Assurance of Salvation -- A Look at 1 John

Here is a summary of the evidences of being a believer or unbeliever as found in 1 John:

INTERNAL EVIDENCE  
   1a. [+] Love brothers (1Jn 2:7-11; 3:14,23; 4:7,16,21)
   1b. [-] Do not love the brothers (1Jn 3:10,14-15; 4:8,12,20)
   2a. [-] Love the world (1Jn 2:15-17)
   2b. [+] Will overcome the world (1Jn 5:4)
   3a. [+] Believe in Jesus as God's Son and the Christ (1Jn 3:23; 5:1,5,10,13)
   3b. [-] Do not believe that Jesus is Christ and God's Son (1Jn 5:10)
   4. [+] His commandments are not burdensome (1Jn 5:3)

EXTERNAL EVIDENCE
   1a. [+] Keep His [Jesus' and God the Father's] commandments (1Jn 2:3-8; 3:22-23; 5:2-3)
   1b. [+] Practices righteousness (1Jn 2:29; 3:7,9)
   1c. [+] Does not practice sin (1Jn 3:9; 5:18)
   1d. [-] Practices sin (1Jn 3:6,8,10)
   2a. [+] Acknowledge the Son as the Christ (1Jn 2:23; 4:15)
   2b. [+] Confesses that Jesus came in the flesh (1Jn 4:2)
   2c. [-] Denies Jesus is the Christ (1Jn 2:22-23)
   2d. [-] Denies that Jesus came in the flesh (1Jn 4:3)
   3. [-] Go out from the brethren (1Jn 2:19)
   4a. [-] Will not help his brother (1Jn 3:17)
   4b. [+] Will help brothers (1Jn 3:18-19)

Now, clearly 1 John is very black and white. There are either people: (1) who love the brethren or who do not love them (and even hate them and go out from them), (2) who love the world or who overcome the world, (3) who believe in Jesus as the Christ and as God's Son or who do not believe, (4) who keep His commandments and practice righteousness or who practice sin, (5) who acknowledge Jesus is the Christ or who deny Him, (6) who confess Jesus came in the flesh or who deny it, and (7) who will help brothers in need or who will not help. I believe that captures all of the black-and-white tests of salvation in 1 John.

In reality, there are probably many people who do not manifest all of the positive attributes or the negative attributes above. Obviously, John is not wrong, he is just speaking in absolutes in the way that God sees things. There are only two classes of people in the end: those who love God and His people and manifest that love in various ways, and those who do not love Him or His people and manifest that unloving heart in various ways. There are certainly varying degrees of love and unlovingness, however, and that is where the lines seem to get blurry.

What one can easily see is that many professed Christians who are not truly saved can profess Jesus is the Christ and that He came in the flesh and help other Christians. The externals certainly do not prove another's salvation. It is only evidence. The internal motives and desires of the heart are what really count. We can definitively say that someone does not know God if they manifest the negative attributes above, but we cannot say with absolute certainty that they know God if they manifest the positive attributes.

So, what we conclude is that John is not giving us true proof of salvation when it comes to other individuals, but only good indications. When evaluating ourselves versus other individuals, what is the only difference? With ourselves we can get good glimpses of our heart, whereas with others we cannot. So, when evaluating ourselves, if we can at all find proof of salvation, it must be on the basis of us knowing our hearts better than anyone else. And thus it is the internal attributes above that are the best proof of our salvation. These evidences are loving other Christians, not loving the world, believing that Jesus is the Christ and God's Son (one with God the Father), and not feeling that His commandments are burdensome (drudgery). If we have a measure of these attributes, then we can be assured of our salvation.

It is my belief that 1 John is not exhaustive in its teaching about how we can know we are God's children. The whole Bible must be used. What is clear to me is that truly godly desires and emotions, such as love of God and an unnatural inclination to love other Christians, must of necessity be the work of the Holy Spirit and prove our fellowship with God. For instance, a desire to be free from sin because it offends God is a godly desire that demonstrates our love of God. If that desire is strong, we can be quite certain that we are in Christ. That desire to be free from sin, by the way, results in practicing righteousness. If no desire to be free from sin exists, then there will be a practicing of sin, instead. Every evidence in 1 John somehow relates back to heart desires and the genuiness of our faith and love of God.

It is my belief that if we are not demonstrating the negative attributes seen above, and we can genuinely detect godly desires and love in our hearts, then we can be sure of our salvation. Again, there are degrees of love and godly desires, so do not be desparing if you do not detect in your heart deep love or strong holy desires in your heart. Even if weak desires and weak love of God exist that is evidence of saving faith. Do not dispare, but do strive after God with your strength and seek more faith. With a deeper relationship with God comes greater faith and greater assurance. We should also remember that Satan would love to put and keep God's children in depression and doubt. Lack of assurance is not evidence of being unsaved but of a lack of faith. All Christians lack faith since perfect faith does not come until heaven.