Dr Warren W Wiersbe - Be Real ( 1 John ): Turning from Hypocrisy to Truth (Be Series Commentary)

BE REAL

Published by David C. Cook

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David C. Cook U.K., Kingsway Communications

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All rights reserved. Except for brief excerpts for review purposes,

no part of this book may be reproduced or used in any form

without written permission from the publisher.

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from the King James Version

of the Bible. (Public Domain.) Scripture quotations marked NASB are taken from the New

American Standard Bible , Copyright 1960, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used

by permission; PH are taken from J. B. Phillips: The New Testament in Modern English ,

revised editions J. B. Phillips, 1958, 1960, 1972, permission of Macmillan Publishing

Co. and Collins Publishers; SCO are taken from the New Scofield Reference Bible, King

James version, 1967 by Oxford University Press, Inc. Reprinted by permission; and

NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version . NIV . Copyright

1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All

rights reserved. The author has added italics in Scripture quotations for emphasis.

LCCN 2009923016

ISBN 978-1-4347-6744-8

1972 Warren W. Wiersbe

First edition of Be Real by Warren W. Wiersbe published by Victor Books

in 1972 Warren W. Wiersbe, ISBN 978-0-89693-774-1

The Team: Karen Lee-Thorp, Amy Kiechlin, Jack Campbell, and Susan Vannaman

Series Cover Design: John Hamilton Design

Cover Photo: Veer Images

Second Edition 2009

To Dr. Howard F. Sugden
Devoted Pastor/Gifted Expositor/Beloved Friend

CONTENTS

The Big Idea: An Introduction to Be Real by Ken Baugh

A Word from Robert A. Cook

1. Its Real! (1 John 1:14)

2. Walking and Talking (1 John 1:52:6)

3. Something Old, Something New (1 John 2:711)

4. The Love God Hates (1 John 2:1217)

5. Truth or Consequences (1 John 2:1829)

6. The Pretenders (1 John 3:110)

7. Love or Death (1 John 3:1124)

8. Getting to the Bottom of Love (1 John 4:116)

9. Love, Honor, and Obey (1 John 4:175:5)

10. What Do You Know for Sure? (1 John 5:621)

The Big Idea

An Introduction to Be Real
by Ken Baugh

I was having dinner one night with my family, and somehow our conversation landed on the topic of the end times. You knowthe end-of-the-world stuff, Revelation, armageddon, plagues, death, earthquakes, famine, pestilenceyour basic end-of-life-on-planet-earth-as-we-know-it scenario. As we were talking, my oldest daughter reminded me of a conversation she and I had years ago. She was afraid of dying because she wasnt 100 percent certain that she was saved. She confessed that night at dinner that even though she has asked Jesus Christ into her life to forgive her sin and be her Savior, she still became a little fearful as to whether or not her salvation was real when the topic of death was brought up.

The truth is there have been times even in my own life when I have been afraid of the same thing. How about you? Are you 100 percent convinced that if you were to have a fatal heart attack in the next two minutes while reading this, you would go to heaven? Really think about it for a second: How do you know that if you were to die right now you would go to heaven?

If you are getting a bit queasy like my daughter, youre reading the right commentary, because the reason John wrote this letter was to give every believer the ability to evaluate the reality of their faith and to be confident in their salvation. John wants you to have absolute, 100 percent confidence in regard to your salvation. This is the Big Idea that runs throughout his letter. Look what he says: I write these things 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 NIV ). So what evidence does John point to that reveals true, saving faith? Lets take a look.

First, I know that I am truly saved if I have confessed my sin to God. John says, If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness (1:89 NIV ). The way to confess your sin is simply to pray, saying something like this: Lord Jesus, I believe I am a sinner and that my sin has separated me from you. Please forgive me of all my sin, cleanse my heart from all unrighteousness, and be my Lord and Savior. Amen. If you prayed that prayer or one like it, you can know with confidence that your sin has been forgiven because John tells us that if we confess, God forgives. Thats good news!

Second, I know that I am truly saved if I obey Jesus commands. John makes it clear that obedience is partial evidence that a person is truly saved: We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands (2:3 NIV ); This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God (3:10 NIV ); and We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin (5:18 NIV ). John emphasizes that a true believer lives a life of obedience to the commands of the Lord Jesus.

Now, that doesnt mean that I can obey perfectly all the time, because John tells us, If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us (1:8 NIV ). We all sin, even as true believers. The issue isnt perfect obedience where we never falter, but rather a desire to obey Jesus commands that manifests itself through consistency. Perfection isnt going to come this side of heaven. So if you have the desire to live a life of obedience, thats a good sign that youre truly saved. However, if you have no desire to obey the commands of Jesus, no desire to live a righteous life, and no conviction by the Holy Spirit when you do sin, you should question whether or not you are truly saved. True salvation manifests itself in a heartfelt desire to obey and a broken heart when you dont. These are sure indications of genuine salvation.

Third, I know that I am truly saved if I believe that Jesus Christ came to earth some two thousand years ago as God in human flesh. John says, Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God (5:1 NIV ). I demonstrate true evidence of salvation through faith that Jesus and Jesus alone is the only true God (John 17:3 NIV ), who came and walked among us (1:41). In addition, I must believe that Jesus was the only one who could die in my place to pay the price for my sin as the perfect Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (1:29 NIV )and that He is the only way to heaven (14:6). If you believe these things, you can be assured that you have genuine faith and are truly saved.

Fourth, I know that I am truly saved if I love other believers. True saving faith manifests itself in a sincere love for other believers. John says, Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother (1 John 3:10 NIV ). Love is so much more than feelings expressed through words. True love is manifested through action: Let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth (3:18 NIV ).