1 John 3 Lesson

Our focus verse for today’s lesson is taken from John’s first epistle:

• “If our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God.” – 1 John 3:21.

To fully understand the power of this scripture, we need to break it down into two parts:

1. “If our heart does not condemn us.” -1 John 3:21a.
2. “We have confidence before God.” -1 John 3:21b.

PART 1 | “IF OUR HEART DOES NOT CONDEMN US” (1 JOHN 3:21A)

John uses the word “condemn” in the above statement.

To condemn means:

• “To pronounce to be guilty, to sentence to punishment, or to pass judgment against.” (Source: mountaineagle.com)

When we go before our Father on Judgment Day, will He condemn us for having a hard heart that focuses on ourselves and the ways of the world?

Or will we have confidence going before Him knowing that while on Earth we worked hard to glorify Him and serve others?

That we made it a point to study the Bible every day and apply what we have learned.

Our Father knows everything about us, including our hearts.

If our motives are selfish, God knows it.

If our motives are pure, He knows that too!

There is no fooling God, period.

Listed below are three scriptures that have one thing in common.

They all talk about God knowing the heart.

1. “Every person’s way is right in his own eyes, but the Lord examines the hearts.” - proverbs 21:2,
2. But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for  God does not see  as man sees, since man looks at  the outward appearance,  but the Lord looks at the heart.” -1 Samuel 16:7,
3. “I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, to give to each person according to his ways, according to the results of his deeds.” -Jeremiah 17:10.

PART 2 | “WE HAVE CONFIDENCE BEFORE GOD” (1 JOHN 3:21B)

As previously mentioned, our salvation begins and ends with Jesus.

Therefore, if we want to be confident when we go before God on Judgment Day, we need to prepare ourselves while we are on Earth.

Different denominations have differing opinions about what is necessary to go to Heaven.   In the end, the only thing that matters is what God says on the subject.

Listed below are five things the Bible teaches us that are necessary for salvation along with the corresponding scriptures.  

1. Believe in Jesus.  “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.” –  Acts 16:31, 
2. Confess our belief in Him.  “For with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.” –  Romans 10:10, 
3. Repent (turn away from) of our sins.  “Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” –  Luke 13:3, 
4. Be baptized.  “ Baptism  now saves you—not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience—through the resurrection of Jesus Christ .” –  1 Peter 3:21  and “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” –  Mark 16:16, 
5. Obey God’s commandments.  “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.”  –  Mathew 7:21. 

CONCLUSION

God knows our hearts!

He knows if our motives are pure or selfish.

If we have pure hearts and are putting God first in our lives, we will have nothing to worry about on Judgment Day.

If, however, our motives are selfish, and we are following the evil ways of the world and not God, Judgment Day is something to be feared.

There are five matters of salvation that are mentioned in the Bible.

1. Belief in Jesus,
2. Confessing our belief in Him,
3. Repenting of our sins,
4. Being baptized,
5. Obeying God’s commands.

If we have done these five things, and in our hearts we live to glorify God and serve others, not ourselves, our hearts will not condemn us and we can have confidence before the Lord.

We will end today’s lesson with Solomon’s closing words from the Book of Ecclesiastes:

• “The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.” – Ecclesiastes 12:13.