Certainty Part IV
Believers Belong To God
I remember a time not long ago when I felt safer in the world I live in than I do now. Many people have long believed this is one of the best places in the world. We can have some room to move around in, not be totally overrun by other people, experience freedom, and feel very safe. We are close to a city that offers a place to shop, get medical care, and find various things to do. I never used to think twice about being safe going to Billings. That's changed; I do think about that in several ways, one of which is harm being inflicted on my family and myself in Billings. I don't lose sleep over it, but a certain degree of uncertainty exists today. So I have been writing to offer some certainties for life as found in I John 5. This is the fourth certainty for those who follow Jesus Christ that they should be confident that they belong to God.
I John 5:19 says, "We know that we are of God, and that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one." Let's split this verse in two. When we do that, it reveals two types of people in this world. Some are "of God," and those who lie in the power of the "evil one." We can say it like this, "There are saved and unsaved people in this world. You may or may not be familiar with these terms, but they are distinguished by what you do with Jesus Christ.
Let’s start with the saved person. We addressed this in the first certainty in I John 5:12, "He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life." In this context, the term "saved" comes from an understanding that someone has been saved from their sin and has eternal life with God. This verse explains that this kind of life comes from Jesus Christ. To "have the Son" means that you have believed or trusted that He is the Son of God who took on flesh and blood to take the punishment of our sin, which is eternal death. We are about to celebrate "Easter," where we remember that Christ died for our sins. That's accepting the punishment for our sins and then that He was resurrected to life again, conquering sin and death. By believing that, you appropriate what Jesus did for you and are saved.
The other side is that those who don't do that, who don’t believe, are lost in their sin; they are unsaved. Instead of Christ taking the penalty for their sin, they must suffer the consequences themselves. That is eternal separation from God in a place the Bible calls "hell" or the "lake of fire."
This brings us back to the original certainty. The “we” is the saved part, which says that those who are saved belong to God, "we know that we are of God." I Corinthians 6:19, 20 says, "Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? You have been bought with a price; therefore, glorify God in your body.” The price paid was the price of Jesus' blood, shed on the cross, to pay for your sin. You now then belong to God.
In all the uncertainty of life, some certainties are given by God to those who are saved. One of the most beneficial studies you can make is studying God and who He is. As you see and understand God, you can more effectively experience the certainties of God as they relate to your life. It starts with salvation, being saved. Have you understood your need for Jesus because of your sin? Then, have you believed and trusted in Him for your salvation?
Ephesians 1:13,14 – “In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation, having also believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge to our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.”
Pastor Lynn Rettig
Musselshell Community Bible Church
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