Title: What We Know
(Lecture 56) 1 John 5:19-20 What we know
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And we know that we belong to God, and the whole world lies in the evil one, and we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us understanding, that we may know the true, and that we are in the true, his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life (1 John 5:19-20).
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Verse 19 says, “And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lies in the evil one.” If you look at these words, you can see how God divides the world. For God, the world is divided into those who belong to God and those who are in the evil one. To say that we belong to God, but not to say that we belong to the evil one, but to say that we are in the evil one, is to say what the first situation of all human beings in the world was like. In other words, all human beings in the world are born in a state of being evil from birth. In the midst of this, God chose and delivered them, and made them those who belong to God, so that they can live as those who know God.
Therefore, those who belong to God know what kind of situation they were in and look forward to being rescued from that situation with great grace.
However, the world is ignorant of the human condition. They live in the present joy without seeing that they are in the evil one and that the end will be destruction. This is the ignorance and folly of the world.
But the believer knows what the wickedness of the world is. But despite knowing it, you cannot escape from evil. Because of this, they mourn for themselves, who are still in their wickedness. And you will always be deeply aware in your heart that the only way you can live is to rely on Jesus Christ, who died and rose again for your sins. This is the believer's shift in thinking. As a new person, I started living with a new mindset.
However, these thoughts were not created by our wisdom. Verse 20, “And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us understanding, that we may know the true one, and that we are in the true one, his Son Jesus Christ, who is the true God and eternal life.” All that we have come to know of the true man and what the human condition is is because the Son of God has given us understanding. Therefore, the people of the world who do not belong to God, to which understanding is not given, are in a state of ignorance of what the believer knows. In a nutshell, words don't work.
The world does not know what will become of the world. Therefore, they consider that everything goes well when things in the world go well. I regard it as all happiness. They do not know that the world in which they live is enveloped in sin and darkness, and that the end will be destruction. However, because the believer knows what will happen in the world, he knows that the world is not happy, and that just because things in the world are going well does not mean that we are doing well. I only know that the only thing that prospers for me is to live as a believer in the true Jesus. This is a sensible believer.
A believer doesn't mean a person a little nicer than the world's. People often think of doing a lot of good deeds when they say ‘like a believer’, but again, doing a lot of good deeds has nothing to do with being a believer. Of course, as a believer, when we live in the spirit of Christ, our lives may be seen as ethical and moral in the eyes of the world. However, you have to think that you are not a believer because you have done good deeds, but that you are living in the spirit of Christ because you are a believer.
There are many people who are evaluated as good even if they are not believers. Considering this, to distinguish believers based only on goodness is to break down the dividing line between the believer and the world.
It is sufficient that the believer is born of God and belongs to God. There is no need to attach any other conditions here. Then how can we know that we are born of God? It proves that I know the true one. Knowing the true person is not something that anyone can know, but it is because we must be understood by the true person. In this respect, even if the world shows a lot of goodness, it is evaluated that it is in the world only because it does not know the true One.
Those who belong to God and those who do not belong to God are bound to reveal themselves differently. Because they have different ideas, thoughts, and values. It is said that those who are in the world do not need to know God or know Jesus. Because there is no problem in living in the world. Because they are given only the world's in their hands, but they are satisfied with it. For this reason, calling on the name of God and seeking the things of the world cannot be said to be the image of those who belong to God. Because it is the salvation of those who do not see the end of the world.
The thoughts of those who belong to God are thoughts that come from the understanding of knowing the true one. To the true, God's love, mercy, and mercy are revealed. Therefore, to know the true one means to know the mercy, love, and mercy of God. If we know God's love, mercy, and compassion like this, we cannot help but want to love our brothers and sisters. You stop thinking of your brother as an object of competition and envy, or an object of boasting.
And to know the true one means to know who you are. Knowing the essence of my existence, self-pride disappears, and since I confess that I am an evil person who was born in sin, pride cannot come out when dealing with my brothers. This is brotherly love, and brotherly love is also shown through the understanding of knowing the true one. These are the appearances of those who belong to God.
To belong to God means to be ordained to return to God. Therefore, the life of those who belong to God is directed toward God. It is not that I know I am going that way, but that God is leading those who belong to God to that path. Knowing this, the believer can think, 'God wants to lead me to God through this work' in any event.
What we do know is that because God is leading us, believers will eventually live with God in eternal life. We have come to know this by the understanding given by the True One. Do you enjoy this blessing of knowing what the world does not know? Knowing this blessing, we cannot but praise God, and knowing God's love and mercy, we cannot come to God and reveal our desires. It is not that we suppress our desires, but that we know how evil our desires are in the sight of God.
When we come to know the true One, we can only thank Him before Him. We are only thankful for the tremendous blessing that we, who were destined to perish, were saved as those who would enjoy eternal life. So the believer only boasts of Him. I just thank and praise him for his power that made me who I am. This is the one who belongs to God.
1 Corinthians 2:2 says, “For I have determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.” This does not mean that we do not need to know anything other than the cross, but that all knowledge is worthless except the cross of Jesus Christ. Because there is no life. Knowing Jesus is the most precious knowledge. Jesus has given us this blessing of knowledge. Therefore, believers who are born of God and have the understanding to know the true person are enjoying precious blessings. I hope you will live as those who enjoy the blessings of those who know Jesus.