How can we know for sure that we belong to God? In 1 John 3:19–24, John speaks to the troubled heart that wrestles with doubt, guilt, and uncertainty, reminding us that our assurance does not ultimately rest in how we feel about ourselves, but in what God has done for us in Christ. When our hearts condemn us, John gives us five gracious invitations: look outward at God’s transforming work, look upward to the God who knows us completely, move towards God in confident prayer, look away from ourselves to Christ, and receive the Spirit’s testimony that God abides in us. True assurance isn’t found in trusting our own performance, but in trusting a perfect Saviour and seeing the Spirit make Christ increasingly precious to us. Join us as we explore what it means to have confidence before God.
