Know and Obey to Be Happy in Jesus

1 John 2:3–11 ESV

3 And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. 4 Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, 5 but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: 6 whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked. 7 Beloved, I am writing you no new commandment, but an old commandment that you had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word that you have heard. 8 At the same time, it is a new commandment that I am writing to you, which is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining. 9 Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness. 10 Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling. 11 But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

Observations/Questions

1 John 2:3 “3 And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments.”

We know we have come to know him if we obey his commandments

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

If you say you know him but don’t obey his commandments you are a liar and therefore don’t know him

1 John 2:5 “5 but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him:”

What does it mean to keep his word truly?

What does it mean “God’s love is perfected?” Isn’t it already perfect?

We know we are in him if we obey His Word.

1 John 2:6 “6 whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.”

If we abide in Him we ought to and will walk in the same way he walked.

How did Jesus walk? In sacrificial love and compassion towards others

1 John 2:7 “7 Beloved, I am writing you no new commandment, but an old commandment that you had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word that you have heard.”

This isn’t a new thing John is telling us but an old thing. Something that they had already heard. So probably means it’s from the Old Testament

1 John 2:8 “8 At the same time, it is a new commandment that I am writing to you, which is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining.”

It’s an old commandment and a new commandment what in the world does that mean?

Darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining. What does that mean??

1 John 2:9 “9 Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness.”

You can’t follow Jesus and hate a brother.

Does he mean literal brother? no of course not

1 John 2:10 “10 Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling.”

If I love my brother I abide in the light. It seems like loving my brother helps me stay in the light and being in the light helps me love my brother.

What does it mean to love my brother? What is love?

1 John 2:11 “11 But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.”

If I hate my brother it means that I am in darkness and cannot see what is before me.

What are the ramifications of walking in darkness?

Brief Summary

If we say we know him and are walking the light then we will obey his word and love our brother.

Life Lessons

I can say I know Jesus but if I do not look like him, obey him, and love others than I am still lost and walking in darkness.

Is John teaching a works based salvation? How do I know he’s not?

1 John 1:9 “9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

1 John 2:1–2 “1 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. 2 He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.”

What I believe is always revealed by how I behave.

But if’s he’s not talking about works based salvation he must be talking about some deeper understanding and relationship with God that comes through obedience and love.

Life lesson - I actually know God better when I obey him and love others.

What comes from knowing God better?

John 17:3 “3 And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”

Isaiah 26:3–4 “3 You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. 4 Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.”

Life Lessons - So the more I obey God and love others the more I will know God and the more joy and peace and contentment I will experience.

Let’s get back to some of my questions from earlier.

What does it mean to keep his word truly?

Exalting Jesus in 1,2,3 John You Will Know His Love Perfectly (1 John 2:5)

Keeping the commands of God is not a condition of knowing God, but it is a clear sign and indication that we do know God. It is a life of true worship that delights in the commands of God for no other reason than it delights in the God who gives those commands. John says, “But whoever keeps [as a habit and pattern of life] His word [His commands], truly in him the love of God is perfected.”

What does it mean “God’s love is perfected?” Isn’t it already perfect?

Exalting Jesus in 1,2,3 John You Will Know His Love Perfectly (1 John 2:5)

The phrase “love of God” is ambiguous and open to various understandings. It could mean God’s love for us, our love for God, God’s kind of love, or simply the love of God in a general sense. I believe the context here indicates it is our love for God that is in view. As we consistently obey God, carefully guarding His Word, our love for God grows and is brought to maturity and completion. It reaches a marked-out-in-advance goal and is brought to perfection (cf. 4:12, 17, 18). In keeping and obeying His Word, my love for Jesus grows, matures, and is brought to its intended goal. And here is the beauty of the whole thing: the more I know Him the more I love Him, and the more I love Him the more I know Him. The same thing happens in a godly marriage. It should be that the more a husband and wife grow to know one another, the more they love one another. And the more love they share with each other, the more they will desire to know each other.

It’s an old commandment and a new commandment what in the world does that mean?

Darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining. What does that mean??

I don’t know and I didn’t have time to look it up in the commentaries. MAny times you won’t know and will leave not knowing. That’s why we keep reading and keep coming back to the same text and answering a few more questions every time.

What does it mean to love my brother? What is love?

This will help with my application as it gives me a fuller understanding of some of my life lessons from earlier.

Love is the self-sacrificial commitment to secure the highest good of another without expecting anything in return.

Let’s come back to that in a second.

What are the ramifications of walking in darkness?

You get lost, frustrated, hurt, you break things, and bump into others.

Do I feel lost? Am I frustrated? Am I hurting or hurting other? Do I find myself screwing things up all the time?

Am I walking in darkness?

Application

I feel like I am walking in darkness what is my first step to getting back to the light?

1 John 1:9 “9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

I don’t feel like I personally know God very well what is one way from the text that I can learn to know Him better?

Sacrificially love someone

Who can I sacrificially love this week and how?

Am I loving my family well or am I walking in darkness? Who can I sacrificially love this week and how?

Who must I turn to when I struggle to love and fail to do what I desire? 1 John 2:1–2 “1 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. 2 He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.”