1 John 3:18-24 18 My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. 19 And by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him. 20 For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things. 21 Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God. 22 And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight. 23 And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment. 24 Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.
In these verses we see the proof of our regeneration. We begin to do rather than just speak. We receive assurance because of our actions and our hearts are established before God Almighty. We also receive the promises of God because of faith. We need confidence in the everlasting mercy and love our heavenly Father has for us (Romans 8:1).
Because of the confidence we are now given and the security that is developed within our heart, we know that when (1) God hears our requests, and (2) our requests are in line with His will, (3) because of our obedience, and (4) because of the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we know full well that we will have what we ask for.
In verses 23 and 24, we see three things need to be visible in our lives to prove to everyone around us, including ourselves, that we are in Christ. These are (1) truly believe on the name of His Son, which coincidentally is the work of God (John 6:29), (2) love one another, and (3) keep His commandments. These show that we are truly abiding in Him.
Abide: To remain, abide; in reference to place a. to sojourn, tarry, b. not to depart, c. to continue to be present, d. to be held, kept, continually; in reference to time a. to continue to be, not to perish, to last, endure, b. of persons, to survive, live; in reference to state or condition a. to remain as one, not to become another or different (OLB).
The final proof of our security is our relationship with the Holy Spirit. He resides within us, never to leave us, nor forsake us. He is our guarantee, our seal, our down payment, and our earnest payment on heaven. Without Him, we would never know sin, be convicted of it, learn to do good, or be able to produce fruits of righteousness. We would never know the freedom of dying to self and having the power to love others as much as we already love ourselves. We would never know the joy of serving others. We would never see the need to mourn over the sin of others instead of calling attention to it or sometimes seeking revenge for it. He enables us to exhibit the fruits of the Spirit, which are love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
Romans 12:1-3 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.
These verses show the growing confidence we obtain when the will of God is lived out in our hearts and lives. When we respond to the tender mercies of God, which allows us to present our bodies as living sacrifices, we mirror the obedience of Jesus Christ. When this happens we learn from our suffering the blessing of obedience and obtain its wonderful results. Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others... Who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear, though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him,...
We are holy, acceptable, and reasonable in our service to God. What has He held back from us? Is it unreasonable to hold back from Him anything that He has first given to and for us? Is it out of line to give our all to Him and for Him? With the Spirit working in and through our minds, we now see what is real and true. We are now able to resist the pressures of the world and avoid its molds, philosophies, and principles (Colossians 2:8, 20). We are renewed in our minds, which mean our thinking patterns and processes; we are hungry for the will of God instead of our own. The obvious result of this is the ability to put others before us, placing them second in priority of importance, and ourselves third. It is the result of grace working in our lives. It is the definition of thinking soberly: 1. to have understanding, be wise, 2. to feel, to think, 2a. to have an opinion of one's self, think of one's self, to be modest, not let one's opinion (though just) of himself exceed the bounds of modesty, 2b. to think or judge what one's opinion is, 2c. to be of the same mind, i.e., agreed together, cherish the same views (OLB).
What kind of peace do we enjoy when our minds line up with our Creator? This is the result of thinking soberly.
Romans 13:11-14 And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.
These verses demonstrate that as we allow the Holy Spirit to search us and know us, we begin to awaken to the glory and light of the work of God within our lives. We begin to react to the anticipation of the LORD’s return, and we eagerly await and call out for its fulfillment. We realize that stewardship of time is a gift and realize all the time we have wasted. We go to work and begin to use time to our advantage instead of wasting it. Once again we are instructed to cast off the old man and his works and put on the armor of light. We are enabled to walk properly. We are, through faith, trust, and obedience, enabled to put away the works of the flesh and able to put on Christ. By doing so, we are able to avoid any provision for the flesh and able to crucify the flesh and all its lusts (desire, craving, longing, and desire for what is forbidden (OLB)).