By Kenny Bruce
Pastor Emeritus, Leawood East Baptist Church, Memphis
Focal Passage: 1 John 2:3-11, 15-17
A Christian is a person who has a relationship with Jesus Christ. In 1 John 2, John gives us three tests so we can know for certain we have that relationship.
(1) The test of obedience (vv. 3-6). Verse three assures us that if we keep His commands, we know Him. The word “keep” can be translated “guard.”
We guard and obey His commands because we consider them precious. Our obedience is not motivated by obligation, but by our love for Him.
The heart of Christianity is found in the phrase “abides in Him” (v. 6). As we abide, we obey His commands regardless of the consequences. If a person claims to be a Christian, but is not obeying the commandments, he is a liar (v. 4).
(2) The test of love (vv. 7-11) Whether one possesses eternal life or has been sentenced to eternal death is revealed by whom he loves. Loving God and others is an Old Testament commandment (v. 7). Deuteronomy 6:5 commands us to love God, and Leviticus 19:18 adds that we must love our neighbor as ourselves.
Kenny Bruce
However, in verse 8, John refers to that love as a “new command” because it had never been manifested before Jesus came into the world. Jesus even commanded us to love our enemies and pray for our persecutors (Matthews 5:44b).
The moment we are converted, His love is shed abroad in our hearts (Romans 5:5). His love in us is new. To obey this new commandment, we must love like Jesus loved. Practicing His love marks us in this world as His disciples (John 13:35).
(3) The test of priority (vv. 15-17) Our priority is either loving God or loving the world. It is God’s will that we not love the world. What John means by the “world” is the invisible, spiritual system of evil run by Satan. It is the system we live in that is against God. We have been called out of this world and crucified to it, (Galatians 6:14), but that does not mean that we are not tempted by the world. The word “lust” in verse 16 refers to a strong desire.
The world tempts us with “the lust of the flesh” (examples: immorality and overeating), “the lust of the eyes” (examples: staring at a person with a sexual desire or coveting a neighbor’s car), and “the pride of life” (being conceited about our accomplishments, possessions and fortune). We resist these temptations by being certain Jesus is our first love, fighting them with the Word of God and living according to the will of God. B&R — Bruce is pastor emeritus of Leawood East Baptist Church, Memphis.
