1 John 2:3-6 3By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. 4The 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; 5but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him: 6the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.
Verse three says that if we know Him, we keep his commandments. My first thought is that this seems legalistic. However, it isn’t saying the inverse, if we keep His commandments, we know Him. So, it’s not our performance that makes it so. John is stating a fact. It could be replaced with, “if she is human, then she breathe’s oxygen.” The inverse isn’t necessarily so. There are plenty of things that breathe oxygen that aren’t humans.
Since the sixties, our culture has gone to great length to dismiss it’s traditional values. Most understood if they were following the teachings of a church or not. However, it’s common in some circles to answer the question “are you a christian” with “I’m spiritual”. This keeps them from being defensive. They don’t have to deal with why they don’t follow Christ or the claims of the bible. It means that I think there’s a spirit world, I don’t think it’s what the bible says.
God won’t allow the reason, “I don’t think it’s what the bible says”. Romans 1:20-23 says, “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.” This passage is saying that they made a choice to believe otherwise. Not because they didn’t think it was true, but because they didn’t want to follow that lifestyle.
This verse also speaks to the churchgoer that doesn’t have a life that keeps the commandments. It may mean that they are doing sinful things or not doing good things. It addresses the sins of commission and ommission.
Paul goes to great lengths to speak about grace and how our works don’t earn favor with God. That is true. We’ve addressed that by saying the inverse isn’t necessarily so. Keeping the commands doesn’t save a person. It’s by grace through faith. Keeping the commands is an evidence of conversion. It doesn’t mean one doesn’t stumble. The child of God will feel remorse and seek to repent.
Lord, thank You that You put the desire in us to keep the commandments. It’s not a guilt motivation, but it’s what we want to do.
Lord, thank You that You put the desire in us to keep the commandments. It’s not a guilt motivation, but it’s what we want to do.