A Note from Michael Gossett
Hold Fast – Never Surrender
“I am determined to sustain myself as long as possible & die like a soldier who never forgets what is due to his own honor & that of his country—Victory or Death.” —William Barret Travis, from his final letter at the Alamo, February 24, 1836
That line still stirs in many hearts today. It came from a young commander, just 26 years old, surrounded by an enemy force of thousands. William B. Travis knew the odds. He knew help might not come. But still he stood firm. He literally drew a line and called his men to choose conviction over compromise. He signed his letter with three words that echo through Texas and American history: Victory or Death.
That kind of clarity, courage, and conviction seems rare in today’s world. We live in a time that celebrates open-mindedness but dismisses certainty. We are told to “live your truth” but not to claim that Truth can be known. We are encouraged to be “tolerant,” as long as we don’t get too firm about the gospel. Dogmatism is out. Vague spirituality is in.
Now, to be fair, there are things that don’t require firm convictions. I’ll admit that I am at times a little bit dogmatic when it comes to sports. If you ask me who the greatest basketball player of all time is, I’ll say without hesitation, Michael Jordan. Greatest pitcher? Greg Maddux. We can have fun with that kind of debate because those answers, at the end of the day, are a matter of preference and really have no effect on eternity.
However, when it comes to eternal truth, personal opinion is irrelevant. There are doctrines that are simply not up for debate. These truths are not shaped by culture or circumstance and never change. These aren’t personal convictions; they are divine declarations. As the Apostle John closes out his letter in 1 John 5:18-21, he gives us three non-negotiables to which every believer must never surrender and always hold fast.
If you are a follower of Jesus, you have to draw your line in the sand somewhere. These verses give you that line. Johns invites us to echo Travis’ words in spiritual resolve. I will never surrender. I will hold fast. Victory or death.
- Fight Against Sin – Don’t Tolerate It
1 John 5:18 says, “We know that everyone who has been born of God does not sin, but the one who is born of God keeps him, and the evil one does not touch him.” This verse isn’t denying the presence of sin in the believer’s life but instead denying sin’s dominion. There’s a difference between stumbling and surrendering. John’s point is not that Christians never sin, but that they cannot persist in sin as a lifestyle because of the new birth in Christ.
Regeneration is not behavioral modification. It is a total transformation of nature. The believer is a new creation according to Paul in 2 Corinthians 5:17. As John has already stated earlier in this letter, those born of God do not continue in sin (1 John 3:9). That doesn’t mean we never fail but it does mean that we never again feel at home in rebellion.
Why? Because the Spirit of God dwells within us. His holy presence creates an increasing sensitivity to sin. What once entertained us now grieves us. What once enslaved us now enrages us. We fight sin not only because it is wrong, but because it opposes the One we love.
This transformation of desire is one of the clearest signs of true salvation. As John Owen once wrote, “Be killing sin, or sin will be killing you.” Owen also understood the gospel: it is Christ who kills sin in us, and it is Christ who keeps us.
This is exactly what the Apostle John affirms next: “The one born of God keeps him.” Most scholars agree that this refers not to the believer keeping himself, but to Christ keeping the believer. Jesus guards His own. We are the sheep of His pasture and He is the perfect Shepherd watching over His own. The same Savior who shed His blood for your justification now stands as your Great High Priest interceding for your preservation (Hebrews 7:25). His keeping is effectual. His grip is eternal (John 10:28-29).
And so, John adds, “the evil one does not touch him.” Satan may tempt, accuse, and even buffet the believer, but he cannot lay hold of him in a destructive sense. The Greek word for “touch” implies a hostile seizure, a forceful grip. That grip belongs to Christ alone.
If you are in Christ, sin is no longer your master, but neither is your willpower. Your security rests not in your ability to hold onto Christ but in His sovereign grip on you. And if you find yourself too comfortable with sin, take a hard look at your heart. Real salvation produces real sanctification—not perfection—but growth.
- The World Is Not Neutral
1 John 5:19 says, “We know that we are of God, and the whole world is under the sway of the evil one.” This is by far one of the clearest contrasts in all of Scripture. John isn’t speaking in grayscale. He is using black and white. There are only two categories: Those who belong to God and those who are under the influence of the evil one. There is no neutral ground.
This verse cuts through modern assumptions like a sword. The secular world loves to imagine itself as “neutral” or free-thinking. The world claims to be unbiased and detached from spiritual claims. But John says otherwise. The world isn’t uninfluenced, it is under the influence of the enemy. It is not spiritually undecided, and it is spiritually deceived.
