Neil Kring didn't know he was going to be a pastor. In fact, he didn't even know for sure he was a Christian. Or that if he fell off a mountain and died that he would be with Jesus.
His first time backpacking in Tennessee turned out to be way less fun than he had imagined. It was cold at night. The 60 pounds on his back made the trek up the mountain miserable. And on top of it all, he was full of doubt about his identity in Christ.
It's no wonder when he and his friend fell on their backs on a rugged switchback path, they couldn't help but cry.
HOW CAN WE REALLY KNOW WE'RE OKAY?
It was on that trip that someone suggested Neil read the book of 1 John. The apostle made his purpose for writing that letter perfectly clear in chapter 5, verse 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. (bold added)
That was exactly what Neil needed: to know. Do I have it? Am I okay?
He learned many things from 1 John, but pulled out seven passages that helped him understand how to recognize the Lord's presence in his life.
1. Walking in the light (1:5-7). Just choosing to be open about our status as sinners and our need for a Savior rather than actively hiding from the world is the first sign we are in Christ.
2. Dealing honestly with our sin (1:8-10). Part of walking in the light is being honest with ourselves that we are sinners and always will be. The honesty to admit we are saved only by Christ is another sign we are in him.
3. A heart to obey (2:3-4). This doesn't mean we always obey God, it just means we keep returning to a desire to obey him.
4. Loving our brothers and sisters (3:14). Choosing to show love to people who have hurt us or who are otherwise hard to love shows us the Lord has touched our hearts.
5. Seeing shallowness in the world and increasingly rejecting it (2:15-17). Recognizing that what most of the world values - its selfish desires - are really idols mean we have the eyes of Christ.
6. Continuing in what we have believed (2:24-25). Just to keep moving forward in faith, even after we have fallen, even in the midst of our doubts, is a sign the Lord has us in hand.
7. The presence of his Spirit (4:13). Whenever we persevere when it seems like fear should paralyze us, whenever we speak life-giving words of truth we did not know were within us, we are experience evidence of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
These were revelations for Neil. There was a way to know that he was a Christian. It was a great comfort to him to see that the signs were there. That can be a comfort to us as well.
WHAT IF WE DON'T SEE THE SIGNS?
Still, the self-professed worrier has had those moments where he wondered: What if he were to die in a moment of weakness? A moment where it seems none of these signs seemed to be on display?
What would happen then?
Thankfully, the Apostle John gave us even more good news in the Gospel of John. There's a passage in which Jesus was asked whether he was the Messiah, the savior of the world. In his reply, he gave the hearers far more than a simple "yes." He made us all a solemn promise.
Jesus answered, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name testify about me, but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” (John 10:25-30, bold added)
Even in the moments when we fail ourselves, Jesus does not fail us.
"Jesus is more committed to our faith than we are," Neil said, smiling. "Love wins out."
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. (Ephesians 2:8)
Happy Mother's Day to all the moms who were there to remind us we had nothing to fear. In Jesus's name, they told us everything was going to be okay. And they were right.
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