Obedience: The Mark of a Christian

Good morning, Church. It’s a great day to be in the Lord’s house! AMEN!

A few weeks ago, we started a verse-by-verse expositional study of the Epistle of 1 John. The whole point of this series centered around one question: How can we know that we are truly saved? We started walking through John’s series of tests for assurance of salvation. First, we looked at the doctrinal test. Do you confess Christ and do you confess your sins? Do your beliefs about the person and works of Jesus Christ and your view of your sins align with the teachings of Scripture? Today once again we’re looking at how your life backs up your claim of faith. “Don’t just tell me, show me.” Show me by bringing your life under God’s light which is God’s Truth which lays our sins out on the table.

If you have your Bible and I hope you do, please join me for the Reading of God’s Word:

1 John 2:1–6 “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.” PRAYER

1. The Principle Teaching of Obedience (2:3)

1 John 2:3 ESV

And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments.

A. The Assurance of Knowing God

The phrase here “to know him” is synonymous with the phrases in 1:7, “to walk in the light” and “to have fellowship one with another.” The Greek verb for know is “ginosko” which John uses roughly 40 times throughout his writings. John here is not implying that the notion “to know him” is only applicable for the Christian at the moment of salvation. A Christian needs to “continuously know” to “continuously have confidence” in their salvation, because Satan, the ruler of this world, the adversary, the accuser is continuously opposing believers before God, and our confidence, our assurance of salvation is in his cross-heirs. John says we can know Christ has saved us “if we keep his commandments.” Obedience is one way of knowing you’re a Christian. If a person claims to be a Christian, but is disobedient to God throughout his life, the apostle John says he’s “a liar, and the truth is not in him” (v. 4). The way to be assured that we truly know Him as a child knows his father is by keeping His commandments. Obedience results in assurance. Christians who have doubts usually are involved in sin because sin breeds doubt.

QA: What does it mean to know God? What is John saying?

The words for “knowledge” and “knowing” in the Bible (Heb. yāḏaʿ; Gk. gin̂skō) are used both in the OT and NT experientially and relationally. Here, John makes it clear, that to know God is to be in a saving relationship with God.

J.I. Packer says, " we must say that knowing God involves, first, listening to God's Word and receiving it as the Holy Spirit interprets it, in application to oneself; second, noting God's nature and character, as his Word and works reveal it; third, accepting his invitations and doing what he commands; fourth, recognizing and rejoicing in the love that he has shown in thus approaching you and drawing you into this divine fellowship."

Knowing God is not just knowing about God intellectually speaking but how this knowledge of God applies to and transforms one's life. In other words, it must travel from one’s head down to one’s heart, and only then do we see the evidence from ones’ hands.

3 Statements Regarding Knowing God:

-Knowing God is how you personally deal with God and how God personally deals with you. It is not a long distance relationship.

Romans 10:14 “How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?”

-Knowing God is how you are personally involved with God. It involves a commitment of mind, will, and feeling between you and God.

Psalm 34:8 “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!”

-Knowing God is a relationship built on His Grace. God took the initiative in loving, choosing, redeeming, calling, and preserving you.

Galatians 4:9 “But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more?”

We know God by faith because God first singled us out by grace!

We see this illustrated throughout Scripture:

Hosea 6:6 “For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.”

God wants the offering of your heart in relationship with Him.

Proverbs 1:7 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.”

Many scholars in the world who lack wisdom because knowledge has not been properly applied in their lives.

Knowing God is personal, so personal in that the Bible attaches flesh to its bones.

John 14:6-7 “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”

To know God is to know Jesus and knowing Jesus is to be known by Jesus.

John 10:27-30 "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. I and the Father are one."

Blaise Pascal said, “It is not only impossible but useless to know God without Jesus Christ.”

How this applies to our lives is that God is all-knowing , all-seeing, all-hearing, and everywhere present so He knows every hair on our heads, He knows, sees, and hears every thought that crosses our minds, but the great divide is this: Does God know you as His child in union with His Son Jesus Christ? Does God see you as a rebel or the redeemed? To know Jesus is to be saved by Jesus, here and hereafter, from sin, and guilt, and death.

