The Vital Signs of Spiritual Life: 1st John Lesson 25

The Vital Signs of Spiritual Life

1 John 5:1-3

  We are ready to embark upon the final chapter of this very important letter of First John and what we find is an emphasis on evidence. For those who have been here for this study this should not come as a surprise. John has been giving us test after test since the beginning of the letter and he wants us to be able to look at the evidence of spiritual life in our lives and see whether the evidence is present or not. John wants us to know. That word “know” is used over 50 times in this letter. John knew that the possibility existed for someone to believe but not be regenerated. He writes these things so that those who believe in the name of the Son of God might know they have eternal life.

  What we find in the first three verses of chapter 5 is nothing new. We have often noted how John circles back to the same topics of discussion again and again, each time including some new insight. There have been some major themes throughout the letter we have seen and we find them summarized in these verses. We find the theme of faith, or believing, love – for God and one another, and obedience. Let’s read 1 John 5:1-3.

  I have entitled this message “The Vital Signs of Spiritual Life.” We know how important vital signs are in regards to physical life. When we go to the doctor they are invariably going to check your pulse, our blood pressure, your blood oxygen levels, and maybe your temperature. If they don’t find any of these vital signs present, you are at the wrong place. You need to be at a funeral home, or the morgue. If the vital signs are not there, there is no life in your body. You are dead. I did not go to medical school for a single day of my life but I promise you I am correct about that much. If you don’t have the vital signs of life, you don’t have life.

  The Apostle John may not have been a physician either, but he was an expert in the area of spiritual life. John has repeatedly emphasized for us the reality of certain indicators, certain evidences, certain signs that confirm the existence of spiritual life. He is leading us to an important self examination for the purpose of helping us draw an accurate conclusion based on the simple reality of chapter 5, verse 12. “He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son does not have the life.”

  Consistently throughout this letter John has brought us face to face with the tests of spiritual life. He has repeatedly emphasized the importance of faith in the truth concerning Jesus Christ. He started the letter by telling us that His testimony was regarding exactly what he had heard, seen, and touched with his hands concerning Jesus Christ. In 2:18-24 he came back to the truth concerning Christ and told us that “whoever confesses the Son has the Father also.” We saw this emphasis again in chapter 4. Verse 2 tells us that “every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is from God.” We have seen John circle back to the issue of believing, having faith in the truth concerning Jesus Christ.

  We have seen John repeatedly emphasize the reality of love for God and love for one another. We found this emphasis in 2:9-11. The one who hates his brother abides in darkness and the one who loves his brother abides in the Light.  Again in 3:11-18 we dove deeper into the topic of love for one another and saw the extent of this love. We ought to lay down our lives for the brethren and meet the physical needs of others. In 4:7-12 we saw John again come to the issue of love and tell us that those who are born of God will love with the love with which He has loved us. John has covered the issue of love for God and love for one another repeatedly. It is important.

  Obedience was the subject of 2:3-6. We know we have come to know Him because we keep His commandments. In 3:1-10 John discussed the importance of practicing righteousness, just as He is righteous. He  told us that no one who is born of God practices sin, and he cannot sin (habitually), because His seed abides in him and he is born of God. In 3:23-24 we find another place where John brings all three of these topics together.

  In these first three verses of 1 John 5 we find these three vital signs together in one short passage. Here John brings these three aspects of the Christian’s life together and weaves them together. John wants us to understand that in Christ, as a result of the spiritual birth that makes us a child of God, we will find these three realities woven together to form the fabric of spiritual life. If any of these elements is missing, the fabric is defective. The spiritual fabric of our lives must consist of believing, or having faith in the truth concerning Jesus Christ, love for God and one another, and obedience to the commandments of God. These are the vital signs of spiritual life.

  The first of these vital signs is belief in the truth concerning Jesus Christ. John says, “Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God.” In our culture, especially in the church, it can be difficult to find anyone who does not say they believe in Jesus as the Christ. Does this mean they are born of God? America is a nation of believers. There are many false teachers who have gone out into the world who say that believing in Jesus is all that is required to be a child of God.

  The problem is with an understanding of what it means to believe. The word in our language and culture represents the idea of intellectual assent. The definition of our English word involves a confidence in the certainty of something asserted, even though one does not have the ability to prove what is believed to be true. A lot of people believe in Jesus as a matter of historical fact. A lot of people believe many of the things that are true of Jesus. They believe He is God. They believe He died on the cross for their sins. They believe He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. They say He is the only way to heaven. They have an intellectually grasp on a lot of things that are factual about Jesus.

  Because John puts believing that Jesus is the Christ on par with loving the Father and loving the child born of Him, and observing God’s commandments on par with loving God, we can see that a belief that does not impact the way we live must be a faulty belief. To believe that Jesus is the Christ is to have faith in and trust in the reality of all that Jesus as the Christ represents.

  “Christos” means “anointed One.” Jesus Christ is God’s anointed. He is the unique Son of God whom we trust for salvation. He is our Redeemer, Savior, and Lord. If He is Lord, then those who truly believe in all that He is will trust Him, honor Him, obey Him, love Him, and serve Him. True faith in Jesus Christ leads us to submit to His authority and surrender to His lordship. To believe in Jesus as the Christ is to rely on Him to save us, to depend on Him to keep us saved, and to commit our lives to live for Him as a follower of our Lord. What I describe to you is a commitment not often associated with simply believing in Jesus. A lot of people believe in Jesus, without a commitment, without repentance, without love for God, or love for others, and without obedience to God’s commands for how we should live as His children.

