In concluding our studies on 1 John, we discussed the things we have learned from the whole letter. One of the things that has particularly struck us in the number of times John uses the words ‘we know.’ (see 1 John 2:3, 13, 18-19, 20, 29, 3:3, 14, 16, 19-20, 24; 4:13, 16; 5:2, 13, 15, 18-20). There is a black-and-white quality to John’s writing which is at odds with the world’s current obsession with ‘tolerance’ and ‘uncertainty.’ Whilst there are many things we freely admit we do not know, here are some of the things John is adamant we do know!
We know God.
We know Jesus. We know He is righteous. We know and rely on His love.
We know truth. Everything in life has to be measured against God’s truth to see if it is authentic or counterfeit.
We know our relationship to God – we are His beloved children.
We know the world’s relationship to God – it is under the control of the evil one, but is loved by God and therefore we love the sinner, even as we hate the sin.
We know obedience is the outworking of love.
We know we have eternal life.
We know God listens to us and hears us.
We know we have what we ask of God.
We know we have a personal relationship with God.
Today, if you’re wrestling with all the things you don’t know or don’t have answers for, come back to John’s list of what we do know and rest in these truths.