The Apostle John nailed down the fact that we can know that we are saved. Concerning his purpose of his Gospel account he stated, “These have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name” (John 20:31). Note that he was not engaging in a type of circular reasoning, as if to say, ‘I have written this so you can say that you believe it because I have written it.’
Instead, in the previous verse he had told us the reason why we can believe. It is because the proofs within his Gospel, and the “many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book” (John 20:30), form a body of eyewitness testimonies which cannot be ignored.
And, just in case we may have missed the point of John’s writings, he spells out, in the most encouraging way, the reason why he wrote. He said, “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life” (1 John 5:13).
Our conviction that we will meet Jesus on our last day is founded upon the historical birth, death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. Scripture, which includes John’s five books, is a unique collection of writings that have been providentially brought together to lead man back to God through Jesus of Nazareth.
John walked with Jesus, saw the miracles, listened to his teachings and his debates, heard his claims of deity, beheld his trial and crucifixion, met him when he rose from the dead, and watched him ascend into heaven.
This is the reason why he says with such conviction: “You can know that you have eternal life.”
Jesus is coming—Ready or Not. You can know you are ready.
John Staiger
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