"Through faith we understand…" These words embody one of the most basic principles of spiritual life. We believe God's Word first, then we understand. The world says, "Seeing is believing;" God says, "Believing is seeing." The Lord Jesus said to Martha, "Said I not unto thee, that if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see…"(John 11:40). Later He said to Thomas, "…blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed" (John 20:29). And the Apostle John wrote, "These things have I written unto you that believe…that ye may know…" (1 John 5:13). Believe first, then you'll know.Billy Graham tells how this principle came alive in his life: "In 1949 I had been having a great many doubts concerning the Bible. I thought I saw apparent contradictions in Scriptures. Some things I could not reconcile with my restricted concept of God. When I stood up to preach, the authoritative note so characteristic of all great preachers of the past was lacking. Like hundreds of other seminary students, I was waging the intellectual battle of my life. The outcome could certainly affect my future ministry."In August of that year I had been invited to Forest Home, Presbyterian conference center high in the mountains outside Los Angeles. I remember walking down a trail, tramping into the woods, and almost wrestling with God. I dueled with my doubts, and my soul seemed to be caught in the crossfire. Finally, in desperation, I surrendered my will to the living God revealed in Scripture. I knelt before the open Bible and said, 'Lord, many things in this book I do not understand. But thou hast said, "'The just shall live by faith.'" All I have received from Thee, I have taken by faith. Here and now, by faith, I accept the Bible as Thy Word. I take it all. I take it without reservations. Where there are things I cannot understand, I will reserve judgment until I receive more light. If this pleases Thee, give me authority as I proclaim Thy Word, and through that authority convict men of sin and turn sinners to the Saviour!"Within six weeks we started our Los Angeles crusade, which is now history. During that crusade I discovered the secret that changed my ministry. I stopped trying to prove that the Bible was true. I had settled in my own mind that it was and this faith was conveyed to the audience."

With reverence, humor and skill, William MacDonald wove a daily devotional tapestry that challenges the reader to think deeply and Biblically, and apply God's Word to their lives.

Truths to Live By - One Day at a Time

"Through faith we understand…"(Hebrews 11:3)

Some of us will be eternally thankful to God for this verse because it taught us that assurance of salvation comes first and foremost through the Word of God and not through feelings. The Bible was written, among other reasons, so that those who believe on the Name of the Son of God can know that they have eternal life.We can be thankful that assurance does not come through feelings, because they fluctuate with every passing day. "God does not ask the soul to say, 'Thank God I feel so good,' but turns the eye another way, to Jesus and His Word." When someone once asked Martin Luther, "Do you feel that your sins have been forgiven?" he replied, "No, but I'm as sure of it as that there's a God in heaven. For feelings come and feelings go/ And feelings are deceiving/ My warrant is the Word of God/ Naught else is worth believing." C. I. Scofield reminds us that "justification takes place in the mind of God and not in the nervous system of the believer." H. A. Ironside used to say, "I don't know I am saved because I feel happy, but I feel happy because I know I am saved." And he knew he was saved by the written Word of God.When we read that the Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are the sons of God (Romans 8:16), we must remember that the Spirit witnesses to us primarily through the Scriptures. We read John 6:47, for instance, "He that believeth on me hath everlasting life." We know that we have trusted in Christ for our eternal salvation; He is our only hope for heaven. The Spirit of God therefore witnesses to us through this verse that we are sons of God.Of course, there are other means of assurance. We know we are saved because we love the brethren; because we hate sin and practice righteousness; because we love the Word of God; and because we have the instinct of prayer. But the first and fundamental means of assurance is the surest, most dependable thing in the universe, the Word of God. George Cutting said it well in his memorable tract Safety, Certainty and Enjoyment: "It's the blood that makes us safe; it's the Word that makes us sure."

"These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God." (1 John 5:13)

God had given the land of Canaan to the people of Israel. It was theirs by divine promise. But they still had to make it their own. They had to occupy it. The rule of possession was, "Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you."God has given us many great and precious promises. The Bible is full of them. But we must appropriate them by faith. Only then are they really ours.Take, for instance, the promises concerning salvation. The Lord repeatedly promises that He will give eternal life to those who repent of their sins and receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. And yet the promise does us no good until we claim it by trusting the sinners Savior.Let us go a step further! A person may genuinely believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and yet not enjoy the assurance of salvation. For instance, he may think that it is presumption to say that he is saved. And so he may go on in doubt and darkness. The Word promises that those who believe on the Name of the Son of God have eternal life (1 John 5:13), but this must be appropriated by faith in order to be enjoyed.God loves to be trusted. He is pleased when we take Him at His Word. He is honored when we claim the most improbable promises and reckon on them as being fulfilled.One day when Napoleon was reviewing his troops, his horse bolted so violently that the Emperor was in danger of being thrown. A private rushed forward, seized the reins and quieted the horse.Fully aware that his helper was a lowly private, Napoleon said, "Thank you very much, Captain!'"Taking him at his word, the private replied, "Of which regiment, sir?"Later, when the former private rehearsed the incident to his friends, they mocked his confidence in thinking he was now a Captain. But it was true! The Emperor had said so, and he had claimed the promotion on the spot.The believer's situation is somewhat similar. He can be a Captain or remain a private. He can enjoy the riches that are his in Christ Jesus or live in virtual poverty. "We can have as much of God as we wish. Christ puts the key of the treasure-chamber in our hand, and bids us take all that we want. If a man is admitted into the bullion vault of a bank, and told to help himself, and comes out with one cent, whose fault is it that he is poor? Whose fault is it that Christian people generally have such scanty portions of the free riches of God?" (McLaren).

"Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses." (Joshua 1:3)

By life the Scripture means, true life, life in union to God, in the image of God; life with bliss and purity. An eternity under conditions like those that belong to the life of sinful man, were utterly undesirable. True life includes everything desirable, and the entire universe of God is just one of its perquisites. They that believe in Christ have Christ. They that have Christ have life. They that have life, have it eternally. They that have eternal life may know that they have it, and rejoice in the antepast even in this world. The Bible is given to furnish them with the means of knowing that they have it If they find their names there, they shall certainly find them in the Lamb's book of life. As many as are the children of God, they are led by the Spirit of God, who is the Spirit of truth, and not only sanctifies them by the truth, but shows them their own new image in the mirror of the truth.

A daily devotional written by a Baptist Missionary to India, Reverend George Bowen (1816-1888) over 150 years ago.

Bowen's Daily Meditations

" These things have I written unto you, that ye may know that ye have eternal life." - 1 John 5:13. 

<h3>Concluding Affirmations</h3> 13 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

I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God<cr>1</cr> so that you may know that you have eternal life.<cr>2</cr>

 13 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.  

From Wikipedia: 

The New International Version (NIV) is an English translation of the Bible first published in 1978 by Biblica (formerly the International Bible Society). The NIV was published to meet the need for a modern translation done by Bible scholars using the earliest, highest quality manuscripts available. Of equal importance was that the Bible be expressed in broadly understood modern English.

The NIV is published by Zondervan in the United States and Hodder & Stoughton in the UK. The NIV was updated in 1984 and 2011 and has become one of the most popular and best-selling modern translations.

OT: Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia; additional sources;
NT: UBS Greek New Testament; Novum Testamentum Graece; additional sources;

New International Version

 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.  

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.

Bible Verse of the Day

October 23, 2023

1 John 5:13 NIV

Verse by Verse Bible Study

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