If you’ve ever played in a marching band, practiced scales on the piano, or drilled the fundamentals of a sport, you know mastery isn’t magic. It’s the relentless repetition of the basics until they become instinctive. John, in his letters, does the same thing. He keeps circling back to a “check pattern” of core truths: walking in the light, confession and forgiveness, obedience as evidence of God’s love, loving one another, warnings against false teachers, Jesus’ humanity and deity, and assurance of salvation. These are the fundamentals of faith—essentials we cannot afford to get wrong.

Victory in Christ

John writes, “This is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome. For everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.” (1 John 5:3–4)

Obedience to God may feel burdensome at times. It requires humility, sacrifice, and loving those who are hard to love. But in the long run, obedience to Jesus leads not to defeat but to victory. Victory comes not through our effort but through faith in Jesus—the one who has already overcome the world.

Life in the Son

John continues by pointing to the testimony of Jesus: water, blood, and Spirit. Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan began his ministry. His blood shed on the cross completed it. The Spirit testifies to this truth, bearing witness that Jesus is the Son of God.

“And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.” (1 John 5:11–12)

It doesn’t get clearer than this: Life is found in Jesus. To believe in him is to receive eternal life—life not only in the age to come but life to the full here and now.

Confidence in Prayer

John assures believers of this confidence: “If we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.” (1 John 5:14)

This doesn’t mean God always answers the way we want. We’ve all experienced prayers that seem unanswered—losses that sting, relationships that fracture, healings that don’t happen the way we hoped. Yet John reminds us: God hears. His will is perfect. And even when outcomes differ from our desires, our prayers form us, grow us, and root us deeper in Christ.

Our confidence is not in getting everything we ask for, but in knowing we have a Father who hears us and is faithful to his promises.

Living the Check Pattern

Victory, Life, and Confidence. These are the promises for those who belong to Jesus. John repeats them like a drumline’s check pattern—because these truths matter. They are the basics, the essentials of Christian faith.

Every day brings a chance to return to the fundamentals: prayer, worship, gratitude, obedience, humility, and community. As we practice these “check patterns” of faith, Jesus shapes us into his likeness and anchors us in the unshakable assurance of his victory, life, and confidence.

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Message recap adapted from August 17, 2025, message by Minister Jed Logue

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