March 8, 2017 THE PLAIN TRUTH
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 whosoever 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 is Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.”
These verses cut right to the core; there is no mixing of words. The beauty of theses verses is that they leave no room for debate and one does not need to engage in an extensive word study in order to get the intended meaning of the truth presented. We find in these verses the plain, undeniable, and powerful truth regarding what it means to know God. God’s over-arching plan and purpose is that those who belong to Him, become like Him. Truly knowing Him is much more than knowing intellectually or knowing about Him; to know Him is to know Him in a personal, intimate way. One cannot come to know God and not be transformed by the love of God. It is the love of God that truly changes a person at the core of his being. When we experience and know the love of God, it becomes natural for us to want our life to be pleasing to Him. Keeping the commandments of God becomes our desire if we know Him; if we do not know Him, we perceive His commandments as things we should do in order to gain His approval. The plain truth of these verses is that truly knowing God always produces a certain outcome, and that outcome is the keeping His commandments and walking in His ways. It can’t be plainer than that! God is about ‘perfecting’ us, and we know that His love has been ‘perfected’ in us when we find it our joy to keep His commandments and “walk in the same manner that He walked.” To ‘walk as He walked’ means that the life we live resembles the life of Jesus. Keeping His commandments and love are not to different issues, but are inseperable; just as the fruit of an apple tree is apples, the fruit of love is the keeping of His words. As we read these verses, let us not be condemned, but let us use them as a ‘checkup’ of our spiritual health. If we find that it is not our sure desire to keep His commandments and walk in His ways, let us ask God to reveal to us His great love for us and then pursue knowing Him.
Colossians 1:9-10: “For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.”
Blessings,
Buddy
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