November 9, 2024 BY THIS WE KNOW
1 John 2:3-6 “And by this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. The one who says, ‘I have come to know Him,’ and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; but whoever keeps His word, in Him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know we are in Him: the one who says he abides in Him ought himself walk in the same manner as He walked.”
In this chapter of John, John is encouraging and instructing believers to live in the light, to love one another, and to reflect the presence of God who is in them. On the first reading of this passage, one might feel condemned because it looks like John is telling them they must be perfect-and they know they are not perfect. But, as we read all of 1 John, we find much encouragement and we see that we can live in the light and we can reflect the life of Christ who indwells us; it is possible to live according to what we read in 1 John. I say it often; the word of God is not a list of commandments we must keep; rather, the New Testament is all about the power of sin over us being broken and us being made new creations with new natures, new spirits and new minds. If we are basing our being pleasing to God by keeping His commandments, we will be frustrated and disappointed because in our own strength we cannot please God. I am convinced that the biggest problem and biggest misunderstanding of the gospel and the biggest problem in the church in general revolves around the issue of why we do what we do. We either live trying to please God, or we live out of the new creation that we are. Here is the good news; when we live out of our true identity as sons and daughters of God, we naturally walk in the ways of God! Does this mean we never sin? No. But as we are walking according to the Spirit-who we are in Him-we will quickly recognize any sin we may commit and we will confess it and turn from it, then continue to live according to the Spirit. (There are times when the Spirit leads us to make adjustments in our lives even thought we have not sinned.) The obvious, the main point is that when the love of God has truly been perfected in someone, they will naturally keep God’s word. When we come to understand our true identity as believers-that He loves us and has made us new creations-we will live with a desire to keep His word and to walk in His ways. The warning in this passage is obvious: if one says he has come to know God and yet does not keep His word-that’s a huge problem. Again; it’s not about sinless perfection; it is about living out of who we are in Him. God’s word tells believes what to do if and when they sin-confess it and turn from it. God’s word is all inclusive and covers all the bases. Do not miss the last few words of this passage. It is abundantly clear in the word of God that WE CAN ‘walk in the same manner as He walked.’ Let us not fall short of our privilege we have as children of God who gives is abundant life.
1 John 2:1, 29 “My little children, I am writing these things to you that you might not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” “If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone also who practices righteousness is born of Him.”
Blessings, Buddy
1 John 2:3-6 “And by this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. The one who says, ‘I have come to know Him,’ and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; but whoever keeps His word, in Him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know we are in Him: the one who says he abides in Him ought himself walk in the same manner as He walked.”
In this chapter of John, John is encouraging and instructing believers to live in the light, to love one another, and to reflect the presence of God who is in them. On the first reading of this passage, one might feel condemned because it looks like John is telling them they must be perfect-and they know they are not perfect. But, as we read all of 1 John, we find much encouragement and we see that we can live in the light and we can reflect the life of Christ who indwells us; it is possible to live according to what we read in 1 John. I say it often; the word of God is not a list of commandments we must keep; rather, the New Testament is all about the power of sin over us being broken and us being made new creations with new natures, new spirits and new minds. If we are basing our being pleasing to God by keeping His commandments, we will be frustrated and disappointed because in our own strength we cannot please God. I am convinced that the biggest problem and biggest misunderstanding of the gospel and the biggest problem in the church in general revolves around the issue of why we do what we do. We either live trying to please God, or we live out of the new creation that we are. Here is the good news; when we live out of our true identity as sons and daughters of God, we naturally walk in the ways of God! Does this mean we never sin? No. But as we are walking according to the Spirit-who we are in Him-we will quickly recognize any sin we may commit and we will confess it and turn from it, then continue to live according to the Spirit. (There are times when the Spirit leads us to make adjustments in our lives even thought we have not sinned.) The obvious, the main point is that when the love of God has truly been perfected in someone, they will naturally keep God’s word. When we come to understand our true identity as believers-that He loves us and has made us new creations-we will live with a desire to keep His word and to walk in His ways. The warning in this passage is obvious: if one says he has come to know God and yet does not keep His word-that’s a huge problem. Again; it’s not about sinless perfection; it is about living out of who we are in Him. God’s word tells believes what to do if and when they sin-confess it and turn from it. God’s word is all inclusive and covers all the bases. Do not miss the last few words of this passage. It is abundantly clear in the word of God that WE CAN ‘walk in the same manner as He walked.’ Let us not fall short of our privilege we have as children of God who gives is abundant life.
1 John 2:1, 29 “My little children, I am writing these things to you that you might not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” “If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone also who practices righteousness is born of Him.”
Blessings, Buddy
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