We Know

We Know

“We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death.” 1 John 3:14.

The apostle John writes several times, “We know.” “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life . . . .” Ch. 5:13.

In other words, doubting and being uncertain is not apostolic, for faith is full assurance. The apostle also gives a reason for what he knows, and you cannot have a simpler reason than this: “We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren.” If a person is upright it is very easy for him to confirm whether he abides in love or not. He knows it in his heart, for there is peace and joy in love. Paul has also defined what love is in 1 Corinthians 13. Among other things he says, “Love does not seek its own, is not bitter, keeps no accounts of evil.” “He who does not love . . . abides in death.”

It is not difficult to test yourself whether you love the truth. Only by abiding in love does a person have peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. If he seeks his own, becomes bitter, keeps accounts of evil—these things put an end to peace and joy. Then he abides in death. Concerning this matter, every upright person can honestly say: “I know!” You abide in death if you remember a malicious act anyone has committed against you. Jesus would have remained in death if He had not been able to forgive those who struck Him, mocked Him, and crucified Him. Then He could not have conquered death, and God could not have raised Him from the dead. If He wanted to be saved from death, He had to forgive them for His own sake, even if He had not done it for the others’ sake. However, he did come for our sake. This is love, that I live for the others. Thereby I, too, am saved from death—from all the unrest and the darkness that bitterness and malicious thoughts produce.

We have come “to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel.” Heb. 12:24.

Jesus’ blood speaks of forgiveness, and Stephen was in Jesus’ blood when he called out: “Lord, do not charge them with this sin.” Acts 7:60. It is in Jesus’ blood that we, too, have boldness to enter the Holiest. Heb. 10:19. We are not in Jesus’ blood if we are not abiding in love. Not at all! Then we abide in death and do not have boldness to enter the Holiest.

The apostles have written so much that we ought to know that we have eternal life. This certainty is in love. However, he who does not love “is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.” 1 John 2:11. As we can see, this is the reason for all uncertainty.