Daily Devotions
1 John
"We have confidence toward God."
Text: 1 John 3:21
CONFIDENCE IN GOD
How wonderful it is to have full assurance in our heart when we stand in the Presence of God. This word was written to give us much assurance that we can indeed be full of confidence before the Lord.
“Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us,
we have confidence toward God.”
1 John 3:21
1. “Beloved”
a) John has in mind his reader.
b) They are beloved to him.
c) This word matches the phrase “little children”.
2. “If “
a) John continues to write hypothetically.
b) The Conditional sentence is used here.
c) No one in particular is in mind here.
3. “If our heart does not condemn us”
a) These two verses were written to parallel us (1 John 3:20-21).
b) Both verses focus on “the heart”.
c) The protasis
i) If it condemns us.
ii) If it does not condemn us.
4. “We have confidence toward God”
a) The second part of the conditional sentence is called the apodosis.
b) If our heart condemns us we can appeal to God.
c) If our heart does not condemn us we can have confidence before the Lord.
THE CHALLENGE OF IT ALL
The focus of conditional sentences challenges the reader to examine the first clause. In this case “the heart”.
1. We must make sure that our heart does not condemn us.
2. If it does not condemn us then we can have great assurance indeed.
Let us never take for granted the true state of our heart! If there is something amiss in our heart let us seek the Lord for His cleansing. Let us seek to be right with the Lord and we will have much confidence in faith.