Call to Obedience

View daily reading plan: 1 John 2.3-6

Sinning is not the norm for a believer, but now John shows that obedience is. Again, verb tenses are important; paraphrased, v.3 could read like this: “hereby do we always know that we have come to Him, if...”. Obedience gives us the constant knowledge that at a point in our lives we came to know Him in a saving way.

Once more, in this section John is concerned about the claims people make: “He that saith...” (vv.4,6,9). He insists that what we profess be backed by hard facts. Here, claiming to “know him” must be evidenced by keeping His commandments, the commandments that are enshrined in “his word”. In those who display a submissive obedient disposition, His love has been “perfected”.

God had a goal in loving you. It was not just to rescue you from hell; His desire was to have in this world people who are different from the majority, the “children of disobedience” (Eph 2.2). In obedient believers that aim has been achieved and God’s love has been “perfected”.

The greatest Exemplar of obedience was the Lord Jesus Himself: “obedient unto death” (Phil 2.8). Our claim to abide in Him is verified if we show that same submissive spirit, walking “even as he walked”.

Monday, 29 April, 2024