LEARNING DAILY

 

1 John 2:3-6, Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a lair, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. 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.

 

I knew a basketball coach a long time ago that studied and studied the rules book. Why? It was not because he wanted to know the rules so well that he could argue with the referees. No, he wanted to know them so well that he could coach his teams to play right up to what the rules said and maybe get away with something that would help his teams defeat another team. There have always been those who want to bend the rules to fit their wants and way of life. John was writing to those who were teaching that it was up to the individual believer whether they abandoned a sinful life or not. These teachers declared that “one could legitimately claim to “know” God in a saving relationship and at the same time be indifferent to God’s will and commandments, and disobey them” (LSSB). John called these teachers “liars and did not have the truth in them”. The person who wants to be saved through faith in Christ without a commitment to follow him as Lord is doomed to fail.

 

Too many who are on the narrow way try to walk on it as close to the edge as possible. That old self keeps trying to get us off the narrow way to do the things we did before we were saved by the Lord Jesus. There is that tendency to know and please God by doing good works. However, that is not the way to know Him, that is not His desire. Instead, we demonstrate that we know and walk with Him by doing good works. When a Believer is born into God’s family it is an eternal relationship that cannot be broken. Fellowship or communion with God is certainly a different thing; it can be broken by sin. We stay in fellowship with Him by being obedient to what He requires, by walking as He walked.

 

Too many times God’s people try to demonstrate their love for God by what they say and forget their actions need to match. The notes in the DJSB state, “it is not a matter of lip service but life service”. I believe this comes as a Believer grows in God’s Word – we are required to mature as we walk on the narrow way. We do grow to the point of desiring to please God and do what He has required. Our love for Him grows to the point we desire to keep His commandments (John 14:15).

 

As we walk on the narrow way, we learn that obedience to Him is the key to fellowship with Him. Jesus walked in total obedience to His Father while on earth. He walked in total dependance on Him and He was fully submissive to His Father’s will. John wrote, “He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked”.  It is again your choice and my choice each day. It goes back between the choice between Barabbas or Jesus, a choice between evil and good. 

 

From now on DJSB will be used to note information or quotes from the David Jeremiah Study Bible and LSSB will refer to information and quotes from the Life in the Spirit Study Bible