BLESSED ASSURANCE
George Burnside
“Blessed assurance.
Jesus is mine.
O what a foretaste of Glory divine.”
The critic asks “how can a ‘Commandment Keeper’ sing this with assurance.”
GOD’S INFALLIBLE WORD GIVES A CLEAR ANSWER
The last writer in Scripture, reveals, how “WE KNOW.”
Our “Blessed Assurance is not based on mere man’s imagination, or a mortal’s claims or even on the hymn book, but upon the Word of the Living God through His “beloved disciple” and prophet. We must build on the “sure Rock of God’s Word.” Remember we face a deceiver. A “liar” who has many agents both inside and outside the church. Therefore we must take the Word of God, which gives us the Truth, the Whole Truth and nothing but the Truth.
Note some of the ‘WE KNOW’ texts.
1 JOHN 5:19 “And WE KNOW’ that we are of God, and the whole world lies in wickedness.” Or “lies in the lap of the wicked one.”
1 Timothy 6:20 “Oppositions of science falsely so called.” Creek word translated “science” is “Gnosis” Knowledge. “Knowledge” N.E.B.
“Theology” T.C.N.T. The Gnostics that plagued and held back the Early Church, were the self-styled “Intellectuals”, and “Theologians.” They claimed to know all. True knowledge was corrupted and counterfeited by these false teachers. The “Scripture of Truth” here gives us Truth and the “Spirit of Truth” reveals how ‘WE KNOW.’ ‘We Know’ is used over 30 times in John’s epistles.
SEVEN “WE KNOW”
1
l JOHN 2:3-4 “WE KNOW that WE KNOW him, if we keep his commandments. He that said, I know him, and keeps not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.”
2
1 JOHN 3:2 –3 “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it does not yet appear what we shall be: but WE KNOW that, when lie shall appear, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as He is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifies himself, even as he is pure.”
They “keep His Commandments”. They must be Seventh-day Adventists.
3
1 JOHN 3:18, “My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but indeed and in truth. And hereby WE KNOW that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him.”
They not merely rejoice in “Blessed Assurance” but they do it “in deed and in truth.” But on the other hand the self-styled “Intellectuals,” as in the Early Church cry this is “Salvation by Works!” “Legalism!” God’s Word says it is “In deed and in Truth.” “We have confidence toward God.” 1 John 3:21.
4
1 JOHN 3:24 “And he that keeps his commandments dwells in him, and he in him. And hereby WE KNOW that he abides in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.”
The Holy Spirit is only given to “them that obey Him.” Acts 5:32.
The Mighty Spirit of God is not given to those who merely claim “blessed assurance” while disobeying. John 14:14,15; John 15:10.
5
1 JOHN 4:13 “Hereby KNOW WE that we dwell in him, and he in us because he has given us of his Spirit.”
JOHN 15:5 “I am the vine, you are the branches: He that abides in me, and I in him, the same brings forth much fruit: for without me you can do nothing.”
Without Christ in the work = Nothing. Without Christ in the life = Nothing. Without Christ in the home = Nothing. Without Christ in eternity = Nothing.
JOHN 15:6 “If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned.”
HOW WE ABIDE IN CHRIST
JOHN 14:10 “Believe thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? The words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwells in me, he does the works.”
Many, many claim “Blessed Assurance” but bear no fruit. They are merely tied to the vine by the string of profession. Note the words of our Lord.
MATTHEW 15:8, 9 “This people draws nigh unto me with their mouth, and honors me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.”
By mere profession they are pious from the teeth out. But they neither love nor obey God. They neither please God nor profit themselves.
6
1 JOHN 5:2, 3 “By this WE KWOW that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.”
Where there is God’s love, His law is not a “Yoke of Bondage.”
7
1 JOHN 5:18 “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.”
Those who plan to keep on sinning to the “End”, live in a Fool’s Paradise. Our Lord has given us these seven texts on ‘WE KNOW’. They are certain. Here we can have “Blessed Assurance.” It is not a mere mortal’s imagination. This is “Sure” and “Certain.”
MATTHEW 24:25 “Behold, I have told you before.” JOHN 10:35 “The scripture cannot be broken.”