“But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.” 1 John 2:5-6
NIV Life Application Study:
“To live as Jesus doesn’t mean choosing 12 disciples, performing great miracles, and being crucified. We cannot merely copy Christ’s life. Much of what Jesus did had to do with His divine identity as God’s Son, the fulfillment of his special role in dying for sin, and the cultural context of the first-century Roman world. To walk today as Christ did, we must obey His teachings and follow His example of complete obedience to God and loving service to people. We will do this as we serve others by bringing them truth, healing, and peace.”
Enduring Word Commentary:
(3-6) The fruit of fellowship.
Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.
a. Now by this we know that we know Him: The evidence of someone knowing God, and fellowship with Him is that he does keep His commandments. A simple, loving obedience is a natural result of fellowship with God.
i. We have a gracious Advocate in heaven. We have an open invitation to restoration through confession. Yet these things do not make the converted man careless about the commandments. God changes the heart at conversion and writes His law upon our heart.
ii. “Those men who think that God’s grace, when fully, fairly, and plainly preached, will lead men into sin, know not what they say, nor whereof they affirm… Shall I hate God because he is kind to me? Shall I curse him because he blesses me? I venture to affirm that very few men reason thus.” (Spurgeon)
b. A liar, and the truth is not in him: The truth of this is so certain that if one does not live a life marked by obedience, his claim to fellowship (the experiential knowledge) with God can be fairly challenged.
i. I know Him: “Do distinguish, however, between knowing about Christ and knowing Christ. We may know very much about many of our great men, though we do not know them. Now, it will never save a soul to know about Christ. The only saving knowledge is to know him, his very self, and to trust him, the living Savior, who is now at the right hand of God.” (Spurgeon)
c. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him: John also makes the link between our obedience and our love for God. A perfected (the idea is mature) love for God will show itself in obedience, and the presence of this obedience and love gives us assurance that we are in Jesus (By this we know we are in Him).
i. Mark it, when one becomes a Christian, there is a change in his relationship with sin. Sin is not eliminated in the believer until he comes to glory, but his relationship to sin is changed when he truly become a Christian.
· A Christian no longer loves sin as he once did.
· A Christian no longer brags about his sin as he once did.
· A Christian no longer plans to sin as he once did.
· A Christian no longer fondly remembers his sin as he once did.
· A Christian never fully enjoys his sin as he once did.
· A Christian no longer is comfortable in habitual sin as he once was.
ii. “The Christian no longer loves sin; it is the object of his sternest horror: he no longer regards it as a mere trifle, plays with it, or talks of it with unconcern… Sin is dejected in the Christian’s heart, though it is not ejected. Sin may enter the heart, and fight for dominion, but it cannot sit upon the throne.” (Spurgeon)
d. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked: The thought is brought around to a full circle. When we are abiding in Jesus, we will walk just as He walked – live lives of obedience and love. When we want to walk just as He walked, we need to begin by abiding in Him.
i. To walk just as He walked: We aren’t called to imitate the way Jesus walked on water, but His every-day walk with God the Father. The spiritual power evident in the life of Jesus flowed from a faithful, regular, disciplined life of fellowship and obedience.
ii. “The point here is that the one who knows God will increasingly lead a righteous life, for God is righteous. It does not mean that he will be sinless; John has already shown that anyone who claims this is lying. It simply means that he will be moving in a direction marked out by the righteousness of God. If he does not do this, if he is not increasingly dissatisfied with and distressed by sin, he is not God’s child.” (Boice)
Heavenly Father, every day, I long to live more like Jesus. I know Your Word is true. Even when it's hard, I will try my best to obey and keep Your commandments. Thank You for catching me when I fall. In Jesus' Name, Amen.