I'll take it a little further...."I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life." A beautifull verse to be sure.However the last part always seemed a little enigmatic to me (if that's even the right word to use)..."....and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God" If the "work of God" is to "believe on Him whom He has sent" (and it it,John 6:29) then what I think 1 John 5:13 is saying is that if you believe on the name of Jesus then you may know you have life and now you may do the work of God.
Looking back on my earlier post regarding the renewing of our minds it seems that not only "may" we know but it is actually critical that we DO know.It is our starting point in our relationship with God.It made "as a little child" and "a sound mind" and "fear not" and "enter into HIS rest" and "Abba,Father" and "ceased from His own works" and many many more verses jump out from the pages at me.
How many times do we hear the phrase..."I know but it hasn't sunk in yet" ? I'm sure pretty much everyone alive would identify with that to some degree.
With that thought in mind the following verses....
"work out your own salvation with fear and trembling."
"Study to shew thyself approved"
"Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest"
"give diligence to make your calling and election sure"
.....sound a lot like 'get this to SINK IN'
Which then made "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." ...jump out all the more.Thus,,,if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and it SINKS IN to you that God actually raised Him from the dead then you will be saved!
2 Peter 1:10 really goes all the way with this I think...."IF you do these things you shall NEVER FALL" (now there's a guarantee if ever there was one!) What things? making your election and calling SURE!
I'll end by saying practically every prayer of Paul's was that believers would understand,take hold on,comprehend,grasp what we have been FREELY GIVEN.That all of what God has given us would sink into our desperately wicked hearts,past our know it all minds and deep into our spirit to effect our transformation from the most inward part of us to that outward part that the world sees!
pheeew!!! I can take a breath now.I almost turned blue getting that out,muddled mish mash that it is.
Grace and peace to you BB.
Muddled mish mash??? Hardly! That was inspired writing! Isn't it so cool that when we let God speak through us, that he gives us just the right words to say? I also know that when it happens, first, we KNOW it isn't us coming out with all that, and second, that we know God has just the right person(s) in mind that it will touch their hearts. We may not ever know this side of glory who we influenced for Christ, but HE knows.
I just got back from brushing my teeth and getting ready for bed, when I started thinking about what it would take for me to give up my eternal security. I cannot imagine thinking that God expects us to live for him without giving us his Spirit to enable us to live for him. And, if we have the indwelling Holy Spirit, he is there for the long haul.
Some, who think it is "sin" to express assurance of our salvation, must think that this gift of God is something that we accept but then tell him to "put it on the shelf until I get to the end of my life and see if I deserve it or not." MERCY! I cannot understand how they can't see that is the same thing as saying we work for our salvation. And if we do, then it is NOT grace that saves us. Yet God's word is FULL of statements to the contrary. While we were YET sinners, Christ died for us. God knows we can never merit eternity with him, but by his mercy and grace we can receive his gift of everlasting life through faith in Jesus Christ. Someone shared that wonderful truth with me long ago, and it "took". In the same way when you and I speak the truth in love, God's word does not return to him void, it accomplishes what he sends it out to do. God bless you, dear Mitch!
It was great.
I'll end by saying practically every prayer of Paul's was that believers would understand,take hold on,comprehend,grasp what we have been FREELY GIVEN. That all of what God has given us would sink into our desperately wicked hearts,past our know it all minds and deep into our spirit to effect our transformation from the most inward part of us to that outward part that the world sees!
It's really awesome when some truth of Scripture makes its way from the head to the heart and really lands there and sinks in. That just happened with me for something I've known and believed for some 30+ years of walking with Christ. It really sunk in today in a new way and all I could do was gasp and go *Oh WOW!*.