An Obedient Walk

There is an expression that things can be caught, not taught. Taught is the act of teaching, caught is following the example. There are many things, I do because I saw someone else do them first. Whether it was my dad, or a pastor, I started doing it. From how I conduct my class, to how I talk, or things I say. Even giving out Gospel tracts, I was never good, still can be awkward, but I was doing what more experienced people were doing, and it helped. I was following their example. Christ is our ultimate example want to walk as Christ walked. How do we do that? By being obedient.

1 John is written to believers who are struggling with the heresy of Gnosticism. Gnostics thought that they had fellowship with God because they were more enlightned. So John started talking about how we are to have joy in our fellowship with God through Jesus Christ. He then talked about how we fellowship with God is by walking in light of God’s Word, and confessing when we mess up. Now he is talking about obedience. He is exhorting the believers to be obedient. John is saying that the Gnostics are not saved, and here is why. They are not obedient to the truth of God. They do not walk as Christ walked! John is saying that our obedience it shows that we look like Christ. We as Christians must walk like Jesus. That only happens when we are obedient to Christ. What happens when we live in obedience?

Gives us assurance v. 3-5

The one thing about Gnostics is that they believed that no matter how they lived, they were excellent on the basis of knowledge and intellect, and not on following God. John is saying that the Gnostics do not know God, because they don’t care about keeping the commandments. Yet if you want to please God because He saved you, it shows salvation

Obedience is the very best way to show that you believe.

We will mess up, but if we are saved we will want to live holy and we will be chastened if we sin

Hebrews 12:5-7 “And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?”

He that does not keep the commandments or is disobedient contiually and does not care about seeking will not have any assurance of salvation

If you live in disobedience you will have doubts. Yet when we live in obedience, we will see God working in us.

Paul addresses this in Romans 6:1-2 “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?”

We mature in the love of God according to v. 5

2 timothy 3:16-17 “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.”

2 Peter 3:18 “But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.”

There is an old expression “if it looks like a duck, walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it is probably a duck.” Meaning if it fits the description, than it probably is correct. John is saying here, that if one is walking like a Christian, then they are most likely a Christian. Those who don’t walk like a Christian, are most likely not a Christian. Do you walk like a Christian? Can people tell you are a Christian by the way you live?

Abide in Christ v. 6

When we are obedient we abide in Christ

Abide means to remain in Christ,

John 15 is a famous passage about the fruit and the vine, and many people take the word abide and say “this is how you abide in Christ” or “that is how you abide in Christ” and Jesus actually puts it simply. John 15:10 “If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.”

So we abide in Christ by keeping His commandments, and we bring forth fruit.

John 15:4-5 “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.”

So by being obedient to God’s Word is when we will be able to bring forth fruit. I heard this illustration about a boy, who used a barren tree that was outside his window to sneak out the house. He heard his dad was going to cut it down, so he could not sneak out. The boys gathers his friends, and they tied apples to the tree. The father sees it the next morning, and said its a miracle, its covered with apples. The reason why? It is a pear tree.

Good fruit only comes from obeying God.

Love each other v. 7-11

When we are obedient to God, we will love each other

Matthew 22:36-40 “Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”

The phrase a new commandment comes from the Gospel of John, living as Christ lived is not a new commandment but an old one., John 13:34-35 “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.”

So when we love each other , we will show that we are the Lord’s Disciples

All of the commandments will be either love God or love others

When we say we love God, yet hate our brothers we are in darkness

Yet when we love each other, we are walking in the light, and there will not be any occasion of stumbling, meaning we will not mess up

Yet when we walk in hatred, we walk in darkness.

It should be natural for us to love our family, and spiritual family. Why? Because we are all family

1 peter 1:22-23 “Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently: Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.”

How is your obedience? How is your love? Are you bringing fruit?