B. The Assurance of Keeping His Commandments

The Greek word for “keep” here is “tereo” meaning to observe, to be watchful in one’s obedience. So often in our society, unbelievers view God in this legalistic manner, where God stands over Christians waiting to hit them over the head with his hammer whenever they do wrong. “I have to do this or I’ll get punished,” is not the obedience that is conveyed from this passage. Christians obey God out of a loving desire to please Our Father in heaven. It is a holy desire to obey God because you love Him. Rather than being a negative fear, obedience is inspired by love to become your heart’s greatest desire. You are to keep Christ’s commands in the spirit of obedience. The Christian can know that he knows God when the desire of his heart is to guard his obedience. Just like we continue to know God for assurance of salvation, we also continue to keep His commandments by how we live this life.

QA: What does it mean to keep His Commandments? What is John saying?

The wording here “His Commandments” does not refer to the law of Moses. The Pharisees were all about obedience to the law of Moses, which is why there ended up being 613 commandments, which even though they claimed to obey, they and everybody else fell short of meeting those marks. Jesus obeyed God’s Law perfectly because He knew we wouldn’t be able to. Jesus’ desire for us is not to obey His Commandments legalistically, out of fear of punishment, but out of love for Him.

We see this illustrated throughout Scripture:

Psalm 111:7 “The works of his hands are faithful and just; all his precepts are trustworthy;”

Psalm 119:4 “You have commanded your precepts to be kept diligently.”

Psalm 119:15 “I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways.”

Our desire should be to obey and honor the precepts of Christ (His commandments) out of love, and by this piece of evidence you further prove that you are in relationship with Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Our obedience won’t be perfect by any stretch, but we serve Jesus Christ who obeyed the Law perfectly and fully.

Matthew 5:17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.”

Ephesians 2:14–15 “For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace,”

2 Timothy 1:10 “and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel,”

Christians keep His Commandments, 1) by walking in the light and not in the darkness (v. 7), and 2) by confessing our sins (v. 9). There is only two types of people in the world, 1) believers, “obedient children” per Peter in 1 Peter 1:14, “As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance,” and 2) unbelievers, “children of disobedience” per Paul in Ephesians 2:2 “in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—”

Christians obey His Commandments out of their love for Jesus Christ:

John 14:15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”

Love was the element the Pharisees, Sadduccees, and the scribes were lacking in their attempts to obey the law of Moses. Which is why Jesus summed up the whole law around, “loving God” and “loving our neighbor.”

John 15:10–11 “If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.”

Puritan Preacher William Gurnall said, “When obedience falters, faith weakens. How can there be great faith, where there is little faithfulness?”

How this applies to our lives is that we won’t always feel like we’re saved, but we can claim to know God. Question is: Can we prove it? Our obedience is the evidence. A lifestyle of obedience is a way of knowing that you’re a Christian because actions speak louder than words.

2. The Phony Act of Faith (2:4)

1 John 2:4 “Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him,”

The Greek word for “truth” here is aletheia. This word was also used in vv: 6, 8, 10 of chapter 1.

Remember the "Whoever" in this verse are those who say they:

"have fellowship with him while they walk in darkness" and "have no sin" and "have not sinned" (vv. 6, 8, 10).

They "lie and do not practice the truth" and "deceive themselves" and "truth is not in them" and "make God a liar" (vv. 6, 8, 10).

This is clearly illustrated throughout Scripture:

Titus 1:10 “For there are many insubordinate, both idle talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision,”

Titus 1:16 “They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work.”

Luke 6:46 “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?”

Matthew 7:22–23 “On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.”

John’s point here is that Christians obey and non-Christians do not. Christians submit to the lordship of Jesus Christ, and non-Christians are surrendered to the desires of their flesh being tossed to and fro with every wind of the world.

How this applies to our lives is that we live in a world where people believe many different things about God, and many of these beliefs are just plain heretical. This belief in the “man upstairs” and “mother nature” is downright idiotic and proves of one’s spiritual ignorance of God. If the name of Jesus Christ can’t roll off of one’s lips, then they don’t know God. In other words, many people claim to know God but their lives prove otherwise.

3. The Perfect Display of Love (2:5a)

1 John 2:5a “But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him.”

In contrast to the "liars" of verse 4 are those who obey God's commandments. "Keeping" God's Word is another reference to obedience. According to John, God's love is perfected in those who obey the Word of God. The term "perfected" does not refer to 100 percent flawless living, but rather to maturity. No one is perfect (Romans 3:10), but all believers are called to growth and maturity; this is a process of perfection. While this is expected, it is not guaranteed. Born-again believers in Christ are those whose love for God is on full display by their obedience to God. In other words, love is made manifest in our obedience and is evidence that we are saved. If we walk carelessly in this life with no regards to our actions, no accountability for our choices, then the lack of evidence speaks for itself.

