Do You Know Jesus Christ? (Part 1)

Believers, be honest.  How is your obedience to Jesus Christ and His Word?

October 16, 2021

"And hereby we do know that we know Him if we keep His commandments.  He that saith, I know Him, and keepeth not His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.  But whoso keepth His Word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in Him.  He that saith he abideth in Him ought himself also so to walk, even as He walked."

1 John 2:3-6

Part 1

Today:  The Proof of My Personal Relationship with Jesus

And hereby we do know that we know Him if we keep His commandments” (1 John 2:3).

 

A lot of people claim that they know Jesus Christ.  The following few verses are an elementary test to see whether we really know Jesus or not.  We ought to consider John’s words here thoughtfully and prayerfully.  They are vitally important.

 

“And hereby.”
The word “hereby” seems to be one of John’s go-to words.  He has used it in his Gospel as well as in this book.  The Greek phrase that is translated as “hereby” means “in this.” [1]  “In this,” in what? – “If we keep His commandments” explains what “hereby” is pointing to.

“The expression points to what follows, ‘if we keep His commandments,’ yet with a covert reference to that idea as generally implied in the previous words concerning fellowship with God and walking in the light” [2] (Vincent).

“If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1 John 1:6-7).

 

“We do know that we know Him.”

“We know that we know Him.”

“We know,” “or perceive, by experience, from day to day” [3] (Vincent).

“That we know,” “…have come to know” [4] (Vincent).

“Know Him”

“… the word ‘Him’ might refer either to God or to Christ.  For John, Jesus is so closely linked with the Father that a precise distinction between the Persons of the Godhead sometimes seems irrelevant.  Fellowship is with both the Father and the Son (1:3) and to know One of Them intimately is to know the Other” [5] (BKC).

“Knowledge is an important theme in this letter….  The knowledge of God is not some mystic vision or intellectual insight; it is manifested when we obey His commandments” [6] (NBC).

 

“If we keep His commandments.”
This is it; here’s the test, the proof that either we belong to Him or that we do not.  To know Jesus personally is not complicated.

“What knowledge of Christ can that be, which sees not that He is most worthy of our entire obedience?  And a disobedient life shows there is neither religion nor honesty in the [one professing Christ]” [7] (Matthew Henry).

“Obedience” is the simple test of “knowing Jesus.”  Do I do what He says?  Obedience to Jesus Christ is “keeping His commandments.”  And He’s not speaking of some great assignment, but our everyday living, the part of my life that others see, and the unseen thoughts of my heart.  Do I obey what His Word says when it tells me how to think, love, and live?

“John tells his readers that they can be sure they know God if they obey his commands.  This doesn’t mean living to a rigid code of laws, but joyfully responding to God’s will” [8] (TBG).

What is it that God wills for me?  The answer to that is found in His Word.  If we say that we love Him, we ought to be doing what He wills for us to do.  This means putting our wills and desires down so that we can faithfully obey His.

“John isn’t talking about being perfect—he has already said that we aren’t [1 John 1:8-10].  He is describing the basic direction and desire of our lives—to please God and go His way.  This is what Jesus did perfectly, and we have His example to follow” [9] (TBG).

Please come back tomorrow as we look at what the Scripture says about the man or woman who does not obey Jesus Christ’s commands.

 

Quote:  “Obedience is not spectacular, but it is at the basis of all true Christian service” [10] (NBC).

 

 

 

[1] John uses the word “hereby” in his Gospel, John 13:35; 15:8; 16:30.  And he uses it here in his first letter, 1 John 2:5; 3:24; 4:13; 5:2; 3:16; 3:19; 4:2.  See Vincent.
[2] Vincent, M. R. (1887).  Word studies in the New Testament (Vol. 2, pp. 326–329).  New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons.
[3] Vincent, M. R. ibid.  The emphasis is his.
[4] Ibid.
[5] Walvoord, J. F., & Zuck, R. B., Dallas Theological Seminary.  (1985).  The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, pp. 888–889).  Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[6] Morris, L. L. (1994).  1 John.  In D. A. Carson, R. T. France, J. A. Motyer, & G. J. Wenham (Eds.), New Bible commentary: 21st-century edition (4th ed., pp. 1401–1402).  Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press.  The emphasis is his.  John uses the Greek word ginōskō (“I know or perceive”) 23 times in this book. He uses another Greek synonym, oida, six times.
[7] Henry, M., & Scott, T.  (1997).  Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary (1 Jn 2:3).  Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems.  I have made a slight edit in Henry’s statement.  Hopefully, it will help our readers better understand what he is saying.  The emphasis is mine.
[8] Knowles, A. (2001).  The Bible guide (1st Augsburg books ed., p. 687).  Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg.
[9] Knowles, A., ibid.
[10] Morris, L. L., ibid.  John uses the Greek word ginōskō (“I know or perceive”) 23 times in this book. He uses another Greek synonym, oida, six times.