March 4, 2019 BY THIS WE KNOW
1 John 1:6-7 “If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; but if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.”
1 John 2:4-6: “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 that we are in Him; the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.”
These verses serve as an acid test; they reveal our heart. Twice in the above passages we see that it is possible, and it’s in our power to lie. Before we denounce anyone who would lie, let us examine ourselves to make sure we are not guilty, in a subtle way, of lying. In no way am I bringing condemnation to anyone; I just want us to make sure that our life is in harmony with what we say we believe. The deception comes when we say that we are having fellowship with God, but at the same time we are walking in darkness in some area of our life. Just for example, if I harbor ill thoughts toward someone, if I am being dishonest in some way, etc., then I am guilty of lying and ‘not practicing the truth.’ At this point, we are likely to say ‘Yes I agree, but after all, I’m not perfect and God forgives my sins.” It is true that in our own strength and determination, we cannot keep the commands of God, but here is the good news: when ‘the love of God has been truly perfected’ in us, we discover that it becomes our deepest desire to live in such a way that the life we live pleases the Lord, and we discover that the Holy Spirit enables us to live such a life. The fruit of knowing that we are in Him and abiding in Him is that we will ‘walk in the same manner as He walked.’ It is knowing and experiencing the love of God for us in a personal way that makes all the difference; it is His love that transforms us and makes us new. You might ask how is it that I can know His love in such a personal way. I don’t know of three easy steps of how to know God’s love, but I do know that it starts with having a desire in our heart to know Him. If one desires to know Him, then it stands to reason that he would begin to read and study the written word that God gave in order that we might come to know Him. It’s good to worship, pray, and attend church, but those are not substitutes when it comes to knowing God. In His written word, we discover what God is like, His nature, His likes and dislikes, His plans for us, His wisdom, His power, His forgiveness, and most importantly, what He accomplished on our behalf through the death and resurrection of Jesus. So, let the life we live be a reflection of the truth of the gospel; let us indeed have fellowship with our Father and with each other. Remember the acid test: if we truly know Him and the love He has for us, keeping His commandments will be a natural outflow of our love for Him.
John 14:21 “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth Me: and he that loveth Me shall be loved of My Father, and I will love him, and will manifest Myself unto him.”
Blessings,
Buddy
1 John 1:6-7 “If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; but if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.”
1 John 2:4-6: “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 that we are in Him; the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.”
These verses serve as an acid test; they reveal our heart. Twice in the above passages we see that it is possible, and it’s in our power to lie. Before we denounce anyone who would lie, let us examine ourselves to make sure we are not guilty, in a subtle way, of lying. In no way am I bringing condemnation to anyone; I just want us to make sure that our life is in harmony with what we say we believe. The deception comes when we say that we are having fellowship with God, but at the same time we are walking in darkness in some area of our life. Just for example, if I harbor ill thoughts toward someone, if I am being dishonest in some way, etc., then I am guilty of lying and ‘not practicing the truth.’ At this point, we are likely to say ‘Yes I agree, but after all, I’m not perfect and God forgives my sins.” It is true that in our own strength and determination, we cannot keep the commands of God, but here is the good news: when ‘the love of God has been truly perfected’ in us, we discover that it becomes our deepest desire to live in such a way that the life we live pleases the Lord, and we discover that the Holy Spirit enables us to live such a life. The fruit of knowing that we are in Him and abiding in Him is that we will ‘walk in the same manner as He walked.’ It is knowing and experiencing the love of God for us in a personal way that makes all the difference; it is His love that transforms us and makes us new. You might ask how is it that I can know His love in such a personal way. I don’t know of three easy steps of how to know God’s love, but I do know that it starts with having a desire in our heart to know Him. If one desires to know Him, then it stands to reason that he would begin to read and study the written word that God gave in order that we might come to know Him. It’s good to worship, pray, and attend church, but those are not substitutes when it comes to knowing God. In His written word, we discover what God is like, His nature, His likes and dislikes, His plans for us, His wisdom, His power, His forgiveness, and most importantly, what He accomplished on our behalf through the death and resurrection of Jesus. So, let the life we live be a reflection of the truth of the gospel; let us indeed have fellowship with our Father and with each other. Remember the acid test: if we truly know Him and the love He has for us, keeping His commandments will be a natural outflow of our love for Him.
John 14:21 “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth Me: and he that loveth Me shall be loved of My Father, and I will love him, and will manifest Myself unto him.”
Blessings,
Buddy
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