1 John 4:12 “No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.”

1 John 4:16 “So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.”

Remember the "Whoever" in this verse is those who:

"walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin" (v. 7).

"confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (v. 9).

"the little children who have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous" (v. 1).

"whose sins Jesus Christ is the propitiation for" (v. 2).

In context, these were not the Gnostics who claimed spiritual union with God was only for the elite, for those who received higher revelation, for they were deceived.

Best way to describe a “love perfected” is by way of illustration, Corrie ten Boom returned to Germany in 1947 after the fall of Nazi Germany to proclaim the message of God’s love and forgiveness. While she was speaking on God’s love and forgiveness she recognized one of the guards from the Ravensbruck concentration camp where she was imprisoned and where her sister died. The man approached her. He simply said, “I have become a Christian,” “God has forgiven me for all the cruel things I did in that camp. I have come to ask you to forgive me, too.” Then the indwelling Christ prompted the response. She reached out her hand and took his. Warmth, supernatural and sublime, flooded her heart. Tears came to her eyes as she said, “I forgive you, my brother—with all of my heart.” This is love perfected!

Matthew 6:12–14 “and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you,”

Applying this to our Christian lives that must “keep his commands” can sound like we must live a boring and strict life where all you do is focus on rules. But John says, “whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected.” Jesus boiled all the commandments down to loving God and loving people. It’s not meant to be a boring life. It’s a life of encountering God’s love and being compelled to share it with the world. You and I cannot claim to walk in God’s light while we’re clothed with the darkness of the world.

4. The Practical Application of Obedience (2:5b-6)

1 John 2:5b–6 “By this we know that we are in Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.”

By this: meaning our obedience to Christ which is rooted in Christ's love for His sheep is the proof that we abide in Christ. In other words, walk in a manner that befits your union with Christ. Demonstrate your connection with Him by "walking as He also walked" (v. 6). If you have been delivered from the power of darkness, let your light shine before others. When every word of Our Savior becomes precious to us, we do all we can to live by His precepts. If we claim to be Christians, we ought to be patterning our lives after Christ.

John 14:12 “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.”

We must be found in Christ and we must abide in Christ. If not then we’re not saved by Christ. Union with Christ (salvation) cannot be handed down from your parents, grandparents, or even church membership, it is business between you and God.

This concept of abiding in Christ is one John heard roll off from the lips of His Master and is illustrated beautifully in the Parable of the Vine dresser.

John 15:4 “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.”

First came the command: “Abide in Me”; then came the accompanying truth: “I also abide in you”; followed by the practical application: “As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine, no more can you, except you abide in me.”

The message here is simple, Jesus is the Vine and there are two types of branches: 1) believers that produce fruit because they receive life flowing from Vine (Christ). 2) unbelievers that produce no fruit because they are not found in Christ, thus not receiving life flowing from the Vine (Christ). These are those who profess to know Christ without actually possessing Christ. The branch does nothing in or of himself but simply allows the Vine to express Himself through him.

John then abruptly changes the figure from abiding to walking. Walking is one of the first skills we learn in life. We learn to walk before we learn to talk. Walking implies making progress, and John doesn’t leave us to wonder long what he means: we are to “walk even as he (the Lord Jesus) walked.”

The image that came to mind here was when John the Baptist and Andrew were standing by the Jordan with John on the lookout for the Messiah. His coming was imminent. John 1:36 “and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!”

John immediately recognized the sinless, spotless Lamb of God by His walk. John and Andrew at once fell in step behind Jesus and, before the day was over, were abiding with Him. John 1:39 “He said to them, “Come and you will see.” So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour.” Andrew became a soul winner from that hour and John became the Lord’s closest friend on earth.

Conclusion:

In closing, here’s the point: how is your walk? How does your walk provide proof to your profession of faith? How does your walk provide you with assurance of salvation? If you’re here this morning, I know without a shadow of doubt that God led you here for the faithful preaching of His Word. Whether you’ve been a Christian all your life, or you’re still on the fence of this whole Christianity thing, I can promise you this morning God has you here for a reason. The invitation has been extended to all (the whosoever’s of the world), “Come and abide in Christ” while there is still time. Today is the day of salvation, don’t wait! PRAYER