from Rachel: We Know That We Know

Read 1 John 2:3-6, and let’s lay these concepts out as plainly as possible.

Verse 3: as a characteristic of knowing God, we will naturally obey his “commands”.

Verse 5: God’s love is truly made complete (or perfected) in the person who obeys His “word”.

It’s difficult to know here if “God’s love” means His love for us, or our love for Him. I personally lean toward our love for God, since His love for us cannot be improved upon.

“Could it be both? Then the circle or circuit is not properly complete if we let down our side of loving Him by obeying. (I.e. when we obey, we complete in the circle/circuit, and God‘s love is truly made complete.)”

In one sentence, sum up the theme of John 14:15, 21, 23 and 15:10.

“If we love Jesus, we will obey His commands.”

It’s easy to have a bumper sticker love for Jesus, a sentiment you slap on when convenient. But it’s another thing altogether to live your life seeking to obey His will laid out for us in Scripture. What is one significant action you’ve taken recently to obey the Lord? According to 1 John 2:3, how does this affirm your knowing Him?

I suppose going to Kerstin’s and helping her, even when I don’t really feel like it (especially on Fridays). Our willingness to obey His commands is how we can know that we know Him.

John inserts a strong statement in verse 4. What is it?

“Someone who claims to know Jesus, but doesn’t obey His commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him.”

How would you describe the difference between an imperfect believer who seeks to be obedient and a rebellious unbeliever who disregards God’s commands?

“Remorse and repentance versus unremorse and lack of repentance.”

Remember, in our first week, we touched on gnosticism, which was in its earliest pre-stages at the time of John’s writings. From memory, what does the term gnostic mean?

“The flesh is too broken and evil for God, or His Son, to inhabit it, so Jesus was either only a man or never a man at all and only God.”

Redemption for the gnostic involves a release from ignorance, not sin.
The gnostics didn’t believe their moral behavior had any bearing on their relationship with God.
Our love for God and our moral behavior go hand-in-hand. You can’t have one without the other.

Just for review, what are the three “characteristics” of a believer according to verses 3, 5 and 6? (Try to pull these from memory.)

Obeys God’s “commands”
Obeys God’s “word”
Walks as “Jesus” walked.

“‘Direct me in the path of Your commands, for there I find the light.’
Psalm 119:35”

Dearest Rachel –

It’s always interesting to see when you come up with an insight that even the author of the study appears to have trouble with – although it’s refreshing when an author admits to such a struggle. Speaking of which, while you might not have related to it, I know exactly what she was talking about when she opened this chapter about asking the Lord to save her at least a hundred times; I spent forty or so nights when I was nine doing the exact same thing. Perhaps there’s a certain greater surety you had in having come to Him at a slightly older age.

As for the question the author had about how to perfect God’s love for us, you’d sort of squared the circle by pointing out that, while God’s love for us may be perfect (because He is, after all), it is made complete (“perfected,” if you will) when we love Him, and show it by following His commands.

At the risk of exposing you for an apparent fair-weather friend, I’m sure there are times when we all would rather keep to ourselves rather than assist a friend in need. It’s nothing personal. Still, the fact that you did even at times you may not have felt like doing so is to your credit (and the fact that you have to grudgingly admit it might qualify just goes to show that you didn’t do it for the brownie points).

Finally, it’s difficult for us to grasp the gnostic perspective, isn’t it? Even those who are only nominally religious tend to think of their salvation as being based on being “a good person,” whatever they may define that to be. The idea a separating morality from redemption seems anathema to us, even somewhat alien; while we accept that our good works aren’t enough to save us (after all, that’s why Jesus came to earth – to pay the price we simply weren’t capable of paying), they are a necessary part of growing closer to God by being more like Him – more like ‘little Christs,’ where we get our name from.

At any rate, you’ve made it there, and I’ve still got to learn more about walking that walk. So with that in mind, keep an eye on me, honey, and wish me luck. I’m going to need it.