This Is How We Know
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John writes this letter to the church in his twilight years. He has spent his life following and loving Jesus and now wants younger believers—his ‘dear children’—to live in a manner worthy of Christ. John’s words act as a mirror for us: what is truly reflected in how we live and how we love? In a world of relativity, expressive individualism and scepticism of authority, 1 John is a reminder that we cannot follow Jesus on our own terms. It also reveals that there is a deep assurance and confidence we can have that we are safe and secure in Christ.
This Is How We Know, Part 8: We Know the Holy Spirit // Paul Windsor
September 13, 2026 - Paul WindsorJohn draws his readers' attention to the Holy Spirit - the one who is in is and is greater than the evil one who is in the world. John urges Christians to be discerning of spirits, because not every spiritual thing draws people to the truth and the light.
This Is How We Know, Part 7: We Love Sacrificially // Joel Cooper
September 06, 2026 - Joel CooperTo be God's child is to love sacrificially - to love how God loved us: by sending his only Son to die for us. John urges Christians to let their faith be proved by their love, and to let our love be shown in radical generosity.
Additional recordings
This Is How We Know, Part 6: We Are God's Children // Simon Gill
August 30, 2026 - Simon GillJohn has called his readers his 'dear children', and he now reveals a marvellous truth - the incredible love that God has lavished on believers, that they get to be called the children of God! John invites Christians to marvel at their adoption into God's family and to ensure their actions reflect the character of their heavenly Father.
This Is How We Know, Part 5: We Don't Deny Christ // Jamie Rodwell
August 16, 2026 - Jamie RodwellJohn returns to the first point of his letter: It's all about Jesus. We can know we are true children of God if we don't deny Christ - that he is God in the flesh, he is the way, the truth and the life.
This Is How We Know, Part 4: We Don't Love the World // Josiah Nevell
August 09, 2026 - Josiah NevellLove for the Lord and one another is compared with loving the world. John says we can know we are true children of God if we don't love the world - don't adopt the way of life of those who oppose God, nor their value system or anything that draws our affection away from the Lord Jesus Christ.
This Is How We Know, Part 3: We Love Each Other // Simon Gill
August 02, 2026 - Simon GillLove is essential. John has written about this previously in his gospel account, when Jesus urged his disciples to love one another. John revisits this call to love one another strongly to his dear children in the faith.
Additional Recordings:
This Is How We Know, Part 2: We Walk in the Light // Jenny Gill
July 26, 2026 - Jenny GillJohn makes many comparisons throughout his letter, telling believers how they can know they are true children of God. The first of these is that they walk in the light and not in the darkness: choosing holiness over sin and yet being quick to repent when they do sin.
This Is How We Know, Part 1: We Have Seen the Son // Jerram Watts
July 19, 2026 - Jerram WattsHow can we know that our faith is real and that we truly belong to God? As we begin 1 John, John takes us back to the foundation of Christian assurance: Jesus, the eternal Word who became flesh and was seen, heard and touched. When doubt comes, are we looking inward or fixing our eyes on him?