Basic Christianity: The Testimony of God

Today’s post is part of a series to help us take what we learn on Sunday into the rest of the week. These posts summarize the main points from the week’s sermon and include questions for continued reflection and prayer. The posts in this series are written by members of our church’s Adult Christian Formation team.

 

This Sunday our service theme was “God is Certain.” Ministry Associate Melissa Lowther preached on the text 1 John 5:6-12 about how we can have certainty about life through Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

People often search for certainty in the midst of the unknown in life. If we look for that certainty within ourselves, we will not find it. But in Jesus Christ we can have that certainty.

1 John tells us how God offers certainty in the testimony of Jesus Christ. In an ancient culture confronted with Gnostic teachings about secret knowledge that can give certainty, 1 John had a different message. While Gnostics believed that spirit is good and the body is evil, God offers certainty through the historical, embodied Son of God, Jesus.

We might desire special knowledge or power to control things in our lives. We use techniques like decluttering to keep things under control. But God gives us the water of the baptism of Jesus and the blood of the death of Jesus, along with the internal evidence of the work of the Spirit of God. These witnesses from God are in agreement with each other. They give us confidence that we could not gain through our own attempts to control our lives.

The key is for us to accept the testimony that God has given us by receiving life in Christ. When we are certain about Christ, we will be certain about life. In Jesus, we can have victory over sin, be loved by God, have strength and comfort in trials, surrender our need to control life, have no fear of the unknown, and not be ashamed to share our faith.

Questions for prayer and reflection:

  1. What did the Holy Spirit show you through this Scripture passage and sermon?
  2. In your own words, how would you explain how God gives us certainty in life?
  3. What would your life look like if you were certain about Christ?
  4. What would our church look like if we were certain about Christ?
  5. Do you know anyone who is seeking certainty in their life who could find it in Christ?
  6. What makes you feel the most anxious or uncertain in your life? How could you allow the Spirit of God to give you reassurance about that area of life through acceptance of God’s testimony in Christ?
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