1 John 2:3-6

How Then Can We Know That We Truly Know Christ? (1 John 2:3).

Many were claiming that they knew God, that they had special knowledge of Him, that through their own particular religious ordinances they were illuminated and made without sin, seeing sin, not as moral sin, but as some human blemish that could be removed by such ordinances. They were not too bothered about moral sin. But John now declares, as he has also already done, that they are deluded. Those who come to Christ and to the God Who is light will be aware of their own moral sinfulness and that it can only be dealt with through the blood of Jesus (1 John 1:6), and they will then reveal their true faith in Him by seeking cleansing through His blood and through the way that they live. They, and they alone, are Christians.

‘And by this we know that we have known him, if we keep his commandments. He who says, I have known him, and does not keep his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly has the love of God been perfected. Hereby we know that we are in him. He who says he abides in him ought himself also to walk even as he walked.'

The way that we can know that we have come to know Him Who is the Word of life, and Him Who is the light, is in that we keep His commandments. The word to ‘keep' means not only to do them but also to hold them in our hearts and minds, continually meditating on them because we love to please Him. We treasure them because we want to be like Him. Thus we love His word. And as we obey it we can come to His light without a sense of guilt (the past has been atoned for) and without fear.

The ‘Him' primarily in mind here must at first sight be Jesus Christ, for we are later told that we should walk as he walked (1 John 2:6). But other references and the use of ekeinos in 1 John 2:6, suggesting a change of person, might suggest otherwise (see below). And anyway it is doubtful if John is making such a clear distinction between Father and Son. In 1 John 1:5 the fellowship is with the God Who is light. In 1 John 2:6 the abiding is in Jesus Christ. But John has emphasised from the beginning that our fellowship is ‘with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ' (1 John 1:3), and the transition from talking about ‘Him' as referring to God, to ‘Him' as referring to Christ, is smooth and unobvious, wherever it occurs, because he sees it in effect as referring to the same thing. To walk with the God Who is light (1 John 1:6) is to walk with Jesus Christ (1 John 2:6).

Other references to commandment(s) in John's writings can be found in John 13:34; John 15:12 where it is Jesus Who says that He is giving the disciples a new commandment, and in John 14:15; John 14:21 and John 15:10 where Jesus speaks of ‘my commandments.' That might support reference to Jesus here. Yet Jesus also speaks of a commandment He Himself has ‘received' from the Father (John 10:18; John 12:49; John 14:31; and in the plural in John 15:10). Furthermore, references to ‘His commandment(s)' occur eight times in 1 John, in 1 John 2:3; 1 John 3:22; 1 John 5:2 (twice), along with one reference (1 John 4:21) to a commandment ‘from Him.' In two of these instances (1 John 3:23 and 1 John 4:21) the context makes it clear that God the Father is being referred to. Thus for the sake of consistency we might argue that the remaining references to ‘His commandment(s)' should also be seen as referring to God the Father, including the references here in 1 John 2:3. This is open to question, however, and the ambiguity suggests that it would probably not have been seen by John as important. The commandments of the Father and the commandments of Jesus were one.

‘By this we know that we have known him.' The change from present to perfect indicates that the latter refers not just to the present but to the experience of the past as well. They know Him now because at some point in the past they came to know Him and that experience has continued. And this is evidenced by their ceasing to be lawless and keeping His commandments.

‘If we keep his commandments.' The ‘if' represents a theoretical position that is open to being true one way or the other. There are those who will hear his letter read who will not be keeping His commandments, thereby demonstrating that they have not known Him.

Then he adds that those who claim to have come to know Him, (through some mystical rite?), but do not keep His commandments in their hearts and through their lives, are liars. They are showing that they have not really come to know Him, for He is light and they are walking in the darkness of sin. They are demonstrating by their lawlessness that they do not know Him, that they do not have the truth within them. Note the more indirect ‘the one who says' in contrast with the earlier ‘if we say'. John is distancing these from himself and his fellow Christians.