  There is something I need to point out and explain about verse 1. The NASB and the KJV say essentially the same thing. “Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God.” The more accurate literal translation of the original would be “Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God.”  “Is born” is a perfect tense, passive voice participle. The perfect tense describes completed action with finished results in the present time. What John is telling us is that the result of believing has been produced because the one who believes has been born of God.

  I think this is consistent with what Scripture teaches about salvation being the work of God from start to finish. The act of believing is the result of the new birth which is the Holy Spirit’s work of regeneration. No one believes unless their eyes are opened and spiritual life is granted to them. Until the Holy Spirit regenerates, sinners are dead in their trespasses and sins. It is God, because He is rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, He made us alive together with Christ. (Ephesians 2:1-5)

  Salvation happens because God awakens the dead sinner. God quickens the deaf ears. God opens the blind eyes. The Holy Spirit regenerates and imparts new life and the dead sinner believes.

  We have gotten a nation full of people who believe in Jesus but who have not experienced the Holy Spirit’s work of regeneration. The church of America has a lot of people who believe, but who have never experienced the Holy Spirit’s work of regeneration. How did we get here? We got here by telling people that getting saved was as easy as intellectually assenting to the truth about the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Where there is no work of the Holy Spirit, there is no regeneration. Where there is no regeneration, there is no genuine saving faith. Where there is no genuine saving faith, there is no belief that Jesus is the Christ.

  The first vital sign of spiritual life is not a mere intellectual assent to a historical fact. The first vital sign of spiritual life is spiritual birth that regenerates the spiritually dead person and produces a belief that transforms how a person lives.

  Look closely again at verse 1. There is the statement we just examined. It is followed by the word “and.” He says, “and whoever loves the Father loves the child born of Him.” John uses the word “and” to connect these ideas together in a continuative sense. He is further explaining the results of the new birth. Those who are born of God love the Father and also loves the child born of Him.

  This new birth, this spiritual life not only has the vital sign of belief in Christ, it also has the vital sign of love for God the Father and love for those who are also born of the Father. If we are not born of God we will not love God. Those who are not born of God are not lovers of God, they are the enemies of God. They hate God. They reject God. They deny God His rightful place as the Sovereign Ruler of their lives. They are by nature children of wrath. They live under the domain of the prince of the power of the air. They love the world and the things in the world. The love of the Father is not in them, John has told us.

  When the miracle of spiritual birth occurs, there is a new love that springs from this new life. This is a love for God. We love Him because He first loved us. We love His word. We love time of communion with Him in prayer and fellowship with Him in the Scriptures. We love, not only Him, but everyone in whom the evidence of this spiritual life also dwells. We are drawn to our brothers and sisters in Christ. 

  If there is no love for God, nor a love for those born of God, there is no spiritual life. John has made it clear. Those who are born of God have God abiding in them. Where God abides His love abides. His love is not going to exist and not be seen. If it isn’t seen it isn’t there. If there is no love of God and love for those born of God, there is no spiritual life.

  The third vital sign is that of obedience to God’s commandments. John ties this vital sign to the second in verse 2. “By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and observe His commandments.” Verse 3 also says, “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome.”

  John makes an important connection. We know we love the children of God, when we love God and observe His commandments. We talked about this last week. The Law of God is summarized in two commandments, the greatest commandments. Love God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself. If we are not keeping both commandments we keep neither commandment. To break one is to break the whole of God’s commandments.

  The measure of our love for one another is our love for God and our commitment to keep His commandments. This is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome. This means His commandments are not wearisome. They are not grievous. 

  As are many of you I am reading through the Bible again and recently finished the book of Deuteronomy. The last part of that book details the blessings of God that He promised to His people if they would only be careful to observe His commandments and walk in His precepts and keep His ways. He would bless every aspect of their lives. 

  Turn to Deuteronomy 28. I want to read a portion of this chapter. I want you to decide what is burdensome. Is it obedience to the commandments of God that produce burdens, or is it disobedience?

  The vital signs of spiritual life are (1) belief in the truth about Jesus Christ. This is a belief that is much more than intellectual assent. It is a faith that is the result of being born of God. It is a faith, that we will see next week, facilitates our overcoming the world. (2) Love for God and love for the children of God. Spiritual life is a life shared in common among the children of God and we can’t help but love Him and love one another. (3) Obedience to the commandments of God.

  When a baby is born in the hospital, the child is immediately assessed. It is given a score called an Apgar score. The doctors assess the babies condition, looking at muscle tone, heart rate, reflexes, color, and breathing rate. This assessment is important to determine if the baby might need intensive care at this critical stage in life.

  John has given us the things we should be able to find in the life of every Christian. If we had an apgar score for the children of God it would be based on the evidence of faith, love, and obedience. While there could and should be more evidence than these, these are the basics. What would your spiritual apgar score be? If it isn’t a very high score, cry out to God. Humble yourself before Him and confess your need for the regenerative work of the Holy Spirit to transform you. He will hear your cry.

  Let’s pray.