from God, comes to a certain realization that he can no longer continue in sin as a habit of life as he did as an unsaved person. The new birth changes the Christians attitude about sin, and this will result in an accompanying change in the life”. We find that truth set forth in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new”.

II – The Christian’s Protection

Another thing that we are certain of is our protection.

1 John 5:18 ... but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not. 19: And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.

We are certain of our protection from the wicked one who is none other than Satan himself. Satan is the wicked one. This title emphasizes the evil nature of Satan. He is out there to sow seeds of wickedness. As Morgan observes, “Ruined himself [Satan], his whole purpose and effort are to ruin others. Wickedness is the element in which he lives and delights”. Satan doesn’t want to perish alone. He is determined to take everyone else with him in his final doom and destruction.

But thank God, we Christians are certain that the wicked one cannot touch us. Our text says, “that wicked one toucheth him not”. This doesn’t mean that Satan cannot harass us or attack us, because he can, and he does. He is still like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. He still can and does throw fiery darts at us. He still can and does tempt us and sift us like wheat as he did with Peter.

So, what is John saying that Satan cannot touch us? The Devil may attack us, and his attacks may be mean and fierce, and it can bring great fear, but we know that he can never destroy the true child of God. The Devil can oppress us, but one thing he cannot do, he cannot separate us from Christ and His love!

Romans 8:35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36: As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 37: Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 38: For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39: Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

What a comforting truth this is, that the Devil will completely fail in trying to snatch us out from the Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

John 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: 28: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. 29: My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.

We Christians are safe and secure in this present life and for all eternity from being touched and snatched by the devil! Why so? Because we have a great Saviour! Our security lies in the fact that Jesus Christ is at the right hand of the Father ever interceding for us. In Luke 22, we are told that Satan desired to sift Peter, to shake Peter violently so his faith will fail and lost forever. But then we see our Lord giving Peter words of assurance in Luke 22:31-32, “And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: 32: But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.”

But now as we are reminded of this great assurance that Satan cannot touch us and cannot snatch us out of the Father’s and the Saviour’s hand, we still have the responsibility to keep ourselves. Look at our text again, 1 John 5:18 ... but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not.

We must still recognize the need to watch and pray, to be sober and be vigilant. We still have the responsibility to keep ourselves, that is to refrain from the lusts and desires of the flesh. As James the brother of our Lord says, you have the responsibility to “submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). And the apostle Paul also reminds us we have the responsibility to “abstain from all appearance of evil (1 Thess 5:22).

Understand that our security in Christ does not negate or eliminate our responsibility to keep ourselves and to watch and pray.

III – The Christian’s Perception

The next thing that we are certain of is our perception, that is what we understand.

1 John 5:19 And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.

Because we are of God, that is, because we belong to God, we know and understand the whole world, is under the power of the wicked one. This is the reason the world, its philosophy, its ways, its wisdom are all opposed to God, opposed to Christ, and opposed to His people. It’s because the whole world is under the control of the Devil. But we will not let the world to deceive us, we will not submit to the world, for we through the Lord Jesus Christ have overcome the world. While the whole world remains in the hand of the wicked one, we who are born of God are in the loving and gracious and powerful hand of God.

Reading on ...

1 John 5:20 And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding...

The Christian has been given spiritual understanding that the world knows nothing about and cannot know. God has revealed truth to us by His Spirit. One of the truths that He has revealed unto us is that the Son of God has come. Here John focuses again on the incarnation of Christ because that is the doctrine that the false teachers in his days was attacking and denying. John writes in chapter 4 verses 2 to 3, “Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world”. The Son of God has come into the world and “made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross” (Phil 7:7-8).

While the world rejects and opposes Jesus Christ and His incarnation, those of us who know Him believe Him and His incarnation with our whole heart. We are grateful that Jesus Christ has come not only into the world but also into our heart and life.

1 John 5:20 ... 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 one who is the true God and eternal life has come live in us and with us. May we never take this truth for granted. May we always be time in our daily life where we stop and give Him thanks for saving us, for giving us spiritual understanding, for delivering us from this present evil world, for giving us eternal life, for dwelling is us who is the true and eternal life! What a blessing and a privilege it really is to be a true child of God!

Closing Thoughts 

John concludes this epistle with a final and a solemn warning in 1 John 5:21, “Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.” Having just declared in verse 20 that Jesus Christ, the Son of God is the true God, and eternal life, John now closes his letter with words of warning against idols. As I have said earlier, it is our responsibility to keep ourselves from the world and now John warns his readers to keep themselves from idols. What is an idol? An idol is a “substitute god.” It could be a graven image. It could be wrong thoughts or false concepts about God. Or it could be anyone, or anything, that takes the rightful place of God in our lives. We must guard our hearts against anyone or anything that seeks the place that God should have in our lives, whether they be graven images, wrong concept about God, or anything that which occupies the place of God.

But in context, John issued this warning to his readers against the false teaching about Jesus Christ. As we saw in our past lessons, in his days, John was dealing with the false teachers known as the Gnostics. These Gnostics denied the God of the Bible. They did not believe that Jesus Christ is eternal God in human flesh. So, in light of the Gnostics’ false god and false Jesus, John gave this warning to his “little children” to guard themselves from idols.

Don’t be an idolater. You may not be bowing down to and praying to a wooden or carved image, but you may have substituted someone or something in your life for the true God. If you are to become a true child of God, you must know Him that is true, even God’s Son Jesus Christ, the true God, and eternal life. You must turn from your idols to the true and living God. How do you turn to God? There is one and only one God, and one and only one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus (1 Tim 2:5). Our Lord Jesus also tells us in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house” (Acts 16:31).

AMEN!