On the other hand those who do ‘keep' His word, do hold it in their minds and hearts, and seek to fulfil it, truly have, and will have, the love of God perfected in them (compare 1 John 4:12). It is evidence that God's love has entered their lives, and is being made perfect within them, so that His love will shine forth in them and from them and through them. God's love will have done its perfect work in their hearts, and will continue to do so. This connection of God's love and His people's responding love through obeying His word will continue throughout the remainder of the letter. One main purpose of God's love is to produce righteous men.

‘Hereby we know that we are in him.' Thus the way in which we can know that we are in Him is by the fact that we keep His word in our hearts and live it out in our lives. We ‘keep His commandments'. Like James (and Paul), John has no time for those who consider that they can be Christians without living according to His word. It is not that living according to His word makes them Christians, it is to draw attention to the fact that, if they have become Christians through God's free grace, the love of God will have truly entered their hearts, and will thus accomplish this within them, because His love will be perfected in them and will do its perfect work. God does not fail in His endeavours.

But if this makes anyone begin to feel doubt about their salvation the remedy is quick and easy. Come to the light and walk in it. Openly admit your sinfulness. And God is faithful. He will justly forgive your sin and cleanse you from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). The blood of Jesus Christ His Son will cleanse you from all sin (1 John 1:7). Then go on in your walk with Him, walking in the light.

‘He who says he abides in him ought himself also to walk even as he walked.' This is John's final conclusion. God is light, and Jesus Christ is the Righteous One, so that the one who abides in Him Who is light, dwelling in His presence and partaking of Him by faith, will necessarily walk as He walked Who is the Righteous One. It is a moral necessity, and no other possibility is mooted. As Jesus Himself had said, ‘You cannot serve God and mammon' (Matthew 6:24).

‘To walk even as he walked.' This involves a study of His life and walk, and thus His teachings too, which would be possible through the reading out of the traditions concerning His life and teachings in the churches. It is to hold within us (to keep) such a view of Him, brought about by meditation on such teaching, that we light live as He lived and (as far as we can) be as He was. Abiding in Him involves such meditation and involves such walking.

‘He abides in Him.' Abiding is a central theme of this letter. It occurs especially in John 15:4 where it has in mind ‘abiding' in the vine as an illustration of abiding in Christ, thus indicating that abiding indicates the maintenance of permanent, unrestricted, and fully receptive contact. It denotes openness, receptiveness and response. And the idea is found continually in this letter. But the idea is even more widespread, for abiding signifies being continually present with the one in whom the abiding takes place. Thus the Holy Spirit will abide with and in His disciples for ever (John 14:16) ensuring the abiding with them of Jesus Himself (John 14:18). The idea is of permanent two-way contact.

So to ‘abide in Him' is to maintain constant contact, to make constant response, to enjoy a constant loving relationship and to dwell constantly in His presence in obedient awareness of Him through His word, receiving life from Him as the branches of the vine receive life from the vine. And to do this and not to walk as He walked is seen as unthinkable.

When you ask someone ‘do you live there?' you usually mean ‘do you abide there?' It signifies permanent residence and presence. Those who are His demonstrate it by permanent residence in God and in Christ.

Note. The question is often asked, does all this refer to being a Christian or to being as it were in a special inner relationship with God? In our view the question is artificial. We must doubt whether John made such a distinction. We suspect that to him one who did not live like this, at least so some degree, was hardly seen as a Christian at all, only possibly as ‘a hopeful case' which the future would reveal as genuine or otherwise. As emphasised elsewhere, the future would tell. That salvation is freely given in response to faith in Christ is indisputable. That salvation can be received and not be effective in daily life must be severely questioned. If a man is not changed by receiving Christ it must be questioned whether he has really become a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17)?

Of course in many cases, especially in an environment where being a Christian is not seen as special, and where Christian standards have become the norm, the inward effect may take time to work out and be obvious. We start as babes and need to grow. But if God's saving work is taking place within us then it will surely eventually force itself on our attention, and then on the attention of others, and then on the attention of the world. How can it be otherwise? And if it does not, we have to question whether it is happening at all. And no man who is not experiencing God's saving work can truly call himself a Christian. What John wrote here was to all Christians. By their response they would be known (1 John 2:19). End of note.