How Can We Know?

“Hereby we know that he abideth in us,

by the Spirit which he hath given us.”

(1 John 3:24)

How can anyone know that they are a child of God? Most often, the answer that many give is either very subjective or based on a false presumption. Some look back to a profession they made at some point and believe that based on that decision to ‘accept’ Jesus that they became a child of God. Others, more subjectively state that when they pray and read the Bible, they ‘feel’ God’s presence with them and therefore believe they are God’s child.

In a matter as important as this, no one should simply presume to be a child of God. Any who are true children of God want nothing less than the testimony of God Himself as to whether they are His. The LORD Jesus Christ declared in John 17:3, “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” No other knowledge can be compared to that which God the Father, by His Spirit, gives to sinners that He has chosen that they are indeed His children. That’s why the apostle John wrote, “Hereby we KNOW…by the Spirit.” (1 John 3:24)

1.) It is by the revelation of Christ in the heart. Faith is objective. To have Faith is to have Christ abiding in us. To abide means to dwell with and such is the comfort of everyone whom the LORD Jesus redeemed and by His Spirit draws to Himself. He doesn’t dwell in everyone that professes Him, Matthew 7:21-23. However, those in whom He dwells enjoy His presence by the Spirit and rest in Him alone as all their “...Wisdom, Righteousness, Sanctification, and Redemption.” (1 Corinthians 1:30)

2.) It is to receive the LORD Jesus, just as He is revealed in God’s Word. Many say they have ‘received’ Jesus based on their decision but that is not the sense of receiving Him according to the Word. John 1:12 states that as many as received Him, HE gave them the power to become sons of God. It is by His authority because of His finished work accomplished on the cross that any are declared to be sons of God. ‘To receive’ means to welcome Him just as He is revealed as God’s Prophet, Priest and King. We welcome Him in all His glory and delight in His person and work, giving Him pre-eminence in ALL things, Colossians 1:18.

3.) It is because of the Spirit’s testimony alone. “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.” (Romans 8:16) It is the Spirit of God Who is given to those the Father has chosen and the LORD Jesus redeemed and His testimony is God’s seal that we are indeed God’s children, not according to our testimony but according to His!