I SUPPOSE all my readers have received at least one letter in their lifetime; and if the letter was from someone that you had confidence in, and could trust, you would believe the contents of the letter, and the effect upon you would be according to the contents. If the letter contained sad news, you would feel sad; if it contained good news, you would feel glad.
But did any of you ever get a letter from her gracious Majesty Queen Victoria? Why, if she were to confer such an honor upon any of my readers, what a stir would be made about it! There would be an account of it in the daily papers; and one paper would copy it from another, until it would be spread all over the world. The receiver of the royal letter would have it put into a costly frame, and it would be carefully handed, down from generation to generation.
I have another question to ask you. Have you ever received a letter from God? I have received, two from Him, and would like to say a little to you about them I will give you the first in full. “I write unto you, children, because your sins are forgiven you for His name’s sake,”
I have left out the word “little,” which occurs in our most excellent translation of the Scriptures, because it is not in the original. The address is to children of God, and is a term which includes fathers in Christ, young men in Christ, and babes in Christ.
Just as in a large family all are children from the firstborn to the youngest, but all are not little children.
This first letter, then, from God is addressed to His children. Are you one of His children? It is possible that you may ask, “How do we become His children?” and lest my poor words should mislead you, I will ask you to look at two scriptures which answer your question most simply: “As many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons (or children) of God, even to them that believe on His name, which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” (John 1:12, 1312But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: 13Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. (John 1:12‑13).) “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.” (Gal. 3:2626For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:26).)
I beg you to notice very closely, because of the ritualistic and infidel notions of the day, that the scriptures we have just looked at do not say we are the children of God by creation or by baptism, but “BY FAITH IN CHRIST JESUS.” Now, have you received Christ by believing on Him? If you have, then you are one of the favored class called “children of God” to whom my first letter is addressed. What has God written this letter to His children for? That they may know their sins are forgiven them for His (Christ’s) name’s sake.
There are thousands of people in Christendom who regularly say every Sunday, “I believe in the forgiveness of sins,” who, if you were to ask them if their sins were forgiven, would at once say, “No; and I don’t believe that anybody can know their sins are all forgiven in this world.” What a solemn mockery it is for such persons to be saying, as they do, “I believe in the forgiveness of sins!” Now, don’t you think the woman in Luke 7 knew her sins were forgiven? Of course she did. But how did she know it? Because Jesus told her so. And how is any child of God to know that their sins are forgiven them? Because He has written them a letter that they might know it, and now they are to know it, not from their feelings or hopes, but from the infallible letter of their Father and God in Christ.
“Yes,” says someone, “I know all my past sins are forgiven me, but what about my present and future sins?” How many of your sins were past, how many present, and how many future, when Christ died? Surely they were all future; and if He had not all my sins upon Him when He died, He never will have them upon Him, for He will never die again, and therefore I must go to the lake of fire for them. If you are a child of God through faith in Christ, thank God your Father for His letter to you, and thank the Lord Jesus for having loved you and washed you from all your sins in His own most precious blood. (¤ John 1:1212But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: (John 1:12); Rev. 1:5, 65And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, 6And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. (Revelation 1:5‑6).)
God’s object in writing the first letter is, that all His children may know that all their sins ARE FORGIVEN. But His object in writing the second letter is, that all who believe on the name of the Son of God may KNOW that they have eternal life.
I will give the second letter in full: “These things have I written unto you who believe on the name of the Son of God, that ye may know that ye have eternal life.” (1 John 5:1313These 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).) Have you ever thought of the difference between forgiveness and eternal life?
Suppose a man in the debtor’s prison for debt. He cannot pay a farthing there. A kind and rich friend procures all his bills, and satisfies the claims of all his creditors. The man is let out of prison, thankful that all his debts are paid, but he is not happy; for, though he knows that all his debts are paid, not having any money, he also knows he must go into debt again. But lie is informed that the friend who e paid all his debts has placed a running account to his name in the Bank of England. Now he is filled with thankfulness, happiness, and satisfaction. First, because all his debts are paid, but most because he is not likely to get into debt again, and has a good capital to commence again upon.
And so our first letter lets us into the secret that all our debts are paid—our sins are forgiven; and our second letter that our fortune is made—we have eternal life.
“But,” says someone, “I don’t feel I have eternal life.” God does not ask you to feel. Which is best—to be trusting to a fickle, short-lived, and uncertain feeling, or to the unalterable and everlasting word of God?
When we receive a letter from some trusty friend, do we write back again to ask them to send us some feeling to believe that what they wrote us is true? Who would think of treating any valued friend after such a fashion? Then why should we treat God as we would not think of treating any human friend?
God writes a letter to all who believe on the name of the Son of God that they may KNOW (not feel, hope, or doubt, but KNOW) that they have eternal life.
Suppose I get a letter from New Zealand, telling me that a friend has died and left me some property. I lied fear things in the letter—first, that a property has been left me; second, where the property is; thirdly, what the property is; and lastly, that it is mine.
I find the same four things in 1 John 5. In the eleventh verse God tells me He has given me eternal life, and where the life is; in the twelfth verse He tells me who or what the life is; and lastly, He writes me a letter (if I am a believer on the Son of God) THAT I MAY KNOW THAT I HAVE ETERNAL LIFE.
Could anything be more simple? Are you a child of God through faith in Christ? and are you a believer on the Son of God? If you are able to say, “By the grace of God, I am,” then the two letters are addressed to you, that you may know that you have the forgiveness of all your sins, and that you may know that you have eternal life in the Son of God.
All that is left for you to do is to accept the two letters from God, believe their contents, and praise Him for them, and now look to Him for grace to glorify Him in your words, ways, and walk, until His Son comes to take you, with all His blood-washed ones, to glory.
Have you ever received TWO LETTERS FROM GOD?