We know God, we know the truth
And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding so that we may know the true one. We are in the true one—that is, in his Son, Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. Little children, guard yourselves from idols. 1 John 5:20-21 CSB
As a final reminder to the purpose of this letter, John wrote the letter for encouraging the believers who began to doubt their salvation due to false teachers and antichrists that infiltrated their midst, who said that the Lord Jesus Christ did not die physically and therefore, salvation through Him is void, as well as that salvation can only be gained through other spiritual special means. Throughout the letter, as we have seen this past month, John refuted these points, emphasizing that salvation is through the Son, and that those that claim otherwise are false. So, closing here, John ends with a reassuring statement, “We are in the true One—that is, in His Son, Jesus Christ. He is the true God and have eternal life.” John is essentially telling them to not fear or doubt their salvation, for if they have the Son, they are secure and have eternal life. From John’s gospel account, we know that believers cannot lose their salvation, as seen in John 10:28, spoken by Jesus saying, “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of My hand.” Finally, John gives one challenge, “Little children, guard yourselves from idols.” Anything apart from worshipping and serving the true One is idol worship. In the case of the false teachers, their idols came in the form of worldly pleasure and self-idolization. John challenges the believers to not succumb to this temptation. Throughout the Old Testament, we see Israel walk away from the Lord to pursue idols of other nations, which leads to Israel’s decline. John wants to protect the believers from experiencing such pain and suffering apart from the Lord. Therefore, guard yourselves. Be vigilant. Know that if you have a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, you are secure in your salvation. Jesus is the only “way, the truth and the life” (John 14:6a). If you believe that Jesus is the only way and that believing Him is believing in the truth, therefore you should have no other god but Him alone. Let us not face eternity with uncertainty, whether we are going to heaven or hell. God wants us to be certain, “No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will also know my Father” (John 14:6b).
Blessings,
Isaac De Guzman
