Tests of Assurance
The Assurance of Being Called Children (1-2)
John next ran through a list of tests the Ephesians could use to establish their assurance that their lives were in Christ.
He first assured the Ephesians they were children of God; that is why the world could not be known to them or really know and understand what they were all about. The world only comprehended lust and greed and had a love for fulfilling its desires. Different from the world, they were children of God; the Father was in love with them and they with the Father. They were not fully who they would be, so they would struggle with lust and, at times, lust would win. But, when Christ reappeared, they would be like Him; they would be complete (1-2).
The Test of Purity (3-10)
John announced that the children of God with a deep hope in eternal life would begin to push back against lust, purifying themselves from it, because their love for Him who was pure was great (3). John made it clear: those who made a habit of living to satisfy their lusts, therefore sinning, were lawless, unlike Jesus, who had no sin and was able to take sin away (4-5). Thus, the logic was simple: those who chose to abide in Him and really knew Him could no longer “keep on sinning” or make a habit of continuing to fulfill their lust (6).
They were not to be deceived about this: those who made a habit of being like Jesus were those who had Jesus’ life (7). Those who made a habit of satisfying their lusts were of the devil, who had been making a habit of sin from his inception. More importantly, the reason Christ appeared was to destroy the devil, or the living to satisfy lust (8).
John completed his logic: no one God-born made a habit of sinning because his birth, the life within him, was from God. By nature, such a person sought to purify him or herself from lust (9). Finally, John came to his point: it was evident whose children they were. Those who did not practice a right relationship with God (righteousness) did not love, which was the essence of righteousness (10).
The Test of Love (11-18)
The message from the very beginning of the gospel was a message for them to love each other (11). John used Cain as a warning of someone resentful of his brother, Abel, because he was righteous. Meaning, Abel's behavior was based on a loving relationship with God, and Cain resented how natural that came to Abel and how much favor Abel enjoyed because of His relationship with God (12). With this example, the Ephesians were not to be surprised by the world's hate (13). The habit they made out of a loving lifestyle was the evidence they had passed from death to life (14). John gave an interesting insight: those who abided in eternal life would feel when they hated a brother that they were committing murder (15). Further, they would come to know love would motivate them to lay down their lives for their brother or sister they otherwise would have hated (16).
John then gave an example of lovelessness or hatred: to see a brother in need, have the ability to meet the need, and then close one’s heart to love and ignore the need was to hate. Those who had eternal life, when ignoring a brother in need, whose need they had the power to meet, would feel as if they had committed murder by their denial of aid (17). John drove home the point that those who were abiding in God's life would do way more than talk about love—they would act on it (18).
The Test of the Condemning Heart (19-24)
John then told them exactly how they could be sure in their hearts that they were abiding in God's life (19): when they failed to meet a need they saw with the goods they had, their hearts condemned them as if they had murdered the person they failed to love, and God did something amazing. God, knowing everything, did not look at their occasional failure to love as representative of who they were but saw them instead as having been born in God (20). God then removed the condemnation and gave them confidence before Him to pray (21). Their confidence came from knowing they had changed into people who were, by nature and desire, making a habit of pleasing God and keeping His commandments (22). The commandments they kept were to believe and to love (23), for when they believed in the Person of Jesus Christ and loved the brothers, they were abiding in God and God in them. Beyond that, the Spirit who was driving their lives was the same One who drove Christ's life (24).
Prejudicial Proverbs (16:1-22:16)
We come now to the end of the fourth part of the book of Proverbs, the “Prejudicial Proverbs,” as we have named them. They began in chapter 16:1 and will end in this chapter at verse 16.
The first proverbs deal with the subject matter of the perspective of those who are building a good name for themselves. These are those who value prudence and humility more than wealth (1), favoritism (2), and ease (3-6).
A) A good name is superior to wealth (1).
B) The rich and poor come from God (2).
C) The prudent see danger and avoid it (3).
B) Riches come from the fear of God (4).
C) The corrupt are blind to danger and make it their path (5).
A) A good name is built by directing children to the right path (6).
Solomon finishes this section of “Prejudicial Proverbs” by listing out ten qualities that preserve a good name.
A) Recognize the dangers of debt (7)
B) Recognize the dangers of injustice (8)
C) Recognize the dangers of neglecting the poor (9)
D) Recognize the dangers of cynicism (10)
E) Recognize the dangers of a harsh tone (11)
F) Recognize the dangers of lacking experience (12)
G) Recognize the dangers of excuse-making (13)
H) Recognize the dangers of immorality (14)
I) Recognize the dangers of an undisciplined child (15)
J) Recognize the dangers of abusing the poor (16)
Piecemeal Proverbs (22:17-31:9)
We now enter a new section in the book of Proverbs that we have referred to as the “Piecemeal Proverbs” section in 22:17 through 31:9. We will find in this section a change of style. The proverbs move from being descriptive, for the most part, to being exhortations. We now enter the “sayings of the wise” designed to instruct young men through life.
In verses 17 through 21, the writer asks his child to listen with his/her heart; it is reminiscent of chapters 1-9. In verse 18, these words are to go so deep in the heart that they find their way to the lips. In verse 19, we discover these words are personalized and designed to create trust. In verse 20, we are told they were not just given to memory but were written down, and finally, in verse 21, we see the father’s desire for his children to be reliable messengers of truth.
In verses 22 through 28, the father turns to actions to avoid, such as oppressing the poor (22-23), befriending violent and angry people (24-25), giving unwise pledges (26-27), removing boundaries (28), and being incompetent (29).