Paul makes the same point in 2 Corinthians 4:4, when he writes that “the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers.” Jesus, in His parable of the sower, said that the enemy snatches the word from people’s hearts before it can take root (Matthew 13:19). And Peter describes the devil as a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8). So, what are we to do with that?
We recognize that we are in the world, but not of the world. We engage the culture, but we are not shaped by it. We live as sojourners, strangers, and ambassadors of a greater Kingdom (1 Peter 2:11; 2 Corinthians 5:20). The mission is not to rage against the darkness but to shine the light of the gospel into it.
But to do that well, we have to remember who the real enemy is. It is not the people on the other side of the political aisle. It not the neighbor with different moral values. It is not the college professor who mocks your faith. It is the one who has blinded them. The evil one. The deceiver. Satan.
We must learn to weep before we speak and to intercede before we argue. To see people around us not as opponents to be defeated, but as captives to be rescued. We must be careful so we do not confuse captives as enemies. You have been rescued from the dominion of darkness but now we must live like someone sent to pull others from it. Speak truth boldly, but with deep love and compassion. Share the gospel with clarity. Invite people to church constantly. Satan’s kingdom is crumbling. It will not stand. But Christ’s Kingdom will endure forever.
- Eternal Life Is Found in Knowing Jesus
1 John 5:20 says, “And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding so that we may know the true one. He is the true God and eternal life.”
John now brings everything to a glorious crescendo. After a letter that is saturated with gospel clarity, he ends with the most important truth of all: salvation is found in knowing Jesus Christ.
This is not a shallow acknowledgement or religious tradition. This is a Spirit-wrought understanding that leads to personal relationship. The word “know” here isn’t academic but rather it is experiential. It is the same kind of knowledge Paul craved when he said, “that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection” (Philippians 3:10).
Jesus didn’t just come to make truth known, but He came to be the truth (John 14:6). He didn’t just give life, but rather He is life (John 11:25). He didn’t come to offer another religious option, but rather He came to make a decisive revelation of God. “He is the true God and eternal life.”
This is one of the strongest statements of Christ’s deity in all of Scripture. John leaves no room for ambiguity. The same Jesus who walked the dusty roads of Galilee, who was crucified outside Jerusalem, who rose from the garden tomb is the eternal, uncreated Son of God. Fully divine. Fully man. Fully life.
But then, seemingly out of nowhere, John writes: “Little children, guard yourselves from idols” (v. 21). Why end there? Because the greatest danger to your soul is not open rejection but subtle substitution. Idolatry is when we take something other than Jesus and expect it to give us what only He can. It may be success, comfort, ministry, or morality. But if it is not Jesus, it is counterfeit.
John Calvin said it best: “The human heart is a perpetual factory of idols.” And if we are not watchful, we will start trusting our feelings, our performance, our experiences, even our traditions instead of Christ alone.
Where is your confidence? What are you looking to for peace, identity, or salvation? If it is anything other than Jesus, it is an idol. Guard your heart. Fix your eyes. Eternal life is not found in theology alone, or in behavior, or in heritage. It is found in knowing Jesus Christ who is the true God and eternal life.
William Barrett Travis didn’t write those words, “Victory or Death” because he was delusional. He knew the cost. He knew the risk. And yet he refused to waver. His legacy endures not because he lived, but because he stood.
As believers in Jesus, we’ve been called to a greater stand. Not for a country, but for a Kingdom. Not against earthly enemies, but against spiritual darkness. Not for personal honor, but for eternal glory.
John ends his letter with a call to that kind of faithfulness. Know the truth about sin and fight against it. Know the truth about the world and engage it wisely. Know the truth about salvation and trust in Christ alone. May we be a people who hold fast and never surrender on the things that matter most.
A Prayer for Today:
Heavenly Father, You alone are my anchor that holds me in a drifting and fleeting world. Thank you for saving me, for keeping me, and for giving me life in you. Help me to fight sin with your strength. Help me to love the lost with your heart. Help me to cling to you alone when my heart is tempted by idols. Keep me grounded in the truth, bold in witness, and faithful to the end. I know I will hold fast because I know you will hold me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
This Sunday, we are stepping into the synagogue at Capernaum to witness a moment where Jesus opens His mouth and everything changes. We are studying Luke 4:31-37 about the authority of Jesus! This isn’t ordinary teaching. This is divine authority in action. Don’t miss this message about the voice of Jesus.
What happens when Jesus speaks?
Demons Tremble.
Evil is exposed.
Lives are changed.
People are left in awe.
This same voice is still speaking today into our chaos, our fear, and our brokenness. Come and worship with us at 9:30 or 11:00! Invite someone to join you. Come ready to hear from the Lord.
You are loved and prayed for!
Michael